[Announcement]: Statement of Support For Bondi.
Good Afternoon, ISC Community.
I’ll begin my statement with a few items of transparency before beginning:
I am making this statement from my own position, but behalf of the Inner-Strength Check Team as well. Should there be additions made by anyone on the team, these will be added into the post.
Strong Content Warning - Discussions about critical violent incidents, mental health and other potentially traumatising/retraumatising content. Resources for accessing support have been included below but please factor this discretion into your decision prior to reading.
Whilst I’ve made every effort to provide some resources based on my own research, I can’t pretend that being from NSW originally puts me in any kind of superior position to frontline, on-the-ground supports and services. If you feel omissions have been made to either this article or subsequent posts on social media, feel free to contact us.
I want to strongly and comprehensively stress this statement is not being made opportunistically. As a volunteer run/led podcast, ISC exists and is run from a position of being for the audience first, and thus this statement is not intended as some sort of window-of-opportunity engagement-grab. Please utilise discretion when engaging with online content at this time - our online digital environment is vulnerable to disinformation, and it is important to spread your awareness across multiple sources to prevent risking undue manipulation by bad-faith actors online.
Due to the often volatile nature of online discourse and the severity of the incident at Bondi yesterday, it’s likely that for moderation and safety purposes that commentary on our social media may be heavily moderated or even disabled. Please treat this respectfully and with the view to safeguard the ISC community - contact us if you have any concerns regarding this.
I have included a Welcome To Country below in addition to the stickied Welcome to Country that exists on our website. Full transparency that I myself am not a First Nations Australian - if there are concerns with my/our representation of ATSI issues, please do feel free to contact me.
With that out of the way, let’s begin. I’ll break this down into a few parts - a Welcome To Country, a more formal Statement, some Resources followed by a little bit of personal exposition after the fact as a bit of a personal Addendum.
Please do reach out if you feel you require some support, or have any concerns about the article.
Love, Solidarity and Support - Brady Irwin.
Speaking of solidarity - I cannot stress this enough. Ahmed el Ahmed is an MVP and deserves enshrinement in Australian folklore. Do not let this man’s insanely, incomprehensibly based act of bravery fly under the Australian media landscape radar. Give this man ups. Give him recognition. A deadset legend and braver than most could hope to be within our natural lives.
MAD PROPS to you, ahmed. you bloody legend!
Welcome To Country:
(See here for an extended Welcome to Country on behalf of the Inner-Strength Check Team, 22.06.25)
Inner-Strength Check wishes to acknowledge the First Nations on the lands within which we reside as a team. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the Gumbaynngirr peoples of Boambee (NSW) as the traditional stewards and owners of the land on which I was born and raised. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the Nations whose lands I have resided upon previously - Kabi Kabi /Gubbi-Gubbi(Sunshine Coast) Turrbal & Jagera/Yaggera-Urupal (Brisbane - Metropolitan/Greater), Wallumedegal (Inner-West Sydney).
As of today I pay respects and acknowledgement to the Wathoroung and the Wurundjeri (Metropolitan Melbourne) peoples of the Kulin Nation on which myself and my team reside, currently.
We pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians and Stewards of each of these proud First Nations, acknowledging that sovereignty was never ceded and thus abjectly reject the notions of Terria Nullius, all ensuing property Commonwealth title ownership (save, at minimum, for the Native Title lands formally bestowed since). These lands will never be ownership of the Australian Federal Government or the Commonwealth in true legal form, in our opinion - they are sovereign First Nations/ATSI lands, stolen.
We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging, and any other formally/informally identified community members, leaders, advocates and allies of such. We acknowledge the formal restitution of Sorry Day, but live in earnest hope for greater and more thorough Reconciliation between our First Nations peoples and all Australians. We encourage all indirect, policy and direct-actions of all Australians towards this aim.
Close The Gap.
Pay The Rent.
These Are First Nations Lands.
