‘This is our sanctuary’: Scores of Volunteer rescuers Assemble to Remember Tragedy Those lost.

Gazing quietly at the waves on Bondi coast, side by side with hundreds of other volunteers, Lockie Cook opened up to the pain of a local harrowing week in living memory.

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

Surf lifesavers assembled by the score on Saturday morning to hold two moments of quiet reflection and remember those who died in Sunday’s attack.

Infants, elders, locals and classmates wearing their iconic colours held each other, forming a line stretching from the iconic bay's north side all the way to its southern tip.

“The big thing to emerge from this tragedy is just the extent that this place signifies to me,” he shared.

“Here is our spiritual ground … It’s just important we unite and begin to mend.”

A Moment of Silent Reflection

At that morning, the moment of quiet was initiated by a figure at the beach’s primary observation point, near which were placed clusters of tributes.

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

“Join hands with the person next to you, look inward and remember the those who are suffering so we can emerge more resilient for this beach family.”

Attendees looked down or to the horizon as residents, visitors and officials watched on. The sole audible things were the ocean's rhythm, a lone dog’s bark and a droning rescue helicopter, which flew along the coastline as the quiet ended.

Taking Back the Beach

Friends and families slowly turned to embrace and cheer their fellow lifesavers at the opposite end of the beach as applause erupted from the watching crowd.

This was another example of the lifesavers working to strengthen the beachgoers this past week, stated one individual, a Jewish member of the northern surf club and a emergency helper on Sunday.

“Right now, I sense the care and unity,” commented the man, who wished to remain anonymous.

Having called Bondi nearly all his life, he took part in the memorial paddle on in the days after and has focused on healing on the beach as his own.

“The experience was asserting a presence, it’s cathartic,” he added.

The Guiding Spirit of Lifesaving

Gene Ross, a veteran trainer, spent the moments’ silence beside his just-trained son, reflecting on the unity his club had shown in the days following Sunday.

“Choosing to do the tragedy here … prompted Australia to come and support the people.”

Hundreds of volunteers laughed and cried together as they returned to their clubs and through the green space where their colleagues performed rescues on Sunday.

A significant number lingered at the water's edge, on duty to help people going back into the surf.

“Our duty is to all and that’s the ethos of beach rescue,” Ross affirmed.

“This is our purpose as volunteers: we move toward the crisis.”