‘The carnage was instantly visible. There were so many dead bodies.’

Since moving to Campbell Parade a year ago, it has become customary for me to spend my Sunday afternoons lounging on the beach. This Sunday was no different. My cousin had come to visit me and have a bite to eat. We had been sitting on the south end of Bondi Beach before going for a quick dip and leaving the beach to get some food. On our way over to the little grass patch before the North Bondi hill to eat our food, we passed by the Chanukah festival.

We saw the petting animals, what looked like a miniature rock-climbing wall, and the large TV screen from which Jewish songs appeared to be blasting from. It was a beautiful, colourful, community event. There were multiple generations, kids were playing, parents were talking, and grandparents were sitting down watching. It was about 6pm. Only thirty minutes later, the gunmen would be standing here.

As we passed the festival, we noted that there were huge numbers of Jewish guards. It felt like there were slightly more than normal for a Jewish event. Looking at the guards, I was surprised, and alarmed, that there were no police in sight. I consciously looked for them, briefly scanning the perimeter. My cousin who is not Jewish also noted the Jewish guards. I commented to my cousin that they mostly don’t carry weapons. I thought about thanking the closest guard for his service to the community: but I hesitated before doing so, out of awkwardness.

After passing the Chanukah event, we sat down on the grass, a few metres away from the outdoor gym area on the north side near the surf lifesaving club. It was the golden hour of the afternoon.

About half an hour later, we decided to return to the south end of Bondi. As we walked past the Chanukah festival, we start hearing fireworks. Intuitively, I felt it was unlikely there would be fireworks. I just instantly knew it was a terrorist attack, and that the Chanukah event was the target.