Bondi locals have this morning taken to the ocean for a collective “moment of reflection” after the Westfield stabbing spree rocked the community.
The Bronte Surf Life Saving Club posted on Facebook that members of the Waverley community were invited to join a “paddle out” from 6am.
“If you’re not comfortable in the water, you’re welcome to join on the beach for a shared moment of reflection,” they wrote.
The event is expected to last about an hour.
It comes as the floral tributes that have been piling up outside and within Westfield Bondi Junction are removed, over a week after Joel Cauchi, 40, killed six people and wounded at least a dozen others in a stabbing rampage through the shopping centre on Saturday, April 13.
A number of people Cauchi wounded remain in hospital.
This morning’s paddle-out follows a number of community events held for people who are mourning the shopping centre attack.
This Sunday saw thousands gather at a park on Bondi Beach for a candle-light vigil, including NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott, who fatally shot Cauchi after entering the shopping centre alone.
Last Thursday, the Westfield where the stabbing spree took place also re-opened without trading for a “day of reflection”, with people encouraged to leave flowers inside.
Trading resumed the next day, with a heightened security presence.
Source: 9 news
