Lindt cafe victim Tori Johnson was shot dead in the final act of the Sydney siege, killed by Man Haron Monis as other hostages fled. Courtesy: Nine News
People are laying flowers at a makeshift shrine in Sydney, honouring the victims of the Martin Place siege.
WHEN Robert Honan went to bed Monday, he had no idea his mother and sister were hostages in the Lindt cafe siege unfolding on TV.
But at 2.30am, the Sunshine Coast father was woken by a shocking phone call that his elderly mother, Robin Hope, had been "shot".
Not only that, but his distressed mum did not know where his sister Louisa Hope was after they became separated in the chaos.
Robin, 74, and Louisa, 52, were among the last to be rescued after police stormed the Sydney cafe in a hail of gunfire.
MEMORIAL: Cafe hero's family overwhelmed at tribute
HOSTAGES: If we didn't run, we were going to die
PROBE: Police dispute Abbott's gun claims
Both were unable to run and received shrapnel wounds believed to be from stun guns.
Robin was filmed on television being carried out on a stretcher after she was injured on the shoulder.
Robert Honan and partner Danielle Svensen at their Mt Coolum home. Source: News Limited
They have since undergone surgery to remove shrapnel pieces and Mr Honan said his sister was expected to remain in hospital for a month.
Mr Honan chose not to release his mum and sister's names to the public to protect their identities.
Police announce investigation after three people died as police officers stormed a Sydney cafe to free hostages held by a gunman. Natalie Thomas reports.
However their details were circulating on online reports yesterday.
Mr Honan said when the siege ended there was a period of about one hour when he was unsure if his older sister was still alive.
"We knew she was one of the last ones out and that three people had been killed so the chances of her being one of them was pretty high," said Mr Honan.
"Mum was frantic not knowing what had happened in all the chaos. She was rushed to hospital in the ambulance and had no idea where her daughter was and vice versa."
In the fearful dark of Tuesday morning Mr Honan and partner Danielle Svensen lit a candle in their Mt Coolum kitchen.
"We were helpless, and that feeling of being helpless is what the other families would have felt for the whole 16 hours," said Ms Svensen.
Robin and Louisa, who reside in Sydney, had been visiting the city Monday for a business appointment.
Sydneysiders place flowers at a makeshift memorial near Martin Place honouring hostages killed in siege.
Mr Honan said he usually spoke to them about three times a day and had found it unusual that he was unable to get hold of them.
But he did not expect they had visited the cafe and as he watched the dramatic siege unfold on television did not even consider his loved ones had been captured.
"We went to bed thinking 'Those poor people,' and were completely oblivious to the fact that our family was in there as well," said Ms Svensen.
"They had something on that they had to go to so we would have thought that's where they were and not in the cafe.
"But they went there (to the cafe) first and never got to here they were meant to be going."
Mr Honan flew to Sydney on Tuesday to visit his loved ones who are in separate hospitals as they undergo treatment.
He said his mother and sister did not want to talk publicly about the experience.
"They were terrified and upset and had mixed feelings of they're alive," he said.
"They were there from the beginning right to the end. I think it was quite a surreal experience."
Mr Honan said they felt for the families of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson who lost their lives.
Originally published as Man didn't know mum, sister were hostages
