Letter: Nations united by shared grief

Sir: As an Australian shocked and troubled by the massacre of 35 people in Tasmania, I am writing to tell the people of Britain how touched we have been by their many messages of understanding, and by the news that a service for the victims was held at St Clement Danes. We were appalled by the events at Dunblane and we know that your expressions of regret are more than stock phrases of international condolence. Let us hope that for both our countries real progress, in the form of much stricter gun control, will grow from these senseless acts.

Penelope Little

Paddington, NSW, Australia