The smile on Joel Herat’s face spoke volumes as he watched his bride Eunice Estaris walk down the aisle in front of family and friends in Sydney last month.
“I do feel I’ve come full circle in a sense,” Joel, 31, tells New Idea in an exclusive interview on his wedding day.
“Coming into Lindt, I was naive about the world.
“Ten years on, having gone through it, survived it, and done all [of] these other amazing things that I’m proud of … And now, I’ve married the love of my life!”
Joel was just 21 when he was caught up in the Sydney Lindt Café siege on December 15, 2014.
A terrorist held Joel, seven of his young workmates, and 10 customers hostage inside the cafe in Martin Place. Cafe manager Tori Johnson, 34, and barrister Katrina Dawson, 38, were killed in the 16-hour-long siege.
Three female hostages and a police officer were also injured by gunfire when police stormed the cafe. Joel was hailed a hero after he helped his colleagues escape.
Some of those same workmates were reunited at Manly’s Pacific Hotel on November 23, to witness Joel and Eunice exchange vows and promise to love and cherish each other forever.
“The room was radiating with everyone’s love for us,” a beaming Eunice, 30, says.
Eunice and Joel met when they worked together at the Lindt Café. She thankfully escaped the ordeal because she was overseas on holiday when the siege happened.
“For me and Joel, because we’ve been together for that whole period of time, it definitely feels like the start of a whole new chapter for us,” she says.
“We’ve tried our best to move forward, but 100 percent it stays with us.”
Their love story was born out of the ashes of that terrible day 10 years ago.
When Eunice returned from her holiday, she reached out to Joel and found him suffering terribly. He was wracked with survivor’s guilt and anxiety over what he could have done to save lives during the terror.
Over time, their feelings for each other grew. Once Joel and Eunice shared their first kiss, they knew they had found their forever soulmate.
Just before tying the knot in front of 120 family and friends – including some who had flown in from the UK, Canada, and the Philippines – Joel and Eunice took time out to exchange private vows with each other.
“It was just us and it was a bit emotional, but it was happy emotion,” Joel reveals. He adds that it was important to both he and Eunice that they keep a small part of the day for themselves.
Looking stunning in a sequinned white gown and sweeping veil, Eunice entered the venue as Donna Lewis’ ‘I Love You Always Forever’ played. Joel says he couldn’t help but break out into a huge smile.
“The most special part was seeing Eunice, but then also seeing the myriad of family and friends, who have seen you go from where you were back then, until now … it summarised it all in that one special moment,” he says.
“I’m proud of how I’ve come out of a really dark place. Mental health is spoken about a lot more now, but 10 years ago, there was still a stigma.”
“I think being with someone you love does absolutely help you heal.”
“The majority of my happiness is really down to Eunice. She’s my best friend and she’s definitely been a big part of me healing and moving forward.”
For her part, Eunice says she is incredibly proud of what her new husband has achieved in the decade since the devastating loss of their mentor, Tori. They also miss Katrina, a cherished regular at the Lindt Café, dearly.
“Joel has come so far in how he was when I met him, but in the same way he’s still that same guy I met all those years ago,” Eunice says.
“He’s grown in so many different ways. I feel very proud in all aspects of him. I feel like Joel is one of the most kind-hearted people you could ever meet.
“He’s got this love for his friends and family; this love for them that is really strong, and I haven’t seen that in many people. He’s also really funny and he keeps me laughing all day. Joel’s just a really great life partner.”
Joel and Eunice have delayed their honeymoon to save money.
He is about to start a new job working for the NDIS, while Eunice is a senior project manager at a university.
And despite their respective parents’ desire for grandchildren, they plan to enjoy married life together, before embarking on parenthood.
“One day, if it’s meant to happen, then we are definitely open to it,” Eunice says, smiling.
For more of our exclusive Lindt Siege anniversary coverage, pick up next week’s issue of New Idea.
