Source: Radio New Zealand
Tributes from mourners are piled together at the Bondi Pavilion in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach. Saeed Khan
First Person: RNZ journalist Charlotte Cook is in Sydney to cover the aftermath of the Bondi Beach terror attack, and says people on the street are not returning smiles, because they are holding back the tears.
I have been a journalist for six and a half years, and this is the second terrorist attack I have covered.
I had been a journalist for three months for the first one – Christchurch, 2019.
It has been nearly seven years since then, but the shock and horror here in Sydney feels awfully familiar.
Bondi Beach is a place famous for its beauty, world-class surf, golden sand and blue sea. Today it feels grey, colourless.
Even the abandoned beach towels on the railing of the walkway flutter lifelessly. They were left as people scrambled in terror to get away from the sound of more than 100 gunshots ringing through the area.
RNZ’s Charlotte Cook at Bondi Beach following the terrorist attack which claimed 15 lives. Charlotte Cook
The mosque attacks also left Christchurch like that. Dulled by the great weight of what had happened. Blood spilled, lives lost, sorrow embedded in the earth. Even the rows of memorial flowers struggled against the grief.
I am told people ran from the northside of Bondi in horror, fleeing from the shots. For those on the main road, the rounds of fire were so loud they could not work out how far away they were or where they were coming from.
Onlookers thought someone was charging, chasing behind and opening fire on the beachgoers. The fear amplified when people who had barricaded themselves into shops and cafes then saw crowds running back the other way, thinking there was another shooter boxing them in.
When I greet someone on the street, in a cafe or a shop, I can tell from their sleepless, red eyes they felt that. And they will never forget it.
Items that were left behind at Bondi Beach following the terrorist attack which claimed 15 lives. Charlotte Cook
That is not to mention the ready access the rest of the world had to the graphic events unfolding. Before I landed in Sydney I had seen the gunmen shoot from three different camera angles, had a north and southside view of the people running, saw the inside of the local Woolworths as it went into lockdown. This played out, in near real time on social media for the whole world to see.
People I have spoken to tell me they have never seen anything like it – and neither have I.
This is different to Christchurch because of the way it played out. Thousands, if not tens of thousands felt like their lives were at risk in a active shooting environment on Bondi Beach.
While the 2019 mosque attacks devastated New Zealand and Christchurch, the biggest trauma and hurt was specifically aimed at the Muslim community. That is not to say it did not create hurt for many others – but they did not have a gun pointed at them.
Yes, Jewish people were the target here, but they were in a public space used by everyone, regardless of faith.
Mourners gather by floral tributes at the Bondi Pavillion in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach. AFP / Saeed Khan
The man sitting next to me says he was minding his own business – next minute he was giving first aid to victims. He did not want to go on the record, because he can’t put it into words yet.
The waiter brought me my lunch and said: “I really don’t feel ready to be here today, but I didn’t want anyone else to have to do it.”
The people on the street do not return my smile, because they are holding back tears.
On the other hand, the Jewish people I have spoken to today said they feel a togetherness they haven’t experienced in Australia for years. They feel seen. But they say it shouldn’t have taken this to create that.
A Hanukkah menorah is projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney on 15 December, 2025. DAVID GRAY / AFP
Christian leaders have spoken at the vigil, chaplains are on standby for emotional support, Turbans for Australia is handing out food, even puppy therapy has been on offer.
I am not religious, but I’ve always liked the idea that even on our worst days the sun will rise again. Tomorrow the sun will rise again, it will be the fourth day of Hannukah, an event which symbolizes light triumphing over darkness. It will be three days since two terrorists attacked a peaceful event. It will be a new day.
And like Christchurch, it will never be forgotten. It will scar, deep and enduring.
But slowly, the sky and the sea will feel more blue, the sand clear and the flowers brighter.
Colour will return to Bondi, but how to make sure this doesn’t happen again and I don’t cover a third attack will be another much longer journey.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
