While Sunbathers Fled Danger, Viral Photo Depicts Beach Patrol Dashing ‘Full Speed’ In the Direction of the Site.
Alexandra Ching, a lifelong local of Bondi, views the renowned coast as her back yard. On that particular weekend night, she, similar to other local residents, detected loud noises ringing out across the community.
“We all thought the same, but I reasoned it was still too bright and there was nothing visible,” Ching recounts. Stepping out of her apartment, she saw people “flooding up Bondi Road”. The looks they wore made it clear trouble had occurred.
As she stood on the avenue, talking to a duo who had run up the slope soaked, she became aware of someone moving up from behind. It was a lifeguard, running at full speed to Bondi without shoes from the neighbouring Tamarama beach – roughly 1.5km – while transporting a defibrillator.
“I noticed a person utter ‘excuse me’, and turning my head I only caught a glimpse of this blur of blue,” Ching describes. “He was zooming past. It was just him moving in the opposite way that everyone was trying to escape from, while holding that sizeable pack and without footwear … He’s running at something that undoubtedly every fibre in your being would instruct you to move in the other direction.
“Just no hesitation, but just totally pedal to the metal sprinting.”
A Symbol of Bravery In the Wake of Crisis
The image taken by Ching of the lifeguard, later named as Jackson Doolan, rapidly circulated as a prime example of acts of valour in the following of the violent incident.
Andy Reid, a fellow beach safety officer, says that Doolan, referred to as “Jacko”, hurried from Tamarama beach to back up the remaining crew at Bondi, as well as to help other rescuers, police and paramedics attending to numerous the injured.
Collective Reaction and Solidarity
Doolan’s account was part of a broader narrative to come out of the community, with the beach facility beside the site of the violence transforming into a makeshift treatment center. Accounts show that other team members were also seen helping out, including rushing into the surf to rescue people who were struggling.
Following the attack, messages of support were shared. One post shared gratitude for the lifeguards who demonstrated that “goodness will always triumph over hatred”.
The team of lifeguards issued a communication, saying they were “still trying to comprehend what transpired”.
“Thank you all for your supportive words and encouragement. We are overwhelmed by the care shown towards our team,” the team wrote. “In time, we will share our stories in the belief that it helps those affected.”
Official Praise
Waverley council, the governing body that oversees many full-time lifeguards, said that the team performed exceptionally from the second the violence commenced through to late that nighttime.
“We have heard so many moving accounts, but the viral image of Jackson Doolan, racing from Tamarama to Bondi with a medical device so he could help preserve life is incredible,” said a local official.
“Our lifeguards show altruism every day in keeping our internationally renowned beaches protected for the public, but what we observed on that evening should be highly praised.
“While we mourn and come to terms with the horror of this heinous tragedy, I think it is crucial that we focus on just how much good we have observed in the presence of such evil.”
