Friends tragically linked in Bondi attack
A tragic link in the horrific Bondi Junction Westfield stabbing has been revealed, as it comes to light a lifeguard who tried to help and the fatally wounded mother