For the past several years he and his wife have been spending time in Melbourne because they can soak up the cafes and the culture, and simply be Rod and Maree.

There is no Tasmanian business community connections, no Autobarn, no Tasmanian Fire Service.

As much as he must love all of those things, it is good to take a step back and become just one of the crowd.

When he stepped outside his apartment door on November 9, Rod did not know he would be forced to shed that veil of anonymity and become one of the faces of a tragedy when terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali set a car on fire in Melbourne’s busy Bourke Street and went on a rampage with a knife.

Melbourne cafe identity Sisto Malaspina was killed in the attack, when he and Rod went to the car to try and help whoever may have been inside.

Despite saying what he thought was his last goodbyes to his wife, Mr Patterson has come out the other side with a simple message:

“We want Victorians to know that Melbourne didn’t do this to us, one person with hate in his heart did this.”

Terror attacks are one of those things – they are designed to inspire fear.

Fear may cause us to think of terrorist and terror-related activities as being planned and carried out by a many-headed snake.

A gargantuan monster that will respawn and multiply each time you cut off one of its heads.

But a major thing to remember that any crime or terror attack can be boiled down – it can be reduced.

Rod and Maree are planning another trip to Melbourne soon – to finish off their lovely afternoon at the jazz club they started on November 9.

We may not be able to control the actions of others, but there is one thing we can always control – our reactions to certain events. Rod and Maree should be commended on their reaction to this.