While Beachgoers Fled Attack, Popular Image Captures Lifeguard Running ‘All Out’ To the Location.
Alexandra Ching, a permanent inhabitant of Bondi, has always considered the iconic shoreline as her own backyard. On that particular weekend night, she, along with numerous neighbors, heard pops echoing through the community.
“That was the initial assumption, but I reasoned it was daylight and you couldn't spot any lights,” Ching recounts. She left her apartment, she saw people “streaming up Bondi Road”. Their expressions they wore signaled a crisis was unfolding.
While standing on the street, speaking to a pair who had run up the hill in their swimwear, she became aware of someone moving up at her rear. This turned out to be a rescuer, dashing to Bondi unshod from the neighbouring Tamarama beach – about 1.5km – while holding a medical device.
“I noticed a person utter ‘excuse me’, and as I turned I just saw this streak in blue,” she recounts. “He was simply racing by. It was just him moving in the path that all the others was trying to get away from, while holding that big kit and unshod … He’s running towards something that surely every instinct would instruct you to run in the opposite direction.
“Just no hesitation, but just totally pedal to the metal racing.”
A Powerful Moment of Heroism In the Wake of Tragedy
The photograph taken by Ching of the lifeguard, now known to be Jackson Doolan, was widely shared as among numerous instances of heroism in the wake of the terror attack.
Andy Reid, a fellow beach safety officer, says that Doolan, called “Jacko”, sprinted from Tamarama beach to back up the remaining crew at Bondi, as well as to work with surf lifesavers, officers and paramedics caring for many those hurt.
Local Reaction and Support
Doolan’s story was part of a broader narrative to be shared by the local area, with the patrol base adjacent to the location of the attack transforming into a makeshift hospital. It was shared that other team members were also seen helping out, such as going into the surf to assist people needing help.
After the events, messages of gratitude circulated widely. One post expressed thanks for the responders who exhibited that “goodness will always triumph over evil”.
The team of rescuers published a statement, explaining they were “still trying to comprehend what happened”.
“We are grateful all for your thoughtful words and encouragement. We are touched by the care directed at our responders,” the group wrote. “In time, we will recount our experiences in the hope that it helps those impacted.”
Council Praise
Waverley council, the local authority that employs many full-time beach safety officers, said that the crew acted heroically from the instant the shooting commenced right into late that night.
“We have heard so many emotional accounts, but the viral photo of Jackson Doolan, running from Tamarama to Bondi with a defibrillator so he could help assist the injured is remarkable,” stated a council representative.
“The team show selflessness every day in ensuring our internationally renowned shores secure for the public, but what we observed on that evening should be celebrated.
“While we mourn and grapple with the horror of this violent and horrific act of violence, I think it is important that we consider just how much good we have witnessed in the presence of such darkness.”
