Today’s post is a very personal one and I have wondered whether to post at all, but this is my blog, so here goes.
I have written previously here about my experience four months ago when I was caught in a mass shooting at a local market in Bangkok. The news from Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, of course, took me straight there. Add to that a few other traumas in my travel through war or conflict zones (Nigeria, El Salvador and the Middle East!), and it all lands heavily.
I ve been to Bondi Beach many many times and enjoyed ice cream, strolls and art there and swims nearby. In fact, I did a cliffside hike there just a month ago (pictured).
Like many, Bondi is a special place of beauty and relaxation. Sunday tore into this.
My video message today is shaped by what I learned from my recent shooting experience in Bangkok. I hope that it encourages those impacted by the Bondi shooting to process the events of Sunday in a way that is as helpful and healthy as possible.
- If you were impacted by Bondi (directly or indirectly), talk about what it has meant for you.
- Get counselling – it helped me avoid PTSD after the Bangkok shooting.
- Draw on your faith and values, however you define them, to sustain you and give you strength.
- Seek support from friends
In conclusion, I like what David Leser wrote in Sydney’s main newspaper, The Sydney Morning Herald:
“How about we pause and consider the two lasting images that the December 14, 2025 Bondi massacre presents us with? One is of two men in black shooting innocent people; the other is of a man in white – an angel with the perfectly Muslim name of Ahmed al Ahmed – running towards the gunman. Who do we choose to be in the midst of this national tragedy? The ones who pick up the guns – figuratively or literally – to cause harm to others, or the ones who run towards danger to save them?“
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