As Sunbathers Ran From Violence, Widely-Shared Picture Shows Rescuer Running ‘Pedal to the Metal’ Towards the Scene.

Alexandra Ching, someone who has spent her entire life as inhabitant of Bondi, has always considered the famous beach as her back yard. On that particular weekend night, she, like many local residents, heard cracking sounds ringing out around the suburb.

“Everyone did, but I reasoned it was still too bright and you couldn't spot any lights,” she explains. She left her home, she observed people “streaming up Bondi Road”. The faces they wore told her something was wrong.

Positioned on the street, conversing with a couple who had run up the slope in their swimwear, she heard someone approaching at her rear. This turned out to be a lifeguard, sprinting to Bondi without shoes from the nearby Tamarama beach – roughly 1.5km – while transporting a life-saving kit.

“I noticed a person utter ‘excuse me’, and turning my head I just saw this flash of blue,” she recounts. “He was simply racing by. It was just him heading in the opposite way that all the others was trying to escape from, carrying that sizeable pack and unshod … He moved towards something that undoubtedly every part of you would signal you to run in the other direction.

“Just no hesitation, but just fully pedal to the metal racing.”

An Iconic Image of Courage During Tragedy

The photograph taken by Ching of the lifeguard, later named as Jackson Doolan, quickly spread as a prime example of instances of valour in the wake of the violent incident.

Andy Reid, another beach safety officer, says that Doolan, called “Jacko”, sprinted from Tamarama beach to assist the other members at Bondi, as well as to help emergency personnel, officers and ambulance crews attending to numerous the injured.

Community Response and Support

Doolan’s actions was just one of many to emerge from the local area, with the patrol base adjacent to the location of the incident serving as a impromptu treatment center. It was shared that other team members were also seen taking action, such as entering the water to save people who were struggling.

In the days after the attack, messages of gratitude circulated widely. A social media message expressed gratitude for the responders who demonstrated that “compassion will always conquer hatred”.

The squad of beach patrol later shared a statement, noting they were “coming to terms with what happened”.

“We are grateful all for your kind sentiments and encouragement. We are overwhelmed by the kindness directed at our personnel,” the team stated. “In time, we will tell our tales in the belief that it aids those involved.”

Official Commendation

Waverley council, the administrative organization that hires many full-time lifeguards, remarked that the staff performed exceptionally from the instant the violence commenced through to late that night.

“We have heard so many powerful narratives, but the widely-circulated image of Jackson Doolan, running from Tamarama to Bondi with a AED so he could help save lives is remarkable,” stated a council representative.

“These individuals demonstrate altruism every day in keeping our internationally renowned coastlines protected for the public, but what we observed on Sunday should be celebrated.

“While we mourn and process the atrocity of this violent and horrific terrorist attack, I think it is vital that we consider just how much positivity we have observed in the presence of such evil.”