‘This is our sanctuary’: Hundreds of Surf lifesavers Come together to Honour Shooting Those lost.
Standing silently upon the waves on Bondi coast, arm in arm with nearly 1,000 fellow lifesavers, Lockie Cook opened up to the anguish of a local deeply distressing week in living memory.
“I feel like that guard’s just dropping,” he stated.
Beach rescuers gathered in their hundreds on the weekend to participate in two minutes of silence and remember those killed in Sunday’s attack.
From the very young to the elderly, alongside friends and neighbours clad in their iconic colours held each other, making a line stretching from the iconic bay's north side all the way to its southern point.
“The key realization we've learned from this is just the extent that this community means to me,” he expressed.
“This is our church … It is vital we come together again and truly recover.”
A Time of Silent Reflection
At the appointed hour, the period of silence was announced by a man at the beach’s central lifeguard post, behind which had been laid clusters of flowers.
“A short time can be a a lengthy period but please look within,” he advised.
“Join hands with the person next to you, close your eyes and think about the loved ones grieving so we can rebuild with strength for this beach family.”
Attendees gazed at the sand or to the ocean as the community and its leaders stood by. The sole audible things were the ocean's rhythm, a distant canine cry and a droning rescue helicopter, which passed along the coastline as the quiet ended.
Taking Back the Shore
People gathered slowly turned to embrace and applaud their colleagues at the other side of the beach as applause came from the observing onlookers.
This was just the latest instance of the volunteers working to bring together the beachgoers this past week, noted one participant, a local of the beach's north side and a emergency helper on that fateful day.
“At this moment, I am filled with the care and unity,” expressed the man, who requested privacy.
Having lived at Bondi nearly all his life, he took part in the swim on in the days after and has sought to take back the beach as his own.
“It was like reclaiming a space, it’s cathartic,” he said.
The Guiding Spirit of Lifesaving
Gene Ross, a longtime instructor, spent the quiet time beside his just-trained son, reflecting on the unity his club had shown every day since Sunday.
“Carrying out the tragedy here … invited Australia to come and support the individuals affected.”
Scores of lifesavers shared tears and smiles together as they made their way toward their clubs and through the green space where their fellow members saved lives on Sunday.
Many others remained on the shore, ready to come to the aid of people going back into the ocean.
“We’re here for everybody and that’s the core principle of surf livesaving,” Ross stated.
“This is our purpose as lifesavers: we run to the danger.”