Always Was, Always Will Be.
Respectfully,
Brady Irwin (Inner-Strength Check) & The ISC Team.
From an undisclosed location near my house (pls don’t dox, omgggg), on Wathoroung land.
2. Statement:
On behalf of myself and the Inner-Strength Check team, I/we would like to express our deepest and most sincere sympathy to those directly and/or vicariously affected by the disturbing and heinous incidence of violence which occurred at Bondi, NSW, yesterday. I would also like to take this time to extend our support towards and solidarity with the Bondi community as a whole, the local and greater Jewish community in Bondi, Sydney and Australia, and the community of Greater Sydney and NSW in general.
Among others, The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) reports that at least 38 people are known to have been injured, and 16 killed, in a violent mass-shooting attack during Chanukah by The Sea, a local celebration of the Jewish community during the Hannukah period.
At a time of year when the community is seeking recreation, lifestyle just some form of respite from the vicissitudes of all modern life has thrown at us in this confusing and stressful post-pandemic period, a nigh unthinkable tragedy befell the Bondi community. A disturbing, brutal act of antisemitic violence perpetrated with clear and homicidal intent, as the ultimate means of enacting discrimination.
Given our status as a highly urbanised and coastal-centric nation (through colonialism, geography, necessity, etc), the beach and indeed especially locations such as Bondi Beach hold symbolic, cultural and even spiritual importance for the nation as a whole. It is largely a public-facing communal space, one which does not designate demographic or financial criterion to access (save for costs associating with transporting to the location).
Whilst it’s always been a bit of a trope to castigate the Bondi area with labels like tourist-trap, and mental imagery often free-associates to petty theft and other negative connotations, the reality is thus - this is still a community of innocent people, people who are given inalienable rights under State and Commonwealth law, and the World Health Organisation’s Charter of Human Rights. These rights include freedom from violence and freedom of movement and assembly.
We reasonably expect tenants in private property to ensure they behave in such a way as to ensure comfortable and peaceful enjoyment of their own and surrounding residences. The same is assumed as a given right in natural environments such as the beach.
Please, take this time carefully with the media landscape - irrespective of where your degree of involvement sits.
In the coming days, it is likely we will say all manner of often conflicting ideological positions and battle-lines formed throughout the discourse, despite the overarching response from the Australian public thus far being one of support, camaraderie and unity. It’s of utmost importance that we all take the time, energy and effort to not just absorb rhetoric, opinion or the like as fact, but take the time to critique, assess and consolidate the information being presented.
What I’d like to strongly impart is a call to consider using this time not to engage in retaliatory aggression, violence or other forms of potential harm to yourselves or others. Allow the relevant investigations to highlight and administer the appropriate response, so that you can focus on keeping yourself and others well.
Don’t feel pressured by an undue fear of missing out regarding keeping informed to the minute, if the outcome is likely to only result in more distress. If you can feel accessing social media, news media or even discussing details of the incident are distressing for you or others, you’re perfectly within your rights to withdraw or manage incoming information accordingly.
Indeed, a perceived need to withdraw from the news-cycle at present in order to safeguard your own wellbeing is not reflective of any moral or personal attributes coming to question. More likely, it’s an indicator that you may need to take some time away at present to heal and reconcile.
Furthermore, it’s my opinion that acts of terrorism and violent bigotry are enacted with an intent to incite fear, withdrawal, suspicion, division and antagonism. If we don’t allow ourselves time for distraction and redirection through the simple things we enjoy, if only briefly, we as a community have relented to the demands these aggressors place on us.
Kindness to ourselves and to others in the wake of such a divisive, morally bankrupt and intimidating act isn’t just a means of navigating the here-and-now - it’s us as a people acting in meaningful resistance to the temptations of appeals to hatred, violence and social fracturing.
Be sure to utilise this time to reach out with your formal and informal support networks, be this friends, family, online contacts, acquaintances, colleagues, neighbours, et al.
