35th anniversary Strathfield Massacre

A memorial ceremony was held today in the Strathfield Town Centre to commemorate the Strathfield Massacre, which occurred on 17 August 1991 at Strathfield Plaza.   It remains one of Australia’s most devastating mass shootings.  The memorial service was coordinated by the Cumberland RSL and attended by people directly involved on the day or representing the emergency responders such as Police, Ambulence and Hospitals or local community organisations such as the Historical Society.

At approximately 3:30 pm, Wade Frankum, a 33-year-old part-time taxi driver, launched a violent attack inside Strathfield Plaza. Armed with a knife and a semi-automatic rifle, he first fatally stabbed 15-year-old Roberta “Bo” Armstrong before opening fire on shoppers, café patrons, and business owners.  Over the next ten minutes, Frankum moved through the shopping centre and surrounding areas, shooting indiscriminately at people as they fled. The attack ended on the rooftop car park when, surrounded by approaching police, Frankum took his own life.

The massacre claimed the lives of seven innocent people:

• Roberta Armstrong
• Carole Dickinson
• George Mavris
• Rachelle Milburn
• Joyce Nixon
• Patricia Rowe
• Robertson Kan Hock Voon

Six others were seriously injured.

Among the acts of courage remembered from that day was that of Greg Read, a former Navy officer, who warned shoppers to take cover while placing himself in danger. Police later credited his actions with saving multiple lives. He was awarded the Star of Courage in 1992.

The massacre deeply affected Strathfield residents, many of whom either witnessed the violence or knew someone involved. Local businesses suffered a significant decline in patronage in the years that followed, and the event left lasting emotional scars on survivors, families, and emergency responders.

Although no clear motive was ever established, the tragedy intensified public debate about gun control, which is continuing due to recent rises in gun related violence.