Bondi paddle-out: surfers, paddleboarders and swimmers pay tribute to victims of mass shooting | Bondi beach terror attack
Hundreds of surfers and beachgoers returned to Bondi waters to remember those killed in Sunday’s mass shooting.
Australia’s most famous beach has gradually reopened after gunmen opened fire on Hanukkah celebrations, killing 15 people.
On Thursday, lifeguards put up the first red and yellow flags, indicating the surf was patrolled once again. While the police’s forensic investigation at the scene was completed, the park and bridge where the massacre took place were reopened to the public.
On Friday morning, just a few hundred meters from the scene of the massacre, surfers, paddleboarders and others gathered on the shores of Bondi in a show of solidarity.
“This is lovely,” Alex Ryvchin, co-chairman of Australian Jews on the board, told the ABC.
“It’s a gorgeous day and you see that scene; I’ve seen rowing before but never this big.”
Drone footage showed a large circle of swimmers and surfers resting on gentle waves in the ocean, commemorating their loss.
This was the latest response to the pain that also came with growing public support.
GoFundMe says more than $5 million has been donated across various fundraisers and more than 70,000 donations have been made to verified pages for victims from people in more than 60 countries.
This includes $2.5 million for Bondi hero Ahmed al-Ahmed, who wrestled one of the gunmen with a firearm and was subsequently shot twice in the arm.
“Did I deserve this?” he asked when he was presented with an oversized check.
In a video posted on social media, he called on people around the world to “stand up for each other, for all people, and forget everything that’s bad… keep saving lives.”
The NSW Police Association has also lodged an appeal for nearly $750,000 for two officers injured in the attack, including one who may have permanently lost his sight.
More than 25,000 blood donations have been made since Lifeblood’s appeal for help following the attack.
In a record-breaking show of support, nearly 90,000 Lifeblood appointments have been booked across Australia.
