Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled further details of the national day of mourning for the victims of the Bondi terrorist attack, to be held on Thursday. Source: ABC News.
The national day will be themed “Light will win – a gathering of unity and remembrance” and will honour the 15 lives lost at a Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach last month.
With flags to be flown at half-mast at government buildings across the country, Mr Albanese says the private sector will be asked to follow suit.
National institutions in Canberra and New South Wales will be illuminated, and a commemorative installation entitled “15 Pillars of Light” will be held in the nation’s capital.
There will also be a nationwide minute’s silence at 7.01pm, which Mr Albanese said television channels would be asked to participate in.
“This will be a very important day of mourning,” he said.
“It will be an opportunity for us to pay respects as a nation to those people who lost their lives.”
Mr Albanese has also encouraged Australians to consider leaving a candle at their windowsill or outside their homes on Thursday, and to do a good deed as a “mitzvah for Bondi”.
“A mitzvah is an act of kindness or compassion,” he said.
“It can be helping out a neighbour, checking on them. It can be volunteering. It can be donating money. It can be essentially any act of kindness as a part of paying tribute to the fifteen Australians who lost their lives on that tragic evening.”
The Chabad of Bondi will also hold a livestreamed event in Sydney on Thursday night to mark the national day of mourning.
In Melbourne, Christian, Jewish and Islamic leaders will gather for a multi-faith vigil at St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the national day.
It will be the first time Australia has held a national day of mourning since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.
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Prime Minister announces more details for national day of mourning for Bondi terror victims (By Gavin Coote, ABC News)
