‘This is our church’: Scores of Volunteer rescuers Assemble to Pay tribute to Shooting Those lost.

Looking out toward the ocean on Bondi coast, hand in hand with close to a thousand other volunteers, Lockie Cook let himself feel the anguish of a area's deeply distressing week in modern times.

“It feels like my defences are coming down,” he remarked.

Volunteer lifeguards assembled by the score on the weekend to observe two moments of quiet reflection and honour those killed in Sunday’s attack.

Infants, elders, locals and classmates dressed in distinctive lifesaving gear held each other, creating a line extending from the crescent-shaped beach’s north side to its southern point.

“The key realization to emerge from this tragedy is just how much this community means to me,” he expressed.

“This beach is our place of worship … It is vital we come together again and really heal.”

A Time of Quiet Contemplation

At the appointed hour, the period of silence was initiated by a man at the beach’s central lifeguard post, near which had been laid rows of floral memorials.

“Two minutes can be a an eternity but I urge you to reflect,” he advised.

“Hold hands with the person next to you, close your eyes and remember the those who are suffering so we can grow back stronger for this locality.”

Lifesavers gazed at the sand or to the ocean as the community and its leaders stood by. The sole audible things were the lapping of the sea, a single barking dog and a overhead rescue helicopter, which passed along the coastline as the quiet ended.

Reclaiming the Sand

Friends and families slowly came together in an embrace and cheer their companions at the far end of the beach as acclamation erupted from the observing onlookers.

This was just the latest instance of the rescuers working to unite the area this past week, said one individual, a member of the Jewish community of the northern surf club and a person who assisted on Sunday.

“At this moment, I am filled with the care and unity,” expressed the participant, who wished to remain anonymous.

Having made his home in Bondi for decades, he participated in the community swim on in the days after and has sought to take back the beach as his own.

“The experience was taking ownership back, it’s cathartic,” he shared.

The Guiding Spirit of Service

Gene Ross, a experienced lifesaving teacher, spent the quiet time next to his just-trained son, reflecting on the togetherness his club had shown after Sunday.

“The decision to enact the attack here … invited Australia to come and support the individuals affected.”

Scores of lifesavers experienced a mix of emotions together as they returned toward their clubs and through the park where their fellow members performed rescues on Sunday.

Dozens more stayed on the beach, on duty to help people returning to the surf.

“We serve the entire community and that’s the ethos of beach rescue,” Ross said.

“It is our calling as volunteers: we move toward the crisis.”