Bondi Junction mass stabbing attack: who are the six victims?
Tributes are flowing for those killed in the Bondi Junction stabbing attack.
Six people – five women and one man – were killed by Queensland man Joel Cauchi on Saturday while 12 others, including an infant, were injured. Eight of the injured were women, according to the NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb.
Here is what we know so far about the victims of the Sydney stabbings at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre.
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Faraz Tahir, 30
Refugee Faraz Tahir was working his first day shift at the shopping centre when he was fatally stabbed.
“He had a great heart. He was really grateful to be part of this community, to make Australia home,” Adnan Qadir, Tahir’s friend, said.
A Pakistani citizen, Tahir had fled religious persecution in his home country and sought refuge in Australia, first arriving in Brisbane in December 2022 before moving to Sydney last year.
He was a frequent charity volunteer and active in Sydney’s Ahmadiyya Muslim community.
“No matter how hard things were, he was always there to take time out and give back,” Qadir said.
While Tahir’s parents are deceased, his two older brothers will come to Sydney from Pakistan and the UK for his funeral.
The high commission of Pakistan in Australia on Monday paid tribute to Tahir’s “immense bravery”.
“Mr Tahir was a beloved member of the Pakistani community,” deputy high commissioner, Ayesha Saeed, said. “He was a dedicated individual who lost his life while trying to save others.”
Ashlee Good, 38
Ashlee Good was remembered as “a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all round outstanding human and so much more”.
In her final moments, Good had attempted to save her nine-month-old baby and managed to pass the infant into the arms of a shopper.
In a statement, Good’s family confirmed that as of Sunday morning the baby was “doing well” after hours of surgery.
According to her LinkedIn page, Good worked as an account executive at the software company Docusign. She also had a master’s degree in osteopathy from RMIT University.
Sky News Australia anchor Laura Jayes, who said she knew Good, described her as an “incredible person” who “had the world at her feet”.
“She was one of those all-rounders. She was an incredible athlete. She was so smart, so beautiful,” Jayes said.
Dawn Singleton, 25
Another victim, Dawn Singleton, was soon to be married. The 25-year-old was the daughter of millionaire businessman John Singleton and lawyer Julie Martin.
Her cousin, Jade O’Connor, said Singleton “lit up every room” she walked into.
“Dawn, I should be writing your wedding speech [but] instead I sit here sobbing coming to terms with how life isn’t fair that you are no longer here,” O’Connor wrote on Facebook.
“This year you were meant to get married to the love of your life. I’m so broken and [can’t] believe this is reality.”
Related: Joel Cauchi: who was the Queensland man who carried out the Bondi Junction mass stabbing?
The fashion label, White Fox Boutique, posted a social media tribute to Singleton who worked as an e-commerce assistant at the company.
“Over the weekend we lost not only an employee... but someone special to us who felt like a family member,” the company wrote. “We are all truly devastated by this loss. Dawn was a sweet, kind hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her.
“She was really amazing [and] she will always be remembered as part of the White Fox family.”
Jade Young, 47
Jade Young, a Sydney architect, had two children. She was a member of the Bronte Surf Club, which cancelled their social drinks on Sunday due to the mass stabbing.
“This is and will be a difficult time for the community,” the club said on Facebook. “We are here to support the community, and our heartfelt condolences go out to everyone affected.”
Pikria Darchia, 55
Late on Sunday, NSW police distributed a photo of a fifth victim, 55-year-old Pikria Darchia.
According to her LinkedIn account, Darchia was an artist and a designer who worked for a decade in Tbilisi, Georgia.
She also studied business administration at TAFE NSW.
One mourner at the makeshift flower memorial in Bondi Junction told the ABC Darchia was “such a beautiful woman”.
“She was such a lovely lady. She loved art. She used to sit there and sketch people and everything. I just can’t believe it. It’s just shocking everyone.”
Yixuan Cheng
University of Sydney student Yixuan Cheng was identified on Monday morning as the sixth victim.
A Chinese Australian-based media outlet quoted Cheng’s fiance as saying he had spoken to her shortly before the attack.
“She happily spoke to me at around 3pm and tried on clothes to show me, but I didn’t realise that the attack happened when she hung up the phone,” said the man, surnamed Wang.
Wang, who has booked a flight to Sydney, said the couple had planned to marry after she graduated later this year.
The Chinese embassy in Australia said on Monday it was “deeply shocked and saddened” by Cheng’s death, and the serious injury of another Chinese student.
“We will continue to maintain close communication with the Australian side and do our utmost to provide necessary assistance to the families of the Chinese victims,” the embassy said in a statement.
The vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, Prof Mark Scott, said in an email to staff and students on Monday: “On behalf of the university, I extend my sincere condolences to the student’s family and friends. We are working closely with the Chinese consulate and the student’s family to assist in any way we can.”
Police on Sunday confirmed Cauchi had a history of mental illness, for which he was known to authorities in NSW and Queensland.
The 40-year-old was shot dead by a police officer, Amy Scott, who responded to the attack at the busy shopping centre while on duty for an unrelated matter.
Additional reporting by Tamsin Rose and Chi Hui Lin
