Sydney, December 21 (). It’s been a week since the Bondi Beach mass shooting. Flowers, soft toys, and heart-touching notes are now kept at the spot where the terrorists opened fire. For the last 7 days, people kept coming here every evening and expressing their feelings. Something similar happened on Saturday night also. On the eve of the National Day of Mourning on Sunday, hundreds of people gathered and switched on the lights of their phones to spread light during these difficult times. After this it was announced that whatever flowers were offered here would be preserved.
The council here announced that these flowers and tributes will not be removed from Monday 22nd December. A permanent memorial is being considered here.
Waverly Mayor Will Nemesh said, “Discussions about a permanent memorial will come at a later date.” Signboards have been placed around Bondi Pavilion to inform people that the removal process will begin on December 22. People have been told that “the Sydney Jewish Museum and the Australian Jewish Historical Society will help collect and preserve these items.”
The council will work closely with the Premier’s Department, as it did following the Bondi Junction attacks in April last year. The plan is that the flowers will be preserved, while the toys will be donated. Some cards and notes will be kept, while the rest will be recycled. While the council is mulling over the idea of a permanent memorial, it is also debating whether to remove the footbridge which the attackers used to carry out the terror attack.
It is clear that the floral tributes offered by the people have now become not just an expression of condolence, but a symbol of collective memory. The administration has clarified that the floral tributes placed on the beach will be removed, but not destroyed so that future generations can understand this tragedy and the human emotional moments associated with it.
It was made clear that this step is not being taken out of insensitivity, but out of the responsibility of preserving memory. These wreaths will be preserved with the help of museums and archives experts.
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