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On Sunday 21 April at 5.30pm, we will be holding a Community Candlelight Vigil at Bondi Beach, in Dolphin Court on the South side of the Bondi Pavilion.
During the vigil, we will light candles and hold a minute’s silence to honour the victims and survivors in the wake of the Bondi Junction tragedy.
The vigil will be an important moment for our community to comfort each other and reflect.
We ask that you bring a candle with you and take it home at the end of the vigil.
Mental health support will be available. People are encouraged to take public transport to and from the vigil.
Whilst we recognise people may wish to bring flowers, we kindly ask that you lay floral tributes at the official site at Oxford Street Mall.
Plans to re-open Westfield Bondi to the community.
A Community Reflection Day will be held tomorrow from 11:00am-5:00pm, Thursday 18 April at Westfield Bondi.
Mental health counsellors from Lifeline and other community partners will be available for people to speak with if they wish.
On Friday 19 April the centre will be re-opened for trade at the normal trading hours of 9:30am to 6:00pm.
See Westfield's media statement here.
Fundraising and Condolences.
Many of you have generously reached out to how you could contribute financially to the victims or to causes that support them.
We will be sharing details of fundraising pages and local mental health charities that you can support soon.
People are also invited to sign an online Condolence Book in honour of those affected here.
The NSW Government has also announced that there will be a permanent memorial for the Bondi Junction tragedy in due course.
Victims Support.
Counselling services and other support is available through the NSW Victims Support Scheme.
This is for all the victims and witnesses of Saturday's attack - including those who were at Westfield Bondi Junction at the time.
Full details on how to access the scheme are here. A dedicated phone line for victims and witnesses has also been established - please call 1800 019 123.
Mental health resources.
This is a really tough time for everyone in the community. It is important to look after yourself and support your loved ones.
Here are some numbers to help:
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NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511
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Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online here.
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Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 or chat online here.
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Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or chat online here.
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Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN on 13 92 76
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Headspace on 1800 650 890
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ReachOut at au.reachout.com
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QLife, LGBTIQ+ peer support on 1800 184 527 or chat online here, available 3pm-midnight every day.
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GriefLine, National Grief & Loss Support Hub on 1300 845 745, available 8am-8pm every day.
There is “walk around” mental health support at the floral memorial in Bondi Junction, available from 8am to 7pm each day. Clinicians will be uniformed, working in teams and highly visible.
Violent content online - keeping kids safe.
With the terrible events at Bondi Junction and the separate incident in Wakeley on Monday, many of us are worried about the extremely distressing content that children are accessing.
I have been in touch with the eSafety Commission about these concerns. They are working with platforms to take off the most violent content, or content that is used to incite hate or promote violence. If you see content that fits this description, please report it here.
eSafety also have guides available on managing parental controls, what to do if you see distressing content online, and broader advice for parents.
The days and months ahead will continue to be difficult, so I want you to know that my team and I are here to support you.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch, and please look after each other.
Allegra
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