Fate of Bondi footbridge up for debate in response to terror attack

1 month ago 5

The future of the pedestrian footbridge at the centre of the Bondi Beach terror attack is set to be considered by Waverley Council following staunch community debate about whether the bridge should be kept or removed.

The northern pedestrian footbridge crossing Bondi Park has been put on the agenda at a special meeting of Waverley Council on Thursday night, where councillors will consider the potential removal of the heritage-listed structure.

The meeting follows intense public debate about the future of the pedestrian bridge, which was used as a vantage point by the father-and-son gunmen on December 14 when they killed 15 people and injured dozens more in an antisemitic attack on the first night of Hanukkah.

Tributes on the pedestrian bridge at Bondi Beach in the days after the December 14 attack.

The council last month issued a statement recognising there was a “a wide range of views regarding the future of the footbridge” including whether the crossing should remain in place, be removed altogether, or potentially adapted with murals to honour the victims of the attack, thereby reclaiming the space as a beacon of resilience.

The council, in the statement, stressed that a final decision about the bridge’s future would “require consultation from the Jewish community, the Waverley community, the families of the victims and the NSW government”.

Thursday’s meeting will consider a structural report, commissioned last year, that concluded the pedestrian bridge, along with a southern pedestrian bridge also crossing Park Drive at Bondi Park, were deemed to have “reached the end of their useful lives and require replacement within several years”.

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh, pictured at Bondi Beach

Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh, in a mayoral minute due to be considered at the meeting, noted that the replacement of the northern pedestrian bridge will be considered in the context of discussions about the establishment of a permanent memorial in Bondi Park to honour the victims of the attack.

If the mayoral minute is supported by the majority of councillors, council staff will be tasked with preparing a report to “determine the cost, timetable and approvals process for a replacement and/or restoration of both heritage-listed pedestrian bridges”, with a final decision to be made at a future date.

The consideration into the future of the bridge will form part of the council’s broader response into the terror attack, also due for consideration at Thursday’s meeting, including making nominations to the Prime Minister’s Special Honours List to posthumously acknowledge Boris and Sofia Gurman and Reuven Morrison for their bravery in attempting to stop the two alleged gunmen.

The meeting will also consider granting “Keys to the City” – also known as the “Lifetime Waverley Beach Pass” – to Ahmed al-Ahmed, who tackled and disarmed one of the alleged gunmen; Gefen Bitton, who was shot three times during the attack; and Leibel Lazaroff, who rushed the aid of wounded police officer Scott Dyson and used his own shirt as a tourniquet to stem bleeding.

The future of the bridge has been placed on the agenda at the Thursday council meeting.

Nemesh said the December 14 attack has had a profound and enduring impact “on those directly affected, the Waverley community and especially its Jewish community” and that the council will “continue to honour the victims and the survivors of the attack”.

Councillors at Thursday’s meeting will also consider a range of other measures in response to the attack, including holding a civic function in appreciation and gratitude of first responders, dedicating mural panels along the Bondi Beach Sea Wall promenade to community artwork for 12 months, and holding an exhibition at Bondi Pavilion Art Gallery showcasing the cultural and community artistic response to the tragedy.

Families of the 15 people killed in the attack have been invited to attend the meeting.

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