I was sitting down on my back verandah with my partner for a Sunday evening pre-dinner drink in Bondi Beach. We weren't alone. Neighbours directly behind us had friends over for the festive season. And across the tightly built suburb there was the wafting sound of music, chatter and in the background the dull roar of the surf.
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Then came a series of bangs. We both thought they were fireworks, as its not uncommon to hear them in the suburb.
Then there were sirens, more sirens, and helicopters overhead. A shark attack? Drowning on the beach? These again are not uncommon occurrences in the neighbourhood.
But then came something very odd. Two well-dressed young girls came running into a neighbouring yard, and ducked down low to the ground. They hovered over their phones and huddled close together. What is going on?
We started to get concerned about those series of bangs we had just heard. There had been about 20 to 30. We soon discovered there had been a shooting at the northern end of Bondi Beach.
So hard to comprehend
It is so hard to comprehend what has happened. Bondi may be known globally for its golden sands and postcard views. But what has always been here is a community that has accepted and celebrated diversity. Not in any organised way, but in a natural "let's all just respect each other and live side by side" kind of way.
I've lived here for nearly 20 years. Jewish and Christian festivals have always run side by side and the Hanukkah by the Sea, is one that I have witnessed year after year.
It takes place in parkland behind the northern end of the beach. It has a fun fair atmosphere, and also celebrates the first day of Hanukkah. Think food stalls, rides for the kids, a relaxed atmosphere where people can get together for seasonal celebrations.
It happens less than a week by the annual Carols by the Sea in parkland further along the beach. Again think food stalls, rides for the kids, a relaxed atmosphere where people can get together for seasonal celebrations.
Both are supported by the local Waverley Council.
Our neighbourhood, everyone's neighbourhood
When you live in Bondi Beach you recognise that the neighbourhood is not just your own, but also one enjoyed by people across Sydney, the country and the world. And we're good with that.
If I had done my run along the Bondi boardwalk, as I have so many early Sunday evenings, I would have seen the whole multicultural landscape of residents of this city and country side by side with the common goal of enjoying an afternoon at the beach.
Sunday afternoons is also the time when there is a salsa class going on in the courtyard of the Bondi Pavilion, at the northern end of the beach parkland young backpackers and locals listen and dance to a weekly drumming session led by young Brazilians. There's a party atmosphere, and feeling of how lucky we are to be living here.
There is a well-loved children's playground with sandpits, swings and climbing structures that sits adjacent to the area where the shooting occurred. It's usually cleared out by the time the incident occurred, after 6pm. It's a regular hangout for families with young kids in my building.
The morning after
As I walk the dog down to the beach the morning after, it is a sad and shocked suburb that is waking up.
The crowds of early risers who head to the beach for surf and exercise are gone. A few locals stand and look over the sand in sadness and disbelief.
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The local cafe which is usually a hive of activity at 6am is deserted. The young French staff who have become locals as they spend time here on their working holiday are also standing in utter silence.
I run into a neighbour who tells me he was taking his afternoon swim down at the beach just an hour before the horrendous events unfolded. It's a regular simple habit that brings the greatest joy.
"I go there and have my swim, then come and sit down up at the park and look out, and just enjoy the peace, the happiness of everyone there.
"What happened yesterday I can't understand, I can't fathom."
That is how we are all feeling today.
Jen Melocco
Previously she lead the editorial team for two of Australia's most read property magazines for Domain, and published within premier Nine media brands The Australian Financial Review and The Sydney Morning Herald.
