In a display of peace, serenity, and love, surfers from Bronte to Bondi took to the waves at dawn on Tuesday for a ‘paddle-out’ to honor the six victims of the Bondi stabbing massacre, two of whom were members of their own community.
Over 200 surfers, some paddling from Bronte and Tamarama, formed a vast circle 150 meters off Bondi Beach, where they held hands and observed a minute of silence to honor those who had passed. Locals described it as the largest circle they had ever witnessed.
Sarah Buckley shared that her friend, Ash Good, deeply cherished the beach, the water, and life itself. ‘She loved Bondi, she was always down here,’ said Buckley. ‘This is a beautiful way for the community to remember her. She was just everything: a runner, a swimmer, she was involved in everything. She was just one of those incredible people who loves the sunrise, loved everything.’
Buckley, a lifelong resident of Bondi and Bronte, expressed a personal connection to almost every victim of the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing attack on Saturday, April 13. ‘To think it can come close to us like this is horrific,’ she said, referring to the stabbing attack by lone assailant Joel Cauchi, who was shot dead by police.
‘This [the paddle-out] is a beautiful way of saying this is who we really are. …’ said Kellie Sloane, the member for Vaucluse who attended the event.
The paddle-out took place just hours before a memorial service for Jade Young, 47, at the Botanic Gardens in Sydney. Attendees were encouraged to wear bright colors to commemorate Young, an architect.
Organizers explained that a paddle-out, a tradition originating in Hawaii, is a gathering of surfers on the water to pay tribute to lives lost and reflect on those taken too soon.
Multiple surf clubs participated, including Bondi Boardriders, Bondi Longboard Club, Bondi Girls Surfriders, Bronte Boardriders, Let’s Go Surfing, Bondi SBLSC, North Bondi SLSC, Bronte SLSC, Tamarama SLSC, Bondi Icebergs, and Bondi United. The Bronte Surf Life Saving Club paddled from Bronte to join other clubs at Bondi, and the Waverley Council Lifeguards also participated to show support for the victims.
A mother of two, Young was an interior architect working for the Georgina Wilson Associates practice and a member of the Bronte Surf Life Saving Club. Georgina Wilson posted a heartfelt tribute to Young on Instagram that drew condolences from Sydney architects and builders.
‘I can’t even believe I am writing this, it doesn’t feel real,’ wrote Wilson. ‘Jade was part of our Georgina Wilson Associates team for over 12 years. She was family.
‘Anyone who knew Jade knew what a beautiful, kind and warm soul she was. We are completely devastated. All our love goes out to her family. We love you Jade.’
The stabbing rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction on April 13 claimed the lives of five women and a man: Ashlee Good, 38, a new mother and osteopath; Dawn Singleton, 25, a bride-to-be; Jade Young, 47, an architect and mother of two; Pikria Darchia, 55, an artist; Yixuan Cheng, 27, a Chinese economics student; and Faraz Tahir, 30, a Westfield security guard. The nine-month-old daughter of Good, one of 12 other people injured during the attack, was released from the hospital on Sunday to return to her father.
