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7 months ago
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A piece of wall art in the front window of Harvey Norman declared 'This is my happy place', and for tens of thousands of Sydneysiders that's what Westfield Bondi Junction always had been.
But when the doors to the shopping centre re-opened on Friday morning for the first time since last weekend's atrocity, it was for a sombre gathering in a strangely silent building.
Some came alone, others as couples or in small groups of friends and workmates. There were hugs, handshakes and tears.
This was about reunions, returning to familiar surroundings and attempting to resume normal lives as much as it was about remembering the dead.
Westfield Bondi Junction re-opened on Friday morning so members of the community could pay their respects to the six people killed in the shopping centre last weekend. A woman is pictured outside the complex at a makeshift memorial
If Westfield management had worried ghouls would come to gawk at the scenes where six people were killed on Saturday they need not have been concerned.
From the moment the first arrivals took the escalator from ground level on Oxford Street up to the fourth floor shortly after 11am it was obvious those who had come here had done so for the right reasons.
Visitors were offered a black ribbon to wear as a sign of respect and many did.
Shops remained closed, no muzak played and the information screen which normally provides directions to retail outlets had been switched to display a remembrance ribbon.
At the top of the escalators on level four stood six white wreaths representing each of the victims stabbed to death by itinerant schizophrenic Joel Cauchi during his senseless spree.
They were new mum Ashlee Good, 28, bride-to-be Dawn Singleton, 25, architect Jade Young, 47, security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, architect Pikria Darchia, 55 and economics student Yixuan Cheng, 27.
Those who wished to sign a condolence book lined up patiently. Some placed flowers below six wreaths which stood at the top of an escalator to represent those who were killed
NSW Premier Chris Minns and Police Commissioner Karen Webb paid tribute to the victims by placing a wreath at the memorial before the public was allowed to enter.
It was impossible to tell how many of those who came on Thursday had a direct connection to the slain or the dozen others seriously injured.
Snippets of conversation among small groups could be overheard: 'Guy had only just come out of Cotton On', 'I just can't imagine it' and 'it all happened so quickly'.
Through the morning and into the afternoon the focus remained on the fourth-floor memorial, where people laid bunches of flowers and paused to say prayers.
Near the memorial, mourners waited patiently in line to sign a condolence book alongside the Tommy Hilfiger store where the floor was stained with blood last weekend.
Management had planned this operation with meticulous care and consideration. There was free tea and coffee as well as bottles of water, and the whole place was spotlessly clean.
It was impossible to tell how many of those who came on Thursday had a direct connection to the slain or the dozen others seriously injured
There was a strong but subtle police presence, as well as Westfield staff including security guards walking the floors throughout the building.
Counsellors from Lifeline moved through the crowd offering words of comfort to those would wanted it, along with members of the Salvation Army and Red Cross volunteers.
Those who took photographs generally trained their cameras on the memorial. This was no occasion for selfies.
Nothing marked the places where the dead and injured were found or where Inspector Amy Scott ended Cauchi's rampage with three fatal shots to the chest.
No one seemed to dwell outside any of the shops where the knifeman caused the worst of his carnage: Cotton On, Chanel, Country Road, Myer, Lululemon.
One door at Lululemon was later partially drawn back to allow those who wished to return to the store do so - they were girls and young women.
There was a strong but subtle police presence, as well as Westfield staff including security guards walking the floors throughout the building
Most who walked past Eckersley's Art and Craft on the other side of the fifth-floor walkway over Oxford Street did not stop to look at where Cauchi was killed.
A sign outside Myer summed up how the centre's tenants were feeling.
'On this day of reflection, we acknowledge the tragic events that unfolded here at Bondi Junction last weekend,' it said.
'Our thoughts remain with the victims, their loved ones and our entire community.
'We thank our brave team members, first responders and customers who worked to save lives and keep others safe.
'We stand with our Bondi Junction community, offering our heartfelt condolences and solidarity.'
Nothing marked the places where the dead and injured were found or where Inspector Amy Scott ended Cauchi's rampage with three fatal shots to the chest
Victim's family members had been given the chance to walk through the complex on Tuesday ahead of Thursday's re-opening.
Westfield owner Scentre Group's chief executive officer Elliott Rusanow accompanied those who took that opportunity and described it as a 'very emotional experience'.
Mr Rusanow said trading would return on Friday, after the community adjusted to the centre being open again.
'Having a reflection day allows members of the community to come back, in a way that is not about retail trade,' he said.
'It's about paying respects, it's about coming back and feeling comfortable with coming back to Westfield Bondi.'
English (US)