🔗 Share this article When Beachgoers Ran From Violence, Popular Photo Captures Beach Patrol Running ‘Full Speed’ Towards the Location. Alexandra Ching, a permanent inhabitant of Bondi, has always considered the famous beach as her own backyard. On that particular Sunday evening, she, along with numerous neighbors, heard cracking sounds ringing out through the community. “Everyone did, but I reasoned it was daylight and there was nothing visible,” she explains. Exiting her apartment, she saw people “pouring up Bondi Road”. The looks she saw signaled something was wrong. While standing on the street, speaking to a pair who had hurried up the slope soaked, she noticed someone moving up from behind. It was a lifeguard, running at full speed towards Bondi unshod from the adjacent Tamarama beach – about 1.5km – while transporting a medical device. “I heard someone say ‘excuse me’, and as I turned I only caught a glimpse of this streak in blue,” Ching describes. “He was simply racing by. He was the only one moving in the path that everyone was trying to get away from, and hauling that large equipment and barefoot … He’s running into something that certainly every fibre in your being would instruct you to go in the reverse way. “Absolutely no pause, but just completely full throttle racing.” A Powerful Moment of Heroism During Tragedy The image taken by Ching of the rescuer, later named as Jackson Doolan, was widely shared as among numerous instances of courage in the following of the tragic event. Andy Reid, another lifeguard, says that Doolan, known as “Jacko”, sprinted from Tamarama beach to back up the remaining crew at Bondi, as well as to help surf lifesavers, officers and ambulance crews treating many those hurt. Collective Response and Assistance Doolan’s account was a single example among several to be shared by the community, with the beach facility next to the scene of the attack becoming a impromptu treatment center. Accounts show that fellow lifeguards were also seen helping out, for instance entering the water to rescue people needing help. Following the attack, comments of support were shared. An online statement conveyed gratitude for the lifeguards who exhibited that “kindness will always overcome hatred”. The squad of lifeguards published a message, explaining they were “coming to terms with what happened”. “We are grateful all for your kind words and solidarity. We are overwhelmed by the compassion shown towards our personnel,” the group stated. “When ready, we will share our stories in the belief that it supports those involved.” Local Government Recognition Waverley council, the governing body that hires many full-time lifeguards, stated that the team performed exceptionally from the moment the violence began until late that night. “We have heard so many moving narratives, but the viral picture of Jackson Doolan, sprinting from Tamarama to Bondi with a defibrillator so he could help preserve life is extraordinary,” said a council representative. “These individuals exhibit dedication every day in maintaining the safety of our iconic coastlines safe for visitors, but what we witnessed on that evening should be commended. “While we mourn and come to terms with the terror of this violent and horrific terrorist attack, I think it is important that we consider just how much good we have observed in the presence of such hatred.”
Alexandra Ching, a permanent inhabitant of Bondi, has always considered the famous beach as her own backyard. On that particular Sunday evening, she, along with numerous neighbors, heard cracking sounds ringing out through the community. “Everyone did, but I reasoned it was daylight and there was nothing visible,” she explains. Exiting her apartment, she saw people “pouring up Bondi Road”. The looks she saw signaled something was wrong. While standing on the street, speaking to a pair who had hurried up the slope soaked, she noticed someone moving up from behind. It was a lifeguard, running at full speed towards Bondi unshod from the adjacent Tamarama beach – about 1.5km – while transporting a medical device. “I heard someone say ‘excuse me’, and as I turned I only caught a glimpse of this streak in blue,” Ching describes. “He was simply racing by. He was the only one moving in the path that everyone was trying to get away from, and hauling that large equipment and barefoot … He’s running into something that certainly every fibre in your being would instruct you to go in the reverse way. “Absolutely no pause, but just completely full throttle racing.” A Powerful Moment of Heroism During Tragedy The image taken by Ching of the rescuer, later named as Jackson Doolan, was widely shared as among numerous instances of courage in the following of the tragic event. Andy Reid, another lifeguard, says that Doolan, known as “Jacko”, sprinted from Tamarama beach to back up the remaining crew at Bondi, as well as to help surf lifesavers, officers and ambulance crews treating many those hurt. Collective Response and Assistance Doolan’s account was a single example among several to be shared by the community, with the beach facility next to the scene of the attack becoming a impromptu treatment center. Accounts show that fellow lifeguards were also seen helping out, for instance entering the water to rescue people needing help. Following the attack, comments of support were shared. An online statement conveyed gratitude for the lifeguards who exhibited that “kindness will always overcome hatred”. The squad of lifeguards published a message, explaining they were “coming to terms with what happened”. “We are grateful all for your kind words and solidarity. We are overwhelmed by the compassion shown towards our personnel,” the group stated. “When ready, we will share our stories in the belief that it supports those involved.” Local Government Recognition Waverley council, the governing body that hires many full-time lifeguards, stated that the team performed exceptionally from the moment the violence began until late that night. “We have heard so many moving narratives, but the viral picture of Jackson Doolan, sprinting from Tamarama to Bondi with a defibrillator so he could help preserve life is extraordinary,” said a council representative. “These individuals exhibit dedication every day in maintaining the safety of our iconic coastlines safe for visitors, but what we witnessed on that evening should be commended. “While we mourn and come to terms with the terror of this violent and horrific terrorist attack, I think it is important that we consider just how much good we have observed in the presence of such hatred.”