‘This is our sanctuary’: Scores of Surf lifesavers Assemble to Pay tribute to Tragedy Those lost.

Standing silently toward the waves on Bondi beach, arm in arm with close to a thousand colleagues, Lockie Cook let himself feel the anguish of a local harrowing week in modern times.

“It feels like my defences are coming down,” he said.

Volunteer lifeguards came together in large numbers on that morning to hold two moments of quiet reflection and commemorate those lost in the tragic shooting.

From the very young to the elderly, alongside friends and neighbours clad in their iconic colours stood together, making a chain extending from the iconic bay's north end all the way to its southern tip.

“The most important aspect we've learned from this is just the extent that this community matters to me,” he said.

“This is our church … It is vital we reconnect and truly recover.”

A Time of Quiet Contemplation

At the appointed hour, the two minutes’ silence was called for by a voice at the beach’s primary observation point, behind which were placed rows of tributes.

“Two minutes can be a an eternity but take this time for introspection,” he advised.

“Hold hands with the person next to you, shut your eyes and reflect on the those who are suffering so we can rebuild with strength for this community.”

Attendees looked down or to the ocean as the community and its leaders observed. The sole audible things were the ocean's rhythm, a single barking dog and a whirring rescue helicopter, which passed along the beachfront as the silence lifted.

Healing on the Shore

Friends and families slowly came together in an embrace and cheer their fellow lifesavers at the opposite end of the beach as applause erupted from the observing onlookers.

This was one more demonstration of the volunteers working to unite the beachgoers this difficult period, said one participant, a Jewish member of the northern surf club and a first responder on that fateful day.

“Today I just feel the care and unity,” commented the man, who requested privacy.

Having lived at Bondi for most of his years, he joined the memorial paddle on the following day and has worked to reclaim the beach as his own.

“It was like asserting a presence, it’s healing,” he added.

The Ethos of Rescue

Gene Ross, a veteran lifesaving teacher, spent the quiet time next to his newly certified son, thinking about the solidarity his club had demonstrated every day since Sunday.

“The decision to enact the tragedy here … invited Australia to come and support the people.”

Scores of rescuers shared tears and smiles together as they walked back in the direction of their patrol bases and through the park where their fellow members saved lives on Sunday.

Many others remained on the shore, prepared to assist people going back into the water.

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

“This is our purpose as volunteers: we head into the danger.”