In the chaotic hours after the Bondi shooting, bystanders, surf lifesavers and emergency services rushed to the victims to provide first aid.
They controlled bleeding, dressed wounds and treated the 40 injured people for shock.
Now, teams of volunteers, religious leaders and health professionals are turning their attention to thousands of people affected by the mass shooting.
They are providing psychological first aid at the site of the temporary memorial and at a nearby contact centre.
Not all of the 15 people shot dead by two gunmen who opened fired on a Hannukah event at Bondi have been identified. (ABC News: Mary Lloyd)
Rabbi Dovid Slavin said the attack had shattered the community’s basic need for a sense of security and belonging.
“People don’t feel safe. People are reeling,” he said.
Not all of the 15 people shot dead by two gunmen who opened fire on a Hanukkah event at Bondi have been identified.
Rabbi Slavin said not knowing who was among the dead was as hard on people as losing dear friends.
“The loss is very, very difficult to describe,” he said.
Rabbi Slavin cries as he hugs a man attending the memorial to the victims of the Bondi shooting. (ABC News: Mary Lloyd)
He was one of many rabbis offering support as people arrived to pay tribute to victims at the Bondi Pavilion.
Jewish men visiting the site were guided through tephillin prayer, a group of school students stopped by for advice, and baked goods were available to all.
“Different people need different things at different times and all of them are important,” Rabbi Slavin said.
Read more on the Bondi Beach shooting:
He said people often turned to religion during a crisis to help them make sense of events that seemed senseless.
“Religion is essentially to tell you … there are things beyond what has happened to us here,” he said.
A man wipes away tears as he comtemplates the memorial to victims of the Bondi shooting. (ABC News: Mary Lloyd)
The principles of psychological first aid are to look for people in distress, listen to their stories, and link them with further services, if they need it, said Reverend Doctor Mark Layson of the New South Wales ACT Disaster Recovery Chaplaincy Network.
His organisation co-ordinates 450 volunteer Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and Muslim chaplains to respond to disasters.
In New South Wales, they work with the Department of Communities and Justice and the Reconstruction Authority to staff evacuation and recovery centres.
Reverend Doctor Mark Layson talks to people who went to the memorial at Bondi Pavilion to pay their respects. (ABC News: Mary Lloyd)
If you or anyone you know needs help:Lifeline on 131 114Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800Beyond Blue on 1300 224 63613 YARN on 13 92 76Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978Headspace on 1800 650 890ReachOutSANE on 1800 187 263Call triple-0 if you need immediate care
Following the Bondi shooting on Sunday night, members have been providing support at a community reception centre in Coogee and were available to mourners at the Bondi memorial.
Reverend Layson said the network’s remit recognised that disasters took a significant toll on people’s sense of identity and purpose.
“At an existential level, everything we thought we knew about the world has been shaken upside down,” he said.
He said during atrocities and disasters, people’s emotions become overwhelmed and that having someone to talk to about their experience helped them make sense of what’s happened.
Reverend Layson said the network’s remit recognised that disasters took a significant toll on people’s sense of identity and purpose. (ABC News: Jack Fisher)
For many people a chat is enough. Others might need more.
Reverend Layson said when a chaplain had done as much as they could for a person and their distress was still profound, they were able to refer them on for specialist psychological care.
For many people a chat is enough. Others might need more. (ABC News: Teresa Tan)
As part of NSW Health’s response to the crisis, mental health clinicians were among the crowd at the Bondi Pavilion, and were available at the Wairoa Community Centre Hall in North Bondi and the reception centre in Coogee.
Young people aged seven to 17 experiencing psychological distress can also drop into Safe Haven at Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick without an appointment.
The centre’s opening hours have been extended to 7:30pm until December 19.
Anyone needing psychological support can also call the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511.
Reverend Layson also said it was important people knew they were not alone during their darkest moments. (ABC News: Jack Fisher)
Someone needing extra help was on Tuesday referred to a specialised service by the Salvation Army, according to Norm Archer, Emergency Services State Coordinator for New South Wales and the ACT.
The Salvation Army is equipped to spring into action during disasters by providing meals, but in this instance they came along to offer bottled water, biscuits and a chat.
Norm Archer offers water and a warm presence to someone arriving to pay tribute to the victims of the Bondi shooting. (ABC News: Mary Lloyd)
Noel Archer said their contribution was to show people affected by the shooting that others were willing to give up their time to be with them in their period of grief.
“That’s way more valuable and important than the bottle of water we give them,” he said.
Reverend Layson also said it was important people knew they were not alone during their darkest moments.
He said supporting someone during their distress was not about having the right answer for them but about helping to minimise their distress by providing companionship.
A woman holds flowers in quiet reflection before placing them at the memorial to the victims of the Bondi shooting. (ABC News: Mary Lloyd)
As he sees it, the simple act of being with people who are struggling is something anyone can do.
Reverend Layson said at times it did not even require words.
“To be comfortable with silence is important as well,” he said.
Rabbi Slavin speaks to a community member at the Bondi Pavilion memorial. (ABC News: Mary Lloyd)
Rabbi Slavin wants young people especially to take note of the people turning up to support each other and to aspire to be part of that.
He said the act of showing up to care for others sent a message that the community and coming together were what is normal.
“What they saw on the news was not normal,” he said.
Rabbis Yossi Friedman and Dovid Slavin sing together at the memorial to the victims of the Bondi shooting. (ABC News: Mary Lloyd)