When Swimmers Fled Attack, Popular Image Shows Lifeguard Sprinting ‘Full Speed’ To the Site.

Alexandra Ching, a permanent local of Bondi, describes the iconic shoreline as her back yard. On that fateful weekend evening, she, similar to other neighbors, heard loud noises ringing out through the neighbourhood.

“We all thought the same, but I reasoned it was too light and you couldn't spot any lights,” Ching states. Exiting her residence, she saw people “pouring up Bondi Road”. The looks she saw told her a crisis was unfolding.

As she stood on the road, conversing with a pair who had rushed up the incline still dripping wet, she noticed someone coming up from behind. This turned out to be a lifeguard, running at full speed towards Bondi unshod from the adjacent Tamarama beach – roughly 1.5km – while holding a medical device.

“I noticed a person utter ‘excuse me’, and when I spun around I only caught a glimpse of this blur of blue,” she recalls. “He was just flying past. It was just him running in the direction that everyone was trying to flee, carrying that big kit and barefoot … He’s running towards something that certainly every fibre in your being would instruct you to go in the reverse way.

“Absolutely no pause, but just completely full throttle racing.”

A Powerful Moment of Heroism In the Wake of Crisis

The image taken by Ching of the lifeguard, later named as Jackson Doolan, quickly spread as among numerous moments of heroism in the following of the tragic event.

Andy Reid, another beach safety officer, says that Doolan, referred to as “Jacko”, sprinted from Tamarama beach to support the other members at Bondi, as well as to work with emergency personnel, police and medical teams attending to numerous victims.

Collective Reaction and Assistance

Doolan’s account was part of a broader narrative to come out of the neighbourhood, with the lifeguard clubhouse next to the scene of the violence transforming into a makeshift medical station. It was shared that fellow lifeguards were also seen responding bravely, including rushing into the surf to save people needing help.

In the days after the tragedy, statements of gratitude circulated widely. A social media message conveyed appreciation for the lifeguards who exhibited that “kindness will always triumph over evil”.

The group of lifeguards later shared a statement, noting they were “processing what occurred”.

“We are grateful all for your kind words and solidarity. We are touched by the compassion shown towards our team,” the organization wrote. “When ready, we will tell our tales in the hope that it aids those impacted.”

Official Recognition

Waverley council, the administrative organization that hires many professional lifeguards, said that the staff performed exceptionally from the instant the shooting began until late that night.

“There have been so many emotional accounts, but the viral photo of Jackson Doolan, racing from Tamarama to Bondi with a AED so he could help save lives is remarkable,” commented a mayor.

“Our lifeguards demonstrate altruism every day in maintaining the safety of our internationally renowned shores safe for surfers and swimmers, but what we observed on that day should be celebrated.

“As we grieve and come to terms with the atrocity of this brutal and barbaric tragedy, I think it is vital that we consider just how much light we have observed in the midst of such hatred.”