While Swimmers Ran From Violence, Viral Picture Depicts Beach Patrol Running ‘Pedal to the Metal’ To the Location.
Alexandra Ching, someone who has spent her entire life as inhabitant of Bondi, describes the iconic beach as her own backyard. On that fateful weekend night, she, like many local residents, heard cracking sounds reverberating through the community.
“We all thought the same, but I considered it was too light and you couldn't spot any lights,” she explains. Exiting her apartment, she saw people “flooding up Bondi Road”. The looks on display told her trouble had occurred.
As she stood on the avenue, speaking to a pair who had run up the incline in their swimwear, she heard someone approaching behind her. It was a rescuer, dashing towards Bondi barefoot from the adjacent Tamarama beach – about 1.5km – while holding a defibrillator.
“I heard someone say ‘excuse me’, and as I turned I only caught a glimpse of this streak in blue,” she recounts. “He was simply racing by. He was the only one heading in the path that everyone was trying to get away from, carrying that large equipment and barefoot … He’s running into something that undoubtedly every part of you would signal you to go in the reverse way.
“Absolutely no pause, but just totally pedal to the metal sprinting.”
A Symbol of Bravery Amidst Tragedy
The photograph that Ching snapped of the lifeguard, since identified as Jackson Doolan, quickly spread as among numerous acts of courage in the wake of the tragic event.
Andy Reid, a fellow lifeguard, says that Doolan, referred to as “Jacko”, sprinted from Tamarama beach to back up the remaining crew at Bondi, as well as to work with other rescuers, officers and paramedics treating many victims.
Local Response and Solidarity
Doolan’s actions was just one of many to come out of the community, with the beach facility next to the site of the violence becoming a temporary hospital. Accounts show that other team members were also seen helping out, for instance rushing into the water to save people in distress.
In the days after the tragedy, messages of gratitude flooded in. One post expressed appreciation for the responders who exhibited that “kindness will always overcome evil”.
The group of beach patrol published a communication, noting they were “processing what occurred”.
“Thank you all for your supportive words and support. We are deeply moved by the compassion directed at our responders,” the organization wrote. “In time, we will share our stories in the hope that it helps those involved.”
Local Government Commendation
Waverley council, the administrative organization that hires many permanent beach safety officers, said that the staff rose to the occasion from the instant the violence began through to late that nighttime.
“There have been so many powerful stories, but the widely-circulated picture of Jackson Doolan, running from Tamarama to Bondi with a medical device so he could help save lives is remarkable,” stated a mayor.
“These individuals exhibit altruism every day in keeping our internationally renowned shores safe for visitors, but what we observed on that day should be commended.
“During this time of sorrow and process the atrocity of this brutal and barbaric terrorist attack, I think it is crucial that we consider just how much good we have witnessed in the face of such darkness.”