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The parents of 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim of the Bondi massacre, spoke publicly for the first time about the moment their lives were shattered and described a loss beyond words.
“I couldn’t imagine losing my daughter here,” Valentyna told a crowd of 1,000 people gathered at the Bondi Beach vigil.
The family of 10-year-old Matilda, who died in Sunday’s terrorist attack, at the memorial service at Bondi Beach.Credit: James Brickwood
“I can’t imagine what the monster is that’s standing on the bridge and I see a little girl running towards it to hide with her father and… and he just pulled the trigger on her… it wasn’t an accident, it wasn’t just a bullet fired overhead,” he said before breaking down.
Valentyna pointed to her heart and said: “It stays here, it only stays here and here”.
Valentyna and Michael (surnames withheld) came to Australia as Ukrainian immigrants before the Russian invasion.
“We came here from Ukraine… and because it was our first child in Australia, I named her Matilda. And I thought Matilda was the most Australian name there could be,” she said, holding a framed photo of her daughter.
“So just remember, remember his name.”
He then broke down and returned to his wife and son.
