‘This is our spiritual home’: Hundreds of Surf lifesavers Assemble to Honour Tragedy The fallen.

Standing silently upon the surf on Bondi beach, side by side with nearly 1,000 other volunteers, Lockie Cook let himself feel the grief of a area's most traumatic week in living memory.

“I sense that protective wall is falling,” he stated.

Volunteer lifeguards gathered in their hundreds on that morning to hold two minutes’ silence and remember those who died in the tragic shooting.

Infants, elders, locals and classmates wearing red-and-yellow uniforms held each other, forming a line stretching from the iconic bay's north side to its southern point.

“The big thing we've learned from this is just how much this community means to me,” he said.

“This beach is our place of worship … It’s just important we unite and begin to mend.”

A Moment of Silent Reflection

At that morning, the moment of quiet was announced by a voice at the beach’s main patrol tower, behind which lie rows of flowers.

“A short time can be a very long time but take this time for introspection,” he urged.

“Join hands with the person next to you, look inward and remember the families affected so we can grow back stronger for this beach family.”

Volunteers gazed at the sand or to the distance as the community and its leaders watched on. The only sounds were the ocean's rhythm, a single barking dog and a whirring rescue helicopter, which flew along the coastline as the quiet ended.

Healing on the Beach

People gathered slowly turned to embrace and clap for their colleagues at the other side of the beach as acclamation erupted from the watching crowd.

This was just the latest instance of the rescuers working to strengthen the area this difficult period, said one participant, a Jewish member of the northern surf club and a person who assisted on that fateful day.

“Right now, I sense the love and support,” commented the individual, who requested privacy.

Having called Bondi for most of his years, he took part in the memorial paddle on the following day and has focused on healing on the beach as his own.

“It was like asserting a presence, it’s therapeutic,” he shared.

The Ethos of Lifesaving

Gene Ross, a experienced trainer, spent the quiet time next to his just-trained son, reflecting on the unity his club had demonstrated every day since Sunday.

“Choosing to do the violence here … led Australia to rally behind the community.”

Scores of volunteers laughed and cried together as they made their way toward their clubs and through the area where their fellow members helped the injured on Sunday.

Dozens more lingered at the beach, ready to come to the aid of people entering the water.

“Our duty is to all and that’s the core principle of beach rescue,” Ross stated.

“That’s what we do as lifesavers: we head into the danger.”