the aftermath of bondi beach shooting

As the number of flowers left in and around the site of the Sunday shooting took place, as well as all the synagogues around the city, we are — as Sydneysiders — still trying to make sense of it all.

…and we’re getting nowhere.

Bondi Beach has always been the melting pot of Sydney. It is always easy to see the surfies, your average Joe and Joan, lifeguards, tourists, the flags, topless ladies safely sunbathing, and Buddhist monks in their saffron-coloured robes: every shape, size and colour of a multinational country can offer.

This is the place where freedom, happiness, diversity and unity live side by side.

Lived.

Before this horrific act of inhumanity happened, we were just celebrating Australia becoming the first nation on Earth to ban all social media for anyone under 16. Some call it ‘social media delay’ because it’s not a lifetime ban, it’s just a delay.

Even though the ban has its own issues and is far from being perfect, it’s still something.

As an Australian and an anti-scam advocate, I was so proud that a government in the world is doing something about it. Things like this make you think: this is Australia.

Then something so incredibly non-Australian happens during a festival of lights, bringing darkness into our lives.

When you see innocent people being killed, the couch you’re sitting on becomes a foreign ground, your favourite Christmas movie you have watched several times before becomes unwatchable, and in an instant, your sense of safety disappears. On a bright, sunny day, the darkness enters your life, leaving its mark.

It has only been a few days since a father and son opened fire on a crowd of hundreds of people, killing 15 innocent people, including a Holocaust survivor, a Rabbi and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda.

Matilda’s funeral was yesterday, and I watched a video of her and the Rabbi, preparing for the festival on the beach, without knowing that only a few hours later, they would be killed.

Matilda was only 10 years old, a bright little girl with sunshine on her face. You can’t help but ask: what was her crime?

I know someone from the gym who’s Jewish. She told me that they — as a Jewish community — knew this was coming and that’s the reason why they have protection at their schools and synagogues.

While we were talking, someone pointed out a bag of rosemary on the corner. Members of the gym do share food with us, but this time, the reason for sharing rosemary was different.

So, this is what I shared on my social media…

Rosemary is an ancient symbol of remembrance.

Australians wear rosemary sprigs on Anzac Day. It’s a symbol of commemoration for those who served Australia in wars.

Australia is my adopted country. The tradition stems from rosemary bushes that grow wild on the Gallipoli peninsula in Türkiye (my home country).

Today is not Anzac Day or Remembrance Day in Australia; however, one gym member left a large bag of rosemary for us. This time, it’s for those who lost their lives during a devastating attack on Bondi Beach.

I will grow more rosemary out of this bunch and remember…