'You were not just a manager, you were family, our brother and hero': The touching note left to siege hero Tori Johnson by his staff as a sea of flowers engulfs city square

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The staff of the Sydney cafe involved in the terrorist siege have penned a touching note for their manager and hero Tori Johnson reminding the world of his bravery.

Mr Johnson, 34, died during a heroic final stand-off on Tuesday morning when he was shot trying to wrestle a gun from Islamic extremist Man Haron Monis inside the Lindt cafe.

His employees left a handwritten note, a bouquet of flowers and Lindt chocolates among the thousands of tributes that have now taken over Martin Place.

'Tori, you always had time for us long before you came to Lindt,' the note began.

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Employees (pictured) from the Sydney Lindt cafe involved in the terrorist siege penned a touching note for their manager and hero Tori Johnson (far left) who was shot after being held hostage for more than 16 hours

Tori Johnson's employees left a handwritten note, a bouquet of flowers and Lindt chocolates among the thousands of tributes that have now taken over Martin Place

'Always smiling, always friendly. The decision to join the Lindt team will always be cherished by all – because you were not just a manager, you were family.

'There will be a hole in the Lindt family now that your gone. Not a day will go past where we don’t think of you. 

'Your bravery will forever be remembered, by us and the world. May you rest in peace. Tori, our brother and hero.'

A single bunch of white roses left resting on a pole when the siege ended at 2.15am on Tuesday has sparked the beginning of a makeshift shrine that has now grown to take over a large portion of Martin Place.

Thousands of people continue to flock to the area more than 24 hours later to pay tribute to the victims, including Mr Johnson and mother of three Katrina Dawson who were both killed after being held hostage for more than 16 hours. 

Thousands of people continue to flock to the area more than 24 hours later to pay tribute to the victims

The 34-year-old manager of the Lindt cafe, Tori Johnson (left), and mother of three Katrina Dawson, 38 (right), were the two hostages killed during the Sydney siege on Tuesday morning

Tori Johnson (right) managed the Lindt cafe for two years. Employee Hariette Denny (left) was also caught up in the siege

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, Premier Mike Baird and Australia's Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove travelled to the site to pay their respects to those who had lost their lives and the 15 other hostages who were terrorised by Man Haron Monis. 

The parents of Mr Johnson, Ken and Rosemary, released a statement on Tuesday honouring their 'beautiful boy'.

'We are so proud of our beautiful boy Tori, gone from this earth but forever in our memories as the most amazing life partner, son and brother we could ever wish for,' they said.

A Lindt employee pinned photos of manager Tori Johnson and his business card to the fence outside the cafe

A NSW police officer left a floral tribute (right) saying the courage of Tori and Katrina had touched the nation

Tributes have since extended beyond the makeshift shrine to the fence surrounding the crime scene at Lindt 

Thousands of people have come to Martin Place to read the tributes left for the victims

One person painted a tribute on the concrete late on Tuesday night and it has since been surrounded by flowers

People of all faiths have been leaving tributes, with many saying Tori and Katrina were 'brave Australians'

'We'd like to thank not only our friends and loved ones for their support, but the people of Sydney; Australia and those around the world for reaching out with their thoughts and prayers.'

They also expressed their sorrow for the family of Katrina Dawson who also died.

Ms Dawson, who leaves behind her husband Paul and their children, Chloe, Sasha and Olive, was having a coffee with a pregnant colleague when the siege unfolded.

A single bunch of white roses left resting on a pole when the siege ended at 2.15am on Tuesday has sparked the beginning of a makeshift shrine that has now grown to take over a large portion of Martin Place

The makeshift shrine at Martin Place started with just a few bunches of flowers before people from all over started flocking to the area

Tori Johnson and mother of three Katrina Dawson were both killed after being held hostage for more than 16 hours

As Australia mourned the dead, thousands of people gathered at Martin Place to lay flowers 

Hundreds of people were laying tributes on Wednesday in other areas of Martin Place

Workers laid flowers and notes early on Wednesday morning, more than 24 hours after the siege ended

One of the pregnant women in the cafe at the time, Julie Taylor, was also a colleague of Ms Dawson and had to be treated in hospital following the ordeal.

Lawyer Stefan Balafoutis was one of the first three men to escape the cafe about 3.45pm. He works in the 10th Floor Selborne/Wentworth Chambers, which is directly above Lindt.

Dressed in a bright blue blazer, 83-year-old John O’Brian, was the first out of the cafe when he escaped with Mr Balafoutis.

Marcia Mikhail, 42, was among those hostages forced to record a chilling video message listing the hostage-taker's demands. She was carried out of the cafe by two emergency services workers with blood running down her leg and is still recovering in hospital.

Harriett Denny, a fellow employee, ran from the cafe with five other hostages shortly before police issued their gunfire assault. The 30-year-old's father who lives in Queensland was forced to watch the horrific incident unfold on TV.

Viswakanth Ankireddy, a software engineer at tech giant Infosys, was working for Westpac in Martin Place when he was caught up in the siege. His Westpac colleague, Puspendu Ghosh, also escaped the siege unharmed.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and wife Margie paused before placing their bouquets among the burgeoning field of floral tributes

Mr Abbott said it was tragic 'that people going about their everyday business should have been caught up in such a horrific incident'

Australian continue to pay tribute to those killed in the siege at Sydney's Martin Place overnight

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and his wife Lynne also paid tribute

Many of those office workers, friends and tourists leaving tributes were in tears

NSW Premier Mike Baird laid a bunch of flowers alongside hundreds of other Sydneysiders

Visibily distraught men and women have been laying tributes for the two innocent victims of the siege

A woman is comforted by a friend as she pays her respects at Martin Place on Tuesday morning

Lydia Shelly (left) and Terri Lucia (right) were among those with tears streaming down their faces as they paused at the makeshift memorial

Another woman cries after laying a flower at the makeshift memorial in Sydney near where three people died in a siege

Jarrod Hoffman, 19, and Fiona Ma were also among the hostages, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Selina Win Pe escaped unharmed after she was also forced to relay demands via a recorded message that were subsequently posted online during the siege.

Joel Herat, who lists his workplace as ‘Lindt & Sprüngli’ on Facebook, was another of the hostages to upload a haunting hostage clip on his YouTube account.

Within half an hour, the video was taken down by YouTube and the account was deactivated.

Paolo Vassallo, who was among the first hostages to escape on Monday afternoon, is a married father of three. After escaping, Vassallo was taken to hospital due to a pre-existing medical condition. He was later reunited with his family, reports ABC.