North Bondi paddle out for 12-year-old shark victim Nico Antic
It’s a common scene at Bondi Beach on weekends: groups of children going rowing or swimming, rubbing salt water from their eyes. But on Sunday they were not there to have fun, but to “be brave” for their friend Nico.
Hundreds of family and friends gathered in North Bondi to remember Nico Antic, who died after being bitten by a shark while swimming at Nielsen Park when he was just 12 years old.
“I’ve never experienced such a tragic loss,” said Col O’Kelly, 12, Nico’s friend and rugby teammate.
“He was a brave kid, so maybe let’s be brave for him and show his best qualities. I’ll try to do that for the rest of the year.”
As the crowd of Nico’s friends — grapplers, rugby teammates, students from Rose Bay Secondary School — took to the water, Nico’s parents, Juan Pablo and Lorena, looked on, embracing. Then they dived.
Hundreds of swimmers and paddlers formed a circle in the water, surrounding Nico’s parents with cheers and drumming with surfboards. Overwhelmed with emotion, Juan Pablo clutched his fist to his chest and looked up at the sky.
On the sand, the Antic family hugged each other and hugged Nico’s parents as a group, chanting Nico’s name.
“Thank you all for being a part of this for Nico; we are forever grateful,” Juan Pablo told the crowd.
“We love this boy so much, our Nico, we will miss him, we will miss him forever.”
Like everyone who remembers Nico, Easts Junior Beasties rugby club chairman Graham Jackson said the 12-year-old was a brave boy and a dedicated grappler at North Bondi Surf Club, making the paddle a fitting tribute.
“We’re doing it here at Bondi to show respect, unfortunately we had to do it before Christmas and the beach is our place of joy and fun, it’s really important we get that back. It was all about family and respecting Nico,” Jackson said.
Nico died in hospital last Saturday, a week after he was injured by a suspected bull shark while jumping off rocks at Shark Beach in the eastern suburbs.
The attack was just the first in a series of incidents involving sharks around Sydney and the state after heavy rains brought bull sharks closer to shore.
Musician Andre de Ruyter, 27, had to have his lower leg amputated after being bitten by a shark at Manly’s North Steyne Beach. An 11-year-old boy was lucky to escape unharmed after a shark knocked him off his surfboard at Dee Why the same day.
Jessica McSweeney is a reporter covering city affairs and state politics for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
