Parents of Matilda, victim of Bondi terror attack, would like footbridge to be painted yellow in daughter’s honour | Bondi beach terror attack
The parents of 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest person killed in the Bondi massacre, said they wanted the footbridge used by the alleged gunmen to be saved and painted yellow in memory of the summer dress their daughter wore on her last day.
One sit down interview For the first time since the terror attack, the ABC and Matilda’s parents, Valentyna Poltavchenko and Michael Britvan, warned against rushing new legislation through parliament in response to the attack and thanked the woman who saved their little girl.
The future of the heritage-listed footbridge has been put on hold after a Waverley council meeting heard it was “really sad” that the issue had sparked such fierce public debate. NSW premier Chris Minns called for the building to be demolished to prevent it becoming a “horrible reminder” of the attack.
Matilda’s parents suggested painting the bridge yellow and placing a plaque commemorating the 15 people who died in the attack, ABC reported. Matilda’s mother, Valentyna Poltavchencko, said she did not want the bridge to be demolished.
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“I want it to be in place so people can go there and look at the park from the highest point and feel the pain that’s right in front of them,” he said. The couple said they want the park where the Hanukkah by the Sea event, which was targeted by alleged gunmen, to be renamed “Matilda Park.”
Matilda’s father, Michael Britvan, warned against using his daughter’s death to justify the new law and said he did not believe it would prevent another attack, ABC reported.
While the federal government reconvened earlier this week to discuss hate speech and gun control laws, the NSW parliament rushed through a sweeping bill containing changes to firearms, hate speech and protest laws just 10 days after the attack.
“Criminals don’t care about any speech or gun laws you make. They will find their own way,” Britvan said.
“When the government tries to rush through any legislation, especially after a tragedy, it’s never good.”
Matilda’s parents, who met in Australia after both moving from Ukraine, told the ABC: They felt unsafe after seeing antisemitism rise in the last 18 months and described the moments leading up to their daughter’s death, saying they initially thought the gunshots were fireworks.
Poltavchenko told ABC he thought someone was making a “bad joke.” Britvan found the injured Matilda, who went to the festival’s petting zoo with her sister Summer. They said an off-duty doctor and a paramedic, still wearing swimsuits from the ocean, came to help.
Parents asked the ABC to identify six-year-old Summer, who they described as Matilda’s twin despite the age difference.
They thanked a woman with bright red hair, later identified as 20-year-old Tash Willemsen, who was protecting Summer in the back of a ute when the attack began. Britvan said he found Summer with Willemsen, who runs the petting zoo with his family.
Parents told the ABC that Matilda, whose name they chose because of her significance in Australia, was an “ordinary, wonderful Australian girl” who couldn’t be separated from her sister.
