By now, I would be surprised if you haven’t heard about the horrific events at Westfield Bondi Junction a few weeks ago. One man single-handedly took six lives, left a dozen injured, and five are still in the hospital. This article doesn’t need an introduction; we’ve all seen the security videos circulating online.
This piece is about the six victims whose lives were abruptly cut short.
Ashlee Good
A 38-year-old mother, Ashlee was shopping at Bondi with her nine-month-old baby when she encountered the perpetrator. Faced with sudden horror, she frantically handed her child to strangers to save her baby’s life. These heroes escaped and quickly wrapped the baby in clothing to protect the wounds as they rushed the child to the hospital.
Harriet, her baby, survived after undergoing emergency surgery. Unfortunately, Ashlee didn’t make it and will now never see her baby girl grow up into a beautiful woman. “Ash was a ray of sunshine and positive in every aspect of her life and died a hero saving her little girl from the most unspeakable evil,” described as a “beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend” and an “all-round outstanding human” who was “so selfless.”
Ashlee should have been celebrating her first Mother’s Day last weekend.
Jade Young
On April 13th, Jade Young (47), a devoted mother of two and an esteemed architect, was shopping with her 9-year-old daughter to buy a birthday present. This ordinary day was tragically interrupted by an unthinkable act of violence. Jade Young was one of the six people killed when Joel Cauchi went on a violent stabbing rampage at Bondi Junction Westfield. She was described as a “gentle, loving soul” and “dearly loved and irreplaceable.” A heart-wrenching statement has been released by her family as they say their final goodbye to her.
“Our lives have been fractured, there will be no back to normal.” “Anyone who knew Jade knew what a beautiful, kind, and warm soul she was.” “We are completely devastated. All our love goes out to her family. We love you, Jade.” “Taken too soon, forever in our hearts.”
Dawn Singleton
A newly engaged e-commerce assistant who had recently purchased her wedding dress and sent out “save the date” invitations was at the shopping centre to buy wedding makeup when she was attacked. She was to marry her high school sweetheart, an NSW Police Officer, who was called to the scene, not knowing that his fiancé was one of the victims.
“She was just the most perfect human being that I’ve ever met. She’s so sweet, so humble, so down to earth,” friend Emmi Shannon told 7NEWS. Another friend, Jade O’Connor, wrote an emotional tribute on Facebook: “I should be writing your wedding speech. Instead, I sit here sobbing, coming to terms with how life isn’t fair that you are no longer here.”
Pikria Darchia
Pikria Darchia, a loving grandmother and adored mother, was doing the usual task of grabbing a coffee at Westfield Bondi Junction when she was killed by Joel Cauchi 15 minutes after speaking with her son. Irakli Dvali said his mother enjoyed living in Australia, feeling safe, though his opinion has now changed forever. He described his mother as “very kind, very calm, and a very happy person.”
“She was the toughest person I know.” “I want everyone to know what an extraordinary person she was.” “Everyone loved her.”
Faraz Tahir
Faraz Tahir (30), a Pakistani refugee, is recognized as a national hero. Mr. Tahir, who had previously fled his home country, was starting his first day shift as a security guard at the shopping centre when chaos erupted. Tahir’s colleague, Muhammad Taha, recalled, “We were standing side-by-side when all of a sudden we heard people shouting and screaming.” Unfortunately, he was brutally attacked by Cauchi while trying to save shoppers. Taha said, “We were trying to save people at the time, and his last words were ‘let’s find out what’s going on’.”
His brother, Shiraz Tahir, shared that the family spoke to him on the phone the night before his death, where the 30-year-old said he was excited to start his new job. Tahir is being remembered as a “brave man who ran towards danger to save the lives of others.” His colleague said although he only met Mr. Tahir that day, “they would be forever connected… he will be missed, we will remember him.”
A number of Faraz Tahir’s family members have travelled from Pakistan to say their final farewells.
“Today, as our nation remembers his bravery and honours his life, we affirm that Australia will always be grateful to Faraz Tahir.” “He had a great heart. He was really grateful to be part of this community, to make Australia home,” said Adnan Qadir, Tahir’s friend.
Faraz Tahir gave everything to help others: his time, his energy, his optimism and dedication, his heart and his soul. And on that devastating Saturday afternoon at Bondi Junction, he gave his life. – Anthony Albanese
Yixuan Cheng
The 27-year-old university student from Anhui province in central China was rewarding herself after an exam to celebrate her hard work. Just minutes prior, she was happily chatting with her fiancé, showing the new outfits she bought. Her fiancé, living overseas, learned about the attack on the news and constantly tried to contact her day and night with no answer. Her whole family waited anxiously for any news. A few days later, a photo was sent by the NSW Police and the Chinese consulate in Sydney of her bag that she was carrying at the time, with her ID and phone number. “At 3 pm, she was happily chatting with me, even trying on clothes to show me. I never imagined that right after our call ended, the stabbing incident would occur.” Yixuan was a promising young student, close to finishing her master’s degree in economics, and was going to get married after graduation.
These people were innocent.
These were people with families, promising careers, and futures.
These were all the lives that were tragically taken.
“Taken too soon. Forever in our hearts.” – Elizabeth Young (mother of victim Jade Young)
