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Bali bombing hero Erik de Haart still died with physical and mental scars of the 2002 terror attack that claimed 202 lives, including those of 88 Australians.
But the more than lifelong character has never received any official recognition for his courage in the aftermath of the massacre or his selfless acts in the two decades that followed.
Awards were awarded to 199 Australian and foreign recipients – 37 for courage – one year after the cruelty of September 2002.
Among those who receive orders from Australia or other awards for actions that were carried out in Bali, doctors, diplomats, police, various officials and soldiers were.
Bravery Decorations in the Special Honors list of 2003 included two crosses of courage, four stars of courage, 14 courage medals and 17 praise for brave behavior.
But for some reason the actions of the Lord De Haart were never recognized, despite the widespread report of how he risked his own life to get wounded men and women out of the burning bomb.
Mr De Haart, a well-known accountant and sports club sponsor from the eastern suburbs of Sydney, died of a suspected heart attack on February 16 at the age of 67.
A memorial service was held on Wednesday morning in Our Lady of the Sacred Heard Catholic Church in Randwick.
Bali bombing hero Erik de Haart (above) still died with physical and mental scars of the terror attack that claimed 202 lives, including those of 88 Australians
Mr De Haart never received official recognition for his actions in the aftermath of the Bali Bombing Carnage (above) or his selfless acts in the two decades that followed
On October 12, 2002, Mr De Haart had been to Kuta with members of the Coogee Dolphin's rugby League club on their end of the seasonal journey.
He had just walked a member of the Tour group to their hotel when Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist bombs in Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club explained shortly after 11 p.m.
Without the idea what had happened, De Heer De Haar ran back to the Sari Club and ran the ruins of the building to get as much injured as he could in the hospital.
Dolphins players Clint Thompson, 29, Adam Howard, 27, Dave Mavroudis, 28, Shane Foley, 34, Gerard Yeo, 20 and Joshua Iliffe, 28, were all killed in the Sari Club.
Less than 48 hours after the bombing, Mr De Haart and two other dolphins were confronted with the horrible task of finding their dead friends in the overflowing mortuary in the Sanglah hospital.
Clint Thompson was identified by a Sonic The Hedgehog tattoo on his arm.
Journalist Ali Donaldson, who met the Lord De Haar in the days after the bombing, said that she had nominated her friend several times without success for a reward of courage.
“Erik de Haart's courage surpassed his incredible achievements that survivors went in the moments after the terror strike,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
“He returned when the most understandable ran for their lives.
Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists have exploded in Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club (above) shortly after 11 p.m. on 12 October 2002
Dolphins players Clint Thompson, 29, Adam Howard, 27, Dave Mavroudis, 28, Shane Foley, 34, Gerard Yeo, 20 and Joshua Iliffe, 28, were all killed in the Bali bombing rods
“For decades, he kept up standing up, dealing with his own demons while he was active there for everyone who needed support – the power of listening and caring.”
Donaldson was the last to interview Mr De Haart for the Network Ten Podcast Shockwaves: The Bali Bombardements on the occasion of the 20 -year anniversary of the attack in 2022.
“I had known him for more than 20 years and for me he was a constant hero – a word he was not a fan – well deserved,” she said.
'I have set him up several times for courageous praise committees – it was never his year – but perhaps that speaks to someone whose courage surpassed a single moment.
“He was a lifetime.”
Mr De Haart re -brought in the night of the bombing for the shockwaves podcast.
“I ran to the front of the Sari Club and it was just a nightmare – people shouted, people on fire,” he said.
'I try to find the boys – I could not see any of the boys. I just started with the Sari Club and there were bodies everywhere. '
The heroism of the Lord De Haart was never recognized, despite the fact that he jeopardized his own life while he took wounded men and women from the burning bomb. He is shown above
The Lord De Haart said that he was wearing part of the wounded from the Sariclub and helped them on the back of the bikes of the local population.
“I grabbed this guy on a bike and said,” Take him to the hospital, “he told Donaldson.
“And this little man looked up at me and said:” How am I going to keep him up and ride on my bike? “But he did.
'The Indonesian boys kept coming in their cars and people take ourselves away from us.
