Waverley Council Mayor Paula (Πολυξένη) Masselos addressed her absolute distress at the recent tragedy that took place within her LGA, revealing the measures moving forward to pay respects to the victims and help the community manage their collective grief.

Masselos stated that she felt a complete sense of shock and disbelief upon hearing about the incident at Bondi Junction, which saw six people tragically killed as well as numerous left injured.

“First of all, my deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims, and we send our wishes for a speedy recovery to those who were injured,” the Greek Australian Mayor told Neos Kosmos.

She admitted that she first heard about it on the internet and through the media, which is it what led to initial disbelief on her part.

“It was very hard to actually be clear about where the truth was. I kept saying to people on the internet ‘How do you know this’ because the information was just so variable,” Mayor Masselos told Neos Kosmos.

“Some people were saying ‘I’ve got friends in there, I’ve got family in there’ and it was not until the police confirmed things that I really thought ‘Oh gosh this is really bad’.”

The situation escalated so quickly that the Waverley Council Mayor did not receive concrete information from police on the incident until roughly two hours after it had happened.

“It was pretty dramatic, very shocking. It went from that to profound shock and then went into disbelief, thinking ‘this can’t be happening’. It was awful,” she said.

Masselos stressed the need to recognise the many heroes of the day that ran towards the danger, such as Inspector Amy Scott who helped bring down and stop the perpetrator, many local citizens and all the first responders.

“There were incredible displays of bravery and you have to totally acknowledge and be in awe of people who stepped up like this,” she said.

Bondi Junction Westfield re-opened on Thursday (with businesses closed) and Masselos was among those to go and pay her respects.

“I laid a bunch of flowers on the Sunday when I was up there at Bondi Junction but today was the formal laying of the wreath on behalf of Council,” she said.

“All the councillors were with us as well. We also had our council officers there as well. It was a real show of solidarity and support by Council.”

Masselos expressed her appreciation for the very moving event organised on the Thursday and remarked that there was a steady procession of people coming through all day to pay their respects.

“That is so important because our community is in deep grief…to have Westfield open today without the shops being open just for the people to come through and be in the space was very important.”

“I think that we have a resilient community of people who are certainly wanting to be there as a way of paying respect but also in declaring that this is our place and we will not let a crazed, knife man (a person suffering from mental health issues) stop us from being in our place.”

She reiterated, however, that there is profound grief which will take time to get through and heal from and she encouraged people to get any counselling support they need.

As part of the events to honour the victims, Waverley Council has organised a candlelight vigil for Sunday 21 April at 5.30pm, which will take place at the Dolphin Court on Bondi Beach (south of the Bondi Pavilion).

“We are asking people to bring their own candles and to take it home with them,” Masselos said.

“We are also requesting that people do not bring flowers. If people do want to give a floral tribute, the place to do that is up at the Bondi Junction mall and you can see there is a huge number of flowers that have been left there.”

Masselos added that they are asking people to catch public transport due to the expected huge number of individuals that will want to show their respects and perhaps manage their grief in a communal setting.

She stated that there will be councillors at the vigil if people feel they need to report to someone.

The event itself will consist of a one-minute silence, a few short speeches, some music and a choir, in addition to the lighting of candles.

“It is going to be a very dignified event and the focus is really on the community and giving the community the opportunity to heal or begin their process of healing,” the Greek Australian mayor said.

“We are being very respectful and conscious of the families of the victims. They are aware that we are doing this, everything gets passed by them…I do not know if the families will be there but you can understand why they would not because it is still very fresh and very raw.”

Masselos stated that Council city buildings will be flying flags at half-mast for two weeks, saying “we are going to ensure that there are those sorts of physical representations, so the people know we are thinking of them”.

In addition to this, she revealed that they are going to collect all the messages and cards at the Bondi Junction mall and send them to Waverley library, where they will be preserved and maintained as a permanent tribute.

“We are also in close consultation with the Premier’s Department to develop a protocol for the treatment of the floral tributes, which we are working on right now,” Masselos said.

She also expressed that they are working with the Premier’s Department on what a permanent memorial will look like and what it will be.

“We will be working closely with the families of the victims…That is probably going to take two-three years before it is finally in place,” the Waverley Council Mayor said.

Masselos added that $10,000 in cash has been provided to Headspace and to Lifeline Bondi Junction to assist them in supporting young people and the broader community handle their grief.

“We are also looking at what other programs of ongoing support in our community that will be needed.”