‘You overcome darkness by bringing light’: Lunch brings Bondi together for Christmas

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Once Mohammad Bhuiyan’s three daughters finish their food at Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club’s annual charity Christmas Day lunch, it’s onto the presents. The giggles of eight-year-old twins Fiona and Febina, and their younger sister, Farhina, 4, fill the room.

It’s a happy return to the club for the girls. Less than a fortnight ago, the Bhuiyans were enjoying a Sunday afternoon at the playground below when bullets began raining onto a nearby Hanukkah event.

Febina, Farhina and Fiona Bhuiyan at Christmas Day lunch at the Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club.

Bhuiyan’s wife fell over and was seriously injured in the chaos.

The tragedy has rocked the Bangladeshi family, but they were still determined to enjoy Christmas at the surf club, where they have spent December 25 for the past four years.

“We come here every year, and we really enjoy it. We don’t miss it,” Mohammad said. “My daughters love coming here, and they love their gift bags. That’s the reason I brought them.”

Volunteers handing out food at the Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club’s Christmas lunch.

The lunch’s organiser, lifesaver Sebastian Cassie, nearly cancelled this year’s event due to concerns it was too soon after the events of December 14, in which 15 people were shot dead.

Cassie, who was a first responder at the shooting, said he asked a local rabbi for advice about planning the lunch.

“Their words of encouragement and wisdom were: ‘No, you put it on.’ In the Jewish community, how they communicated it to me was that you overcome tragedy and darkness by putting on things that bring light, joy and community service,” Cassie said.

“It has been difficult, but now that I’m halfway through the day already, you can see I’m smiling, and it brings you so much joy to see all these people come together and show those assholes that you’ll never bring us down.”

In the face of the recent tragedy, adults and children at the lunch danced to saxophonist Richie Murphy as he played tunes ranging from Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better) by Rufus, to Just the Two of Us by Grover Washington.

Cassie said the event had grown from a gathering of 50 people in 2020 to a lunch that feeds hundreds.

“We’re often thought of as a ritzy, fancy community, but I walk the streets [of Bondi] every day, and there are so many homeless people,” he said.

“It’s our sixth year running, and we have over 400 homeless people, women escaping violence [who are] at risk, youth and more recently, people who are just struggling with everything that’s happened since the tragic events.”

“It was just a way of giving back and giving the true meaning to Christmas.”

The Bhuiyans are using the free counselling service at Bondi Pavilion to process what they experienced on December 14. Mohammad said they came to the lunch to once again be surrounded by community.

“The main thing here is community. We love it. We enjoy it. We try to forget the shooting, but it will take time to recover. They’re very nice people. Merry Christmas to everyone,” he said.