If you feel isolated and unable to access supports via your own surrounds, I have included some suggestions for relevant supports to contact at this time.
As above, you may feel some shame or self-consciousness in feeling a need to access such supports. Acknowledge this, accept it, but also know that formal services are wilfully funded/volunteer-led by us all as members of a civil society, in order for all of us (you included) to have a fair and equitable opportunity to seek support. Both right now, and ongoing.
By virtue of the content covered and discussed on this podcast (heavy/alternative music, fiction, mental health) it is my hope that Inner-Strength Check can today be exemplary of our wider creative communities and their true integral values.
Virtues which occupy a deeper and more humanistic space than the stereotypes surrounding them - community, togetherness, shared bonds, and a source of catharsis, comraderie, support and healing.
Be kind and gentle with yourselves and others at this time.
Fear or apprehension of speaking up, ventilating, getting support for emotional distress - these are all normal, valid responses. I’m a qualified social worker with many years of industry experience and even I still feel some pang of reluctance in doing so at times, myself.
Please, just know that there is a wider community available to support you, and a range of paid-for formal supports to provide more comprehensive assistance if that is required for you and your loved ones.
Take care, stay safe, and please look out for each other today, and all days. Happy Hannukah, and Happy Holidays.
Regards,
Brady Irwin/the Inner-Strength Check Team.
NSW Government - ‘Bondi Beach attack’ Resources Page
Safe Haven at the Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick will operate extended hours from Monday 15 December to Friday 19 December from 10am to 7.30pm. Safe Haven is a calm, safe place for young people aged 7 to 17 years with psychological distress or who are having suicidal thoughts. Talk to a peer worker or mental health clinician. It is a drop-in service. You don’t need an appointment.
NSW - Mental Health Support Lines:
The community can also call the NSW Health’s dedicated Mental Health Line, which is available 24/7 on 1800 011 511.
If you, or someone in your care, needs crisis support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Children and young people can call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or chat online at kidshelpline.com.au.
For non-crisis support, please talk to your GP or other trusted health or mental health professional.
You can also call Beyond Blue for mental health advice and support on 1300 22 46 36.
Croakley Health Media - ‘Support services, and sector responses following Bondi Beach attack’
(Click link above for info as per below re: suggested local services, as well as responses, statements and similar from peak local/State/Australian health, community and government organisations)
Recommended Services:
A range of services are available for those who need emotional and mental health support.
Jewish House: 1300 544 357 for 24/7 crisis support
JewishCare: 1300 133 660
Lifeline: 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14 for 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services
13YARN: 13 92 76
Medicare Mental Health: 1800 595 212, available between 8.30 am to 5.00 pm weekdays
1800Respect: 1800 737 732
The Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention (CBPATSISP)
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
MensLine Australia: 1300 78 99 78
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
QLIFE: 1800 184 527
StandBy Support After Suicide: 1300 727 247
headspace: 1800 650 890
SANE: 1800 187 263
Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800 (for children and young people aged 5 to 25)
NSW Mental Health Line – 1800 011 511.
Australian Red Cross has opened Register.Find.Reunite to help find and reunite family, friends and loved ones after the Bondi attack.
Addendum:
This attack has been hard on me, today. As I’m sure it has been on many of you reading this article. And bah-gum do I acknowledge my relative position of privilege in all this, shell-shocked, hurt and confused as I may feel still.
Such a violently discriminatory and heinously ugly, reprehensible act driven by any ideology towards a group of fellow Australians has no rationale, ever. And never will. Ever.
The doubly-painful element of this attack is not just the incomprehensible, disgusting and far-reaching impact on others.
It’s an unforseen and novel insult towards something I hold dear to my heart, alongside a strong and honestly probably bit too utopian (apparently) desire for us to all just live and coexist in peace.
Something that is woven so thoroughly through every fiber of my identity that time, physical location, mood, life circumstances, etc - none of it and no one can take it away from me.
