NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott joined hundreds of people on Sunday night in Bondi for a candlelight vigil to mourn the victims of the Bondi Junction violent attack.
It’s the first time the heroic police officer has been seen in public since the horrific tragedy, when Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Ashlee Good, 38, Dawn Singleton, 25, Faraz Tahir, 30 and Jade Young, 47 were murdered.
Scott single-handedly shot dead Joel Cauchi, 40, preventing further injuries or deaths. Last night, friends of the victims, families, community and faith groups, and representatives from surf clubs, schools and local organisations joined prominent public figures to remember those who had died in the country’s worst mass killing in years.
Among those who attended the vigil included Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, NSW Premier Chris Minns, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb, NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan, Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos, NSW Governor Margaret Beazley.
Albanese said the gathering was organised for the victims and those affected, including the 12 people injured in the attacks, whom he described as “survivors carrying the invisible scars of trauma and of fear.”
“We think of everyone still trying to come to terms with a hole in their life where a loved one should be,” Albanese said. “As a community, as a country today, tomorrow and always made those we have lost rest in eternal peace forever in our hearts.”
“All the possibility and potential. All the kindness and humanity. All the love and laughter of the six lives snatched away on that hardest of Saturday afternoons. We mourn for all the years of joy they should have known. All the memories they should have had the chance to make … the happiness they would have created.”
“All the memories they should have had the chance to make. The new life they would have lived here in their new country, the success they would have achieved in whatever career they embraced. The happiness they would have created, the care they would have shown. The beautiful children they would have raised with such love,” he said.
Addressing the families and friends, Albanese reassured them: “Please know this – that every Australian is thinking of you. We are with you as a community, as a country – today, tomorrow and always.”
Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos described the massacre as “unfathomable” and said she has heard many “harrowing stories” about the attack.
“Tonight, we gather in the shadow of tragedy. Our hearts heavy with grief and our souls burdened by sorrow,” she said.
“Please continue to hold your loved ones tight and raise each other up through understanding and acts of kindness. This is how we will respond to violence. This is how we will remain united recover and rebuild together.”
She consoled the community with a message of hope: “Let me say this: our spirit must not, and will not, be diminished. Our country is a safe place to live; Waverley is a safe place.”
In his address, NSW Minister Chris Minns said that “every Australian woman deserves to feel safe in her community.”
“This is your state and your city. This is your home. You have every right to live your life as you choose free from fear of violence. We will not be a state where a woman is forced to change her behaviour because of feelings of anger of other people.”
“But it does not have to be a lonely one and there are millions of Australians who feel great sadness for your loss tonight, and they are in your corner in the days and weeks ahead.”
Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association national president Adnan Qadir appeared at the vigil to pay tribute to Faraz Tahir, a security guard who was killed in last week’s massacre.
“He is not just a hero for us but the whole nation,” Qadir said. “We are here in large numbers to carry on Faraz’s legacy by reflecting on his bravery, courage, and giving strength to our youth that they too must always be ready to serve others and, most importantly, this beautiful country.”
Other local state and federal members were present at the vigil, including Penny Sharpe, Rose Jackson, Allegra Spender, and Matt Thistlethwaite.
Counsellors and mental health professionals were seen at the vigil. Since last weekend’s attack, many have been dispatched around Oxford Street Mall in Bondi Junction, where a temporary floral tribute remains in place.
An official memorial service will take place at a later date. Plans are still being drawn for a permanent memorial to honour the victims.