- Tribute held for Bondi stabbing victim
Hundreds of people are flocking to the memorial for an acclaimed architect and mother-of-two who died in the Bondi massacre.
Jade Young, 47, was one of six people killed when Joel Cauchi was violently stabbed at Bondi Junction Westfield on April 13.
About 400 people are expected to honor his life at a public memorial in Sydney Botanic Garden’s Calyx at 11am on Tuesday.
Mourners encouraged to wear colorful clothing ‘in memory of Jade’
“Dear and irreplaceable wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and dear friend to many,” her obituary read.
‘Taken too soon. Forever in our hearts.’
Mourners gather at Sydney Botanic Gardens for a memorial service for Bondi stabbing victim Jade Young.
Ms Young, a mother and architect, was one of six people killed when a knife-wielding man wreaked havoc on the crowded shopping centre.
In a statement released by the family Tuesday morning, they said his death has “shattered our world.”
“While we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from friends and the community, Jade’s death has left a huge void in our lives,” the statement read. “Her children were her life and we don’t want her death to define her future.” A GoFundMe page has raised more than $235,000 to provide the family with some financial support as they mourn her death.
His friend Nicole Roma said he was a “special soul” who “touched so many lives.”
Earlier on Tuesday, surf club members paddled out from Bondi at first light in honor of those injured and killed in the Bondi Junction stabbing.
Tuesday’s tribute comes as four patients remain in various hospitals in the city, 10 days after the attack.
Members of 12 surf clubs between Bondi and Brontë gathered before dawn on Tuesday morning and paddled out to sea in a somber sign of solidarity with the victims, their families and the wider community.
At least 160 surfers formed a circle in the water, their brightly colored shirts illuminated by the first light of day.
Six victims died in the attack at the nearby Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre; Cheng Yixuan, 27 years old, Pikria Darchia, 55 years old, Ashlee Good, 38 years old, Dawn Singleton, 25 years old, Faraz Ahmed Tahir, 30 years old, and Jade Young, 47 years old.
The attacker Joel Cauchi, 40, was shot dead by a police officer, after having physically injured 12 more people.
On Monday night, NSW Health said one victim had been discharged from St Vincent’s Hospital the previous day.
Four patients, two men and two women, remain stable in various hospitals.