“It was a terrible, terrible night and it lives with you for a long time. It was six months before I could get the smell of burning meat out of my nose, you know, the taste from my mouth. '
Mr De Haart remained regular contact with the families of the Dolphins players in Australia while he was in Bali, and they were at Sydney airport when he flew home.
Clint Thompson's brother Brian embraced the Lord De Haar and told him that the six lovers of the dead men needed him to describe what had happened in Bali for them.
“I knew that was something I had to do, not just for my own sentence,” Mr De Haart told Donaldson.
The Lord De Haart was in Kuta with the Coggee Dolphin's rugby League team at the time of the Bali terrorist attacks (above) and pulled so many injured victims from the wreck he lost count
“But I had to represent the families, I had to try to relieve them as much as possible so that they could continue with the mourning.”
The Lord De Haart suffered from burns while he saved the wounded those scars on the lower parts of his legs. What he experienced in Bali also left a permanent psychological brand.
There has been a suspicion about who did exactly what exactly after the bomb exploses and that understandable confusion will probably never be resolved.
“There are people who say that your story continues to change,” De Heer De Haart told Donaldson. “I don't think my story has changed so much.
'I have added things … Your Spirit and your brain are beautiful things that God has given us. And I think they store all this information in our head.
'And as you get stronger, and you get better, and you get better able to tackle it, you remember these things, the small dark door you have locked up, it opens it a bit and things come out …
“I don't think that unless you've experienced that, that situation, you don't know, because to survive you have to try to forget and what many people don't realize is that a survivor is a lifelong prison.”
Every time the Lord De Haart spoke publicly about how the bomb attacks had struck him, he was asked when he would come over it through social media trolls.
The Lord De Haart often spoke publicly about the night that he lost six good friends to the dolphins, but saved so many other lives. He was depicted on a 2010 memorial service in Coogee
“I hate the word closure,” Mr De Haart told Donaldson. “Because you never get closure.
'You learn to deal with it better, but you never get closure. It's always there. '
The death of the Lord De Haart leaves only three Coogee Dolphins of the 11 who were still in Bali, still alive.
Patrick Byrne, who had met the Sari Club to save wounded victims, was found dead in May 2014 in the central coastal house of his parents because he had never recovered emotionally from the test.
In contrast to Mr De Haart, Mr Byrne received a recommendation for brave behavior in August 2008 for his actions in the Sari Club that evening.
“Everyone who went to the Sari Club that night was a hero, it was a war zone and Pat did it over and over again,” said the Lord De Haar after Mr Byrne died.
Coogeee Dolphin's Life Member and former President Alby Talarico told Daily Mail Australia that the club had been destroyed that the Lord De Haar was gone.
“The ghost of Bali always stayed with him,” said Mr. Talarico.
Coogee Dolphin's Life Member and former President Alby Talarico told Daily Mail Australia that the club had been destroyed that Mr De Haart (above) was gone
'He did a lot for so many people in the immediate aftermath and for the club in the days and weeks and years that followed.
'The grief is even greater because we left with 11 and we lost six. Since then we have lost Patty and now Erik. '
Being eligible for Australian Bravery decorations, founded in 1975, is defined on the website of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet department.
“The decorations recognize acts of courage by members of the community,” says it.
'Award recipients had joined himself selflessly to protect the life or ownership of others.
'Bravery of courage differs from the power in a crisis situation. Bravery is a deliberate choice to go from a place of safety to danger or to stay in a dangerous position to offer help. '
Everyone can nominate a person to be recognized for courage in Australia or on strange soil and decorations can be served after that person dies.
The Honors secretariat within the office of the Governor General is investigating every nomination put forward.
The 14-member Australian Bravery Decorations Council then considered nominations and makes recommendations for prices to the Governor General.
There is no fixed time frame for Bravery Awards, but there are generally two announcements of recipients every year in April and August.
A spokeswoman for the Honors Secretariat said that nominations for Bravery Awards could be made at any stage after an event had taken place.
“There is no closing date for recognition,” she said. “What is important is that there is sufficient information for the council to make a recommendation about the nominated law.”
