Writing today’s note was more of a struggle than usual, as no combination of words I put on this page seems to carry the necessary poignancy for this moment of collective national grief.
For my final newsletter of the year, I’d planned to reflect on the past 12 months of journalism at The Age and our newsroom’s contribution to the national conversation. I found that impossible, unable to extend my memory past the horrific events of last Sunday.
To lose 15 innocent people in a hate-fuelled rampage at Bondi Beach is a horror unequalled in the recent history of this country. Adding to the sinister nature of this atrocity was the targeting of Jews, who had gathered with family and friends to celebrate Hanukkah by the Sea. It has caused untold damage to the families of those who lost their lives and dozens of injured, but beyond that, the antisemitic nature of this atrocity has inflicted a deep wound from which our nation may never entirely heal.
The Age’s front page on Tuesday brought home the unthinkable toll of this massacre, with the stories of some of the victims, including “bright, happy” 10-year-old Matilda, who had been enjoying herself at a petting zoo earlier in the evening before her life was suddenly taken from her. Her nickname was “wuri wuri”, an Indigenous phrase meaning “ray of sunshine”.
Tuesday’s front page brought home the unthinkable toll of this massacre.Credit:
Matilda’s father, Michael, yesterday had a task every parent would dread: speaking at your child’s funeral. He told mourners of her final moments in heartbreaking detail.
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“She was telling me it was hard to breathe,” he said. “I was holding her.”
As one leader of Melbourne’s Jewish community told me earlier this week, we owe it to Matilda and the other victims to do everything in our power to ensure this tragedy is never forgotten and that nothing like this occurs again in Australia.
Amidst the anguish and despair, there are still stories of hope.