Touching September 11 tribute

By Bridget Cook
A CRANBOURNE teacher felt connected to families whose loved ones had fallen victim to the hands of evil when he attended the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks in memory of his twin brother.
St Peter’s College teacher Paul Gyulavary joined the families of the almost 3000 people killed in the attacks for the ceremony at Ground Zero in New York on Sunday to commemorate the loss of his brother, Peter Gyulavary.
“There was a real connection, as only the families of the victims were allowed at the ceremony,” he said.
“It’s a sacred site for all of us – this is where my twin brother died.
“I’m detached from it in Australia, from all of this, apart from forums and websites for families.
“This was a way for me to really connect to other families.”
Mr Gyulavary visited New York with his two daughters, Greta, 15, and Olivia, 12, who is Peter’s goddaughter.
Peter was working as an architect in the South Tower on level 91 when the second plane crashed into the building.
In the moments after the first tower was hit by a passenger jet, Peter called his wife who told him to get out.
Not knowing what disaster lay ahead, Peter decided to stay in the building – following the instructions from a voiceover announcement to all workers.
Peter’s body was later found about a 100 metres south of tower two – his body was ejected from the collapsing building.
Peter left behind his wife and one child.
Mr Gyulavary said following the ceremony, where he was just 10 metres away from Barack Obama and George W. Bush, they visited the two reflecting pools built over the towers’ footprints, part of a September 11 memorial that was opened for relatives of the victims.
He said names were not printed in alphabetical order, but instead in order of the level they worked on.
“Peter’s name was with other people who worked on level 91,” he said.
“It was really nice as the families all came together, of the people that knew each other.
“They were all anxious to know what I knew – to piece together the final stages of what happened to our loved ones.
“We all had different stories. Some people had connected with their loved ones in their final minutes. I met people who knew Peter. It was great to talk and interact with people on that level.”
The Australian Consulate General then brought together all the families of the 10 Australian victims.
Despite threats of another terror attack, Mr Gyulavary said he was not scared of being in New York at all.
“I wasn’t scared but one of the girls was particularly anxious,” he said.
“Before September 11, everyone was complacent, which was understandable.
“The security these days is amazing.
“There’s 13 million people in New York looking out for suspicious behaviour.
“There were police everywhere, secret service and snipers around. I felt really secure.”
Mr Gyulavary said while they were there for the solemn occasion – the 10th anniversary of the attacks – they had also enjoyed the experience as a family.
He said they had visited a range of tourist attractions, experienced the sites New York has to offer and visited Peter’s friends.
Mr Gyulavary said they had chosen to stay at the Sheraton at Hoboken, just around the corner from where Peter was renovating and living in an apartment.
“I visited the apartment,” he said.
“It was as Peter left it on September 11, with a copy of the September 11 New York Post by the bedside.”