While Sunbathers Ran From Attack, Widely-Shared Image Depicts Rescuer Running ‘All Out’ To the Site.

Alexandra Ching, someone who has spent her entire life as resident of Bondi, views the iconic beach as her personal space. On a recent Sunday evening, she, similar to other local residents, detected pops ringing out across the neighbourhood.

“Everyone did, but I reasoned it was daylight and there was nothing visible,” Ching recounts. Exiting her residence, she observed people “flooding up Bondi Road”. The faces they wore made it clear a crisis was unfolding.

While standing on the street, talking to a couple who had rushed up the hill still dripping wet, she noticed someone coming up from behind. It was a beach patrol officer, running at full speed towards Bondi without shoes from the adjacent Tamarama beach – about 1.5km – while transporting a defibrillator.

“I caught a voice saying ‘excuse me’, and turning my head I spotted this blur of blue,” she recalls. “He was simply racing by. He was alone running in the opposite way that all the others was trying to get away from, while holding that sizeable pack and barefoot … He moved into something that surely every instinct would tell you to go in the other direction.

“Just no hesitation, but just fully pedal to the metal racing.”

An Iconic Image of Heroism In the Wake of Crisis

The photo that Ching snapped of the rescuer, later named as Jackson Doolan, was widely shared as one of many instances of heroism in the aftermath of the violent incident.

Andy Reid, a fellow beach safety officer, says that Doolan, referred to as “Jacko”, ran from Tamarama beach to assist the rest of his team at Bondi, as well as to work with emergency personnel, law enforcement and medical teams caring for many victims.

Local Outpouring and Assistance

Doolan’s story was a single example among several to emerge from the local area, with the patrol base adjacent to the scene of the incident becoming a makeshift hospital. Reports indicate that fellow lifeguards were also seen responding bravely, including going into the water to rescue people in distress.

After the events, comments of support flooded in. A social media message conveyed thanks for the lifeguards who demonstrated that “kindness will always triumph over hatred”.

The team of rescuers published a statement, noting they were “still trying to comprehend what happened”.

“Our thanks go out to all for your thoughtful words and solidarity. We are touched by the compassion directed at our responders,” the team wrote. “In time, we will share our stories in the hope that it helps those affected.”

Council Praise

Waverley council, the governing body that employs many permanent lifeguards, said that the staff acted heroically from the instant the violence started until late that nighttime.

“People have shared so many moving stories, but the viral picture of Jackson Doolan, sprinting from Tamarama to Bondi with a AED so he could help assist the injured is remarkable,” said a council representative.

“Our lifeguards demonstrate selflessness every day in ensuring our iconic shores safe for surfers and swimmers, but what we observed on Sunday should be commended.

“While we mourn and come to terms with the atrocity of this violent and horrific terrorist attack, I think it is important that we reflect on just how much light we have seen in the face of such evil.”