Sydney rolls up its sleeves in the aftermath of horror

Follow our live coverage of the Bondi shooting here. 

From people waiting hours to donate blood to sharing food and a growing mountain of flowers: in the wake of the Bondi shooting, Sydneysiders have shown their true nature.

As a community struggles to come to terms with the events of Sunday’s terrorist attack, hundreds of people from across the state have come together to make vital blood donations for the victims.

At the Town Hall Lifeblood centre, queues had stretched outside the building by 9.30am. “We are taking as much as we can,” centre manager Edgar Parica said.

Donors were waiting three hours without wavering, befriending fellow queue-members and bringing books to pass the time. One man arrived at lunchtime with a bag filled with McDonald’s hash browns, handing them out to those waiting in the sun.

The centre is booked ahead for days, but it is still encouraging Sydneysiders to walk in and give blood if they can. A spokeswoman for Lifeblood said the need for blood, particularly O-negative, was ongoing.

“We need O-negative donors to donate now. Fewer than 7 per cent of the population are O-negative, making it a challenge,” she said.

O-negative and O-positive blood are used in emergencies when a patient’s blood type is unknown. In the event of a serious trauma event or emergency, up to 100 blood donations may be needed to save just one life.

Hannah Rayment, a spokeswoman for Lifeblood, said the response had been incredible. “We wish we were calling for blood in a different circumstance, but this is when you see true human spirit coming through in the generosity of Aussies.”

Darren Alexander, who is in Sydney on a work trip from Western Australia, said he was at Bondi Beach on Sunday afternoon but left before the events unfolded. Alexander, who has O-negative blood, stopped to donate on his way to work.

“I feel a bit disappointed that I wasn’t there to help some people afterwards,” he said. “Anything I can do to help, I will.”

The attack at Bondi was also close to home for O-negative donor Sarah, whose son and his girlfriend were at the scene and escaped by hiding in a garden.

“I just felt like I had to do something,” she said. “You can’t make the bad thing go away – you have to concentrate on the goodness.”

At the Parramatta Lifeblood centre, the mood was sombre as a queue started to form at 11am on Monday. Centre manager Mary Trotter said they were seeing an overwhelming amount of support, with many people donating for the first time.

Many volunteers will work longer hours and additional appointments will open throughout the week as Lifeblood works to take as many donations as possible. “It’s an incredible response and a show of community support at a time that we need it,” Trotter said.

Among those waiting to donate was Joseph Karraz, who was donating blood for the first time in Australia. He said human solidarity “is the least we can do”.

At Bondi, Rabbi Yossi Friedman was praying for the victims and “those trying to heal”. As he stood outside the lifesaving club, Friedman made an effort to speak to every person who came to the beach to mourn, consoling them and hearing their stories.

A train of mourners outside Bondi Pavilion dropped off a growing mountain of flowers and left messages in an online condolence book. Those visiting the vigil were led in prayer by Friedman and in song by Kim Cunio.

North Bondi RSL president Josh Farquhar worked with the Salvation Army to ensure those traumatised were offered support. A barista handed out free coffee and pastries.

The Depot, a cafe on Warners Avenue just metres from the scene of Sunday’s horror, opened on Monday morning offering free coffees to the crowd who arrived early.

In his praise of Ahmed al Ahmed, the tobacconist who disarmed one of the gunmen, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “At the best of times, what we see is Australians coming together.”