‘This is our church’: Hundreds of Surf lifesavers Assemble to Pay tribute to Shooting The fallen.

Standing silently upon the surf on Bondi beach, side by side with nearly 1,000 fellow lifesavers, Lockie Cook opened up to the anguish of a area's harrowing week in living memory.

“I feel like that guard’s just dropping,” he stated.

Volunteer lifeguards assembled by the score on the weekend to participate in two minutes of silence and remember those killed in the tragic shooting.

From the very young to the elderly, alongside friends and neighbours wearing red-and-yellow uniforms held each other, creating a chain running from the iconic bay's north end to its south end.

“The most important aspect to emerge from this tragedy is just how much this place signifies to me,” he said.

“Here is our spiritual ground … It is crucial we unite and really heal.”

A Time of Quiet Contemplation

At that morning, the period of silence was called for by a man at the beach’s main patrol tower, near which had been laid rows of flowers.

“120 seconds can be a very long time but please look within,” he urged.

“Hold hands with the person next to you, close your eyes and remember the loved ones grieving so we can emerge more resilient for this community.”

Attendees gazed at the sand or to the ocean as locals, beachgoers and dignitaries watched on. The sole audible things were waves on the shore, a distant canine cry and a whirring rescue helicopter, which passed along the shore as the moment concluded.

Healing on the Shore

Friends and families slowly came together in an embrace and clap for their companions at the far end of the beach as applause came from the observing onlookers.

This was another example of the lifesavers working to strengthen the community this week, noted one participant, a Jewish member of the northern surf club and a emergency helper on that fateful day.

“Today I just feel the love and support,” said the participant, who wished to remain anonymous.

Having made his home in Bondi for decades, he participated in the memorial paddle on the following day and has sought to take back the beach as his own.

“The experience was reclaiming a space, it’s healing,” he shared.

The Guiding Spirit of Service

Gene Ross, a experienced trainer, spent the moments’ silence standing by his just-trained son, reflecting on the solidarity his club had demonstrated every day since Sunday.

“Carrying out the tragedy here … invited Australia to come and support the people.”

Hundreds of volunteers experienced a mix of emotions together as they walked back toward their patrol bases and through the green space where their teammates helped the injured on Sunday.

Many others lingered at the water's edge, ready to come to the aid of people entering the surf.

“We serve the entire community and that’s the core principle of beach rescue,” Ross said.

“That’s what we do as lifesavers: we move toward the crisis.”