Black ribbons, no music: Shopping-free day of reflection at Westfield Bondi Junction

Westfield Bondi Junction will turn off music and display black ribbons on advertising boards when it reopens for a shopping-free day of reflection on Thursday, five days after the horrific stabbing rampage that left six dead.

Elliott Rusanow, chief executive of Westfield owner Scentre Group, said regular trade would then resume on Friday with an increased security and police presence.

Staff returning to work at Westfield Bondi Junction on Wednesday.

Rusanow said some families of those killed in the attack had visited the scene of their loved ones’ deaths on Tuesday, describing it as a “very emotional experience”.

During Thursday’s reflection day, visitors will be invited to sign condolence books on the fourth level of the centre, as well as talk with counsellors and other support services.

“Returning back to a place of trauma, tomorrow’s reflection day, I think it’s a recognition that things are different,” the Scentre Group boss said.

Calls for rent relief

But some Westfield tenants are concerned about how business will be when they return, and have called on the company to provide rental assistance to make up for the five days of lost trade. Roman Urosevski, owner of cafe Son of a Baker, said he expected to trade at half of his regular volume on Friday.

Scentre Group chief executive Elliott Rusanow said the Bondi Junction Westfield will reopen on Thursday.

“I’m firstly thinking about the victims and their families,” he said. “But the responsibility of being a tenant dawns on you after reopening.

“Whatever we’re trading at full capacity, we will, at best, do half of that. So I’m sending half the staff, half the stock, and anticipating to do half those numbers. That’s my prediction.”

Urosevski pays $15,000 per month for 20 square metres outside Woolworths, and says meeting rent “has been quite tough”.

“With Easter Friday and Sunday [plus the five days of closure], it’s collectively a week out of our April rent. That’s big. I don’t think tenants should be penalised for the incident. By the same token it’s unfortunate that Westfield has been impacted, but they are the landlord,” he said.

When asked if Scentre was considering providing rent relief, Rusanow said “many things are on the table and they’ll be subject to ongoing discussions with our business partners”, but did not provide further details.

Staff members were invited to return to their stores on Monday afternoon to collect any supplies and to clean up.

“All of my milk and food was still out. My toaster was still on. It was very eerie,” Urosevski said. “You had to be escorted to your kiosk and you couldn’t deviate … It felt like a mix of the COVID period and a funeral. That’s the only way I can describe it. It was very sombre.”

Memorials for victims begin

The first of the funerals for the six victims is expected to take place later this week, with Farah Tahir’s brothers arriving in Sydney from Pakistan and Britain to bury the 30-year-old security guard. The funeral will be held at Marsden Park mosque, where Tahir’s Ahmadiyya Muslim community gather and practice their faith.

“This community is unique, we say love for all hate for none,” his friend and colleague Shajar Ahmad, who was tasked with formally identifying Tahir’s body at the Lidcombe mortuary on Monday.

“It was hard, he was well known to me. I was looking after him, I referred him [for the security guard job].

The government announced a candlelight vigil at Bondi Beach would be held on Sunday night for the victims of the tragedy.

The vigil, which will include a minute’s silence, will begin at 5.30pm south of the Bondi Pavilion.

Waverley Council mayor Paula Masselos said a permanent memorial inspired by the flowers was under consideration by Premier Chris Minns.

“Bondi Junction will also be having an upgrade in the near future. There’s a design competition happening any moment now, so we’ll be incorporating that within the brief of the design to ensure that this place … keeps that respect.”

If you or anyone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (and see lifeline.org.au) or Beyond Blue on1300 22 4636 (and see beyondblue.org.au).

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