‘This is our sanctuary’: Hundreds of Lifesavers Assemble to Pay tribute to Attack Victims.

Gazing quietly upon the waves on Bondi beach, side by side with close to a thousand fellow lifesavers, Lockie Cook let himself feel the anguish of a local most traumatic week in living memory.

“It feels like my defences are coming down,” he stated.

Surf lifesavers came together in large numbers on the weekend to hold two minutes’ silence and commemorate those who died in the tragic shooting.

Infants, elders, locals and classmates dressed in their iconic colours embraced one another, making a human chain extending from the iconic bay's north side to its southern tip.

“The key realization to emerge from this tragedy is just the depth to which this community means to me,” he said.

“This is our church … It is crucial we unite and really heal.”

An Interval of Quiet Contemplation

At that morning, the two minutes’ silence was announced by a voice at the beach’s primary observation point, around which lie bunches of tributes.

“120 seconds can be a very long time but I urge you to reflect,” he urged.

“Hold hands with the soul next to you, look inward and remember the those who are suffering so we can emerge more resilient for this community.”

Attendees looked down or to the horizon as residents, visitors and officials observed. The only sounds were the lapping of the sea, a lone dog’s bark and a whirring rescue helicopter, which passed along the shore as the quiet ended.

Taking Back the Beach

Friends and families slowly turned to embrace and clap for their colleagues at the other side of the beach as cheers came from the watching crowd.

This was just the latest instance of the lifesavers working to bring together the community this difficult period, noted one man, a local of the north club and a emergency helper on the day of the attack.

“Today I just feel the care and unity,” expressed the individual, who asked not to be named.

Having lived at Bondi for most of his years, he participated in the community swim on Monday and has focused on healing on the beach as his own.

“The experience was asserting a presence, it’s cathartic,” he said.

The Guiding Spirit of Service

Gene Ross, a veteran trainer, spent the moments’ silence next to his recently qualified son, considering the unity his club had shown after Sunday.

“Carrying out the violence here … invited Australia to rally behind the community.”

Scores of lifesavers experienced a mix of emotions together as they returned toward their patrol bases and through the area where their fellow members helped the injured on Sunday.

Dozens more stayed on the beach, prepared to assist people entering the ocean.

“We serve the entire community and that’s the ethos of surf livesaving,” Ross affirmed.

“That’s what we do as lifesavers: we move toward the emergency.”