That thing, is the beach.
The beach represents the closest thing to a spiritual element in my otherwise highly secularised, cynical and reductionist life.
For my own purposes, I feel we’re born, live and die, returning to the nothingness from whence we came. Everything in the interim is our attempt to find and make sense/meaning of the universe and our environment, as an almost absurdist landscape. Irrespective of what physical laws we discover and/or apply. That’s scary stuff. And life is random, cruelly unrelenting and unceasing at times. Ergo, as thinking and living beings, I feel compelled to make sense of, enjoy and support both myself and others in the brief time I am here.
That is my belief system, as vaguely-formed as it may be.
So long as one’s own spiritual/ideological belief system does not incur harm to self or others, I believe any and all individuals are freely within their right to express theirs. Including meeting in public with the right to be safe and free from fear and violence.
Despite my edgy prose just before and the absence of a religious affiliation - the attack on Bondi Beach feels, vicariously, like a spiritual wound to my own identity, by proxy.
As someone born and raised basically dipped into the ocean like the River Styx by a single parent who herself has deep, intense love and appreciation of the beach - both in terms of marine biology and the coastal environments’ more ephemeral, phenomenological effect on the psyche - you cannot and will not extract the coastal environs from who I am as a person.
Alongside music, the beach is perhaps the most core aspect of my identity. This leads to some pretty funny paradoxes at times - seeing surfie dudes in Cannibal Corpse shirts isn’t the most common sight, I guess - but I accept them as representative of my character.
So much so that everything in my life seems to either immediately or eventually revolve around my unbroken connection to beach and ocean.
So much so that my undergraduate studies on the University of the Sunshine Coast were informed by a decision-point process where I couldn’t physically bear the thought of being away from the beach for long enough to complete a degree.
So much so that irrespective of the fantastic times I had, the friendships and relationships formed, there was an underlying cognitive dissonance that ate at me incessantly, relentlessly in years lived in Brisbane and Melbourne (2013 - 2017/2017-2022).
So much so that, despite potentially disadvantaging myself in terms of career prospects/progression
So much so that, whilst I admittedly have been struggling both acutely and chronically with mental health, executive dysfunction and the like for a long time (particularly the past couple of years - a sentiment I’m sure many of you can relate to)… yet enduring my recovery journey in my current locale, near the beach, is itself protective on some level that feels beyond description or access of the psychiatric, the clinical, the scientific.
The fact I can continue to live and breathe, today at least, and feel the granularity of the sand beneath my feet, the briny wisp of the wind, the calming buzz of crashing waves and the cool essence of saltwater, makes me doubly sad, mournful and filled with grief for yesterday’s victims. For those who now will never, ever have an opportunity to indulge their senses, to engage in celebrating their own culture and peoples in holiday season, any of it, ever again.
It is for the sixteen victims who lost their lives that I hope to engage more mindfully with the ocean, the sand and the beach.
It is for them I will practice a bit more gratitude at the opportunity I still have, which is to immerse myself in the ocean.
It is for them I will cast aside invitations to engage in mutual aggression, hatred, antagonism, speculation, conspiracy theory, flamewars or otherwise destructive emotional/psychological discourse with others in the wake of this incident.
Truthfully and realistically, I cannot offer much outside written words on a screen, some resources and the like to support those immediately or vicariously affected by yesterday’s tragedy.
But if I can offer that I will do my best to engage compassionately with others each day, and to soak up every ounce of enjoyment/mindful appreciation of both the ocean and the company of others, I promise I will aim to do so.
Mother Ocean has persisted for billions of years before me, before us, and will do long after we are gone.
Her all-encompassing nature imparts a sense of hugeness, vastness and intangibility that serves not only to put us as the human race in our place, but also to be a place of peace, togetherness and reflection.
Let’s respect the ocean, ourselves and each other.
Regards,
Brady.
