Bondi Beach shooting: Locals and visitors hope magic of iconic spot will not be lost
Bondi may forever carry the mournful memory of a deadly terror attack. But CNA found that on the ground, a community in grief is resolute that Australia’s most famous beach will not be tarnished by terror.
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SYDNEY: For Australians, there is no more iconic beach than Bondi.
The famous stretch of golden sand in Sydney is central to local life, and a magnet for travellers from all over the world. In ordinary times, it is a diverse playground.
Across Sydney’s eastern suburbs, people may favour their own community beaches, yet Bondi inspires a collective pride unlike anywhere else.
Now Bondi, so central to the Australian psyche, is slowly reawakening to a new reality scarred by pain and loss after a deadly terror attack.
Residents, businesses and visitors are grappling with loss while trying to reclaim a sense of normality.
Fifteen innocent people - including a 10-year-old girl - were killed when two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sunday (Dec 14).
Police have said the alleged attackers were a father and son inspired by Islamic State ideology. The father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by officers at the scene, while his son Naveed remains in hospital after also being shot.
Naveed was charged on Wednesday with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist act.
The incident has been designated a terrorist attack and categorised as antisemitic violence by police and political figures.
“WE WANT TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT”
On Wednesday, Bondi was sunlit but subdued as the community continued to grieve. The beach remained sparsely visited despite the summery weather.
Still, there’s collective hope that what makes this place so magical has not been lost.
For tourists, visiting Bondi Beach is a bucket list activity. Some told CNA they had hesitated to come, a reflection of respect for a community still in mourning.
“Bondi is iconic. We wanted to come,” said Suneeta Nagaraja, a tourist visiting with her family from California.
“We had planned to come anyway to see the beach and do the walk, but after the last couple of days and the events, we wanted to give some space to the community, but definitely come and just be here and experience the moment.
“It's a tragedy that happened, but we want to show our support too.”
Sun Ho Ahn, who was visiting from Incheon in South Korea with her family, expressed similar sentiments.
“We were hesitant about coming here because of all the dangerous aftermath, but we still wanted to come see the beautiful scenery. It was just like we imagined, and probably more,” she said.
Businesses, too, have felt the disruption of the past few days.
Near the site of Sunday’s attack, police activity and investigations into the killings continue. Parts of the promenade that usually host thousands remain cordoned off as a crime scene.
Yet cafe owner Maxime Thuez sees a community galvanised rather than fearful.
“It's always been a very welcoming place. I feel like everybody knows each other and is very friendly. It's like a little bubble. I feel like it's just one family and very supportive of each other,” he said.
SOLIDARITY AMID PROFOUND GRIEF
For the Australian Jewish community, this has been a period of profound grief. Police said the gunmen targeted them as they celebrated the start of Hanukkah.
Hundreds of mourners gathered in a Bondi synagogue on Wednesday for the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schanger, who was gunned down in Sunday’s attack.
A makeshift memorial continues to grow at Bondi Pavilion, with tributes laid in memory of those killed.
Candlelight vigils marking the ongoing Jewish festival of lights have become a solemn nightly ritual at Bondi, where the weight of loss hangs heavily in the air.
It has become an emotional place for reflection and a platform for many leaders to express their grief, calls for unity and demands for greater protection from anti-semitism and hate speech.
The attack was Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in three decades, unfolding at a time of rising global tensions and renewed scrutiny of hate-motivated extremism.
Flower tributes have been laid closer to the waves, too. Here, the local community is coming to grips with the fact that their home might never be the same.
“Bondi is so visual - you're going to see someone lifting weights, someone walking their dog, and there's always going to be a new energy coming into this place. It's just very sad,” said Bondi resident Lisa Owen-Burke.
Her husband Philip expects the next few months to be tough for everyone in the local community, particularly because it is the holiday season.
“Hopefully it can be its warm, welcome and vibrant self again,” he said. “Obviously, there's going to be a memory of what's happened here.”
Even as grief remains over the bare coastline, so too the rhythm of the waves, a reminder of Bondi’s resilience and the life that will return.
“I hope that it'll rebuild,” said Andrew Meagher, a local resident.
“That people will come back to appreciate all the good things there are about Bondi, and then we'll get back to more of a normality."
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