Sydney rolls up its sleeves in the aftermath of horror

2 months ago 6

Darren Alexander, who is in Sydney on a work trip from Western Australia, said he was at Bondi Beach on Sunday afternoon but left before the events unfolded. Alexander, who has O-negative blood, stopped to donate on his way to work.

People from across Sydney have come together to donate blood.

“I feel a bit disappointed that I wasn’t there to help some people afterwards,” he said. “Anything I can do to help, I will.”

The attack at Bondi was also close to home for O-negative donor Sarah, whose son and his girlfriend were at the scene and escaped by hiding in a garden.

“I just felt like I had to do something,” she said. “You can’t make the bad thing go away, you have to concentrate on the goodness.”

At the Parramatta Lifeblood centre, the mood was sombre as a queue started to form at 11am on Monday. Centre manager Mary Trotter said they were seeing an overwhelming amount of support, with many people donating blood for the first time.

Many volunteers will now work longer hours and additional appointments will open throughout the week as Lifeblood works to take as many donations as possible. “It’s an incredible response and a show of community support at a time that we need it,” Trotter said.

Among those waiting to donate was Joseph Karraz, who was donating blood for the first time in Australia. He said human solidarity “is the least we can do”.

Joseph Karraz was one of hundreds who donated blood in Sydney following the Bondi shooting.

At Bondi, Rabbi Yossi Friedman was praying for the victims and “those trying to heal”. As he stood outside the lifesaving club, Friedman made an effort to speak to every person who came to the beach to mourn, consoling them and hearing their stories.

A train of mourners outside Bondi Pavilion dropped off a growing mountain of flowers and left messages in an online condolence book. Those visiting the vigil were led in prayer by Friedman and in song by Kim Cunio.

North Bondi RSL president Josh Farquhar worked with the Salvation Army ensure those traumatised were offered support. A barista handed out coffee and pastries for free.

The Depot, a cafe on Warners Avenue just metres from the scene of Sunday’s horror, opened on Monday morning offering free coffees to the crowd who arrived early.

In his praise of Ahmed al Ahmed, the tobacconist who disarmed one of the gunmen, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “At the best of times, what we see is Australians coming together.”