Memorial service held near Amsterdam to mark 10-year anniversary ...
Rudy Menke still can't believe what happened to his family 10 years ago.
"It's gone by so quick ... they're still just so missed by all of us."
His brother and sister-in-law, Gerry and Mary Menke, were among the Australians onboard Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 when it was shot down over Ukraine on July 17, 2014.
"Initially, it's a lot of shock and, waiting for the outcomes, and then just the sadness of it all," he told the ABC, ahead of a memorial service in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
"You have moments, you will always have moments you think about, the days we spent together ... we were always a close family.
"They really were special people."
A man and a woman take time to reflect at the memorial on Wednesday.(ABC News: Andrew Greaves)
The couple left behind four children, grandchildren and several small businesses they ran in the coastal Victorian town of Mallacoota.
Mr Menke has travelled across the world to be in the Netherlands for the international commemoration service.
The event is taking place near Schiphol airport on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where a permanent memorial has been built to commemorate the 298 people killed in the 2014 disaster.
MH17 was travelling from the Dutch capital to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down. A total of 38 Australian citizens or residents were among the dead.
A tree for each victim has been planted at the site, accompanied by a memorial plaque with the name, age and birth country of the victim.
The MH17 memorial is located just outside Amsterdam, and includes plenty of sunflowers, in a nod to the area of Ukraine the plane was shot down over.(ABC News: Andrew Greaves)
The site is centred around gardens of sunflowers, a nod to crops growing in the Ukrainian fields as rescuers worked to retrieve bodies from the wreckage in 2014.
The flags of the nations that lost citizens stand tall, encircled by the flower gardens.
"It's really a special place ... we really wanted to be here for the anniversary," Mr Menke said.
Like many others who have arrived from around the world to attend this memorial service, he finds it hard to truly find closure.
He wants to see Russia and those responsible for the downing of the passenger flight to be held responsible.
People pay their respects at the MH17 memorial near Amsterdam on Wednesday.(ABC News: Andrew Greaves)
An international investigation, involving Australian officials, concluded that the Buk missile system that brought down the plane belonged to the Russian military and that it was driven into Ukraine from a military base near the Russian city of Kursk.
In 2022, a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a pro-Russian Ukrainian in absentia of murder for their roles in transporting the missile.
They were given life prison sentences but it remains unlikely they will be handed over by Russian authorities.
Moscow has continuously denied any involvement in the attack.
"We still want the perpetrators to be held to justice ... but of course sadly that might still take some time," Mr Menke said.
"I haven't lost hope ... I think there will be some justice.
"May love, justice, peace and the free world prevail."
'Lives tragically cut short'In the Netherlands the MH17 disaster has been described as a national tragedy, and among the country's darkest days. A total of 198 residents were killed in the July 17 attack.
Families from across the country travelled to take part in the memorial service, which included speeches, classical music performances and two minutes of silence.
An orchestra welcomed victims' families, Dutch dignitaries, international officials, and members of the Netherlands' royal family.
In moments many members of the crowd were visibly emotional, crying, holding hands and clutching each other.
The memorial near Amsterdam includes plaques for every member of the 298 people who were killed on MH17.(ABC News: Andrew Greeves)
Representatives from each victim's family were invited to the podium to read out the names and age of their loved ones.
Many spoke with shaky voices and through tears.
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, delivered the first major speech.
"We are united not only in our grief but also in our fight for justice," he told the crowds.
Australia's official representative was Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who also made an address.
"Your presence here today is a reminder that none of us are alone in marking our grief," he said.
"All of these people had their lives tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence.
"This [tragedy] has deepened the strong bond between Australia and the Netherlands."
Grace and Evert Van Zijtveld arrived at the memorial carrying real and fake sunflowers.
The bright yellow blooms have come to have a special significance in their lives, a symbol of their grief and loss, but also a beacon for future hope.
The Dutch pair's two teenage children, as well as Grace's mother and step-father, were all killed when the plane was shot down.
To mark this anniversary they planted an arrangement of plastic sunflowers in the soil at the base of each memorial plaque.
Evert and Grace Van Zijtveld had several relatives on MH17 who were killed.(ABC News: Andrew Greaves)
"It makes us happy to know they will have sunflowers growing with them all year," Mr Van Zijtveld said.
He previously led the Dutch organisation for the next-of-kin of MH17 victims.
"We lost our children and our parents, the pain does not disappear, we have to find a way for our future," Mr Van Zijtveld said.
"It's hard day every day ... but it especially today."
He described this anniversary as a moment of national sorrow, grief and reflection.
"This is a national event. All over the country, this day, this sadness is being felt," he said.
"All the victims came here to this airport after they were recovered from Ukraine ... this is a special place for all next of kin.
"We cannot forget it, it is sad we remember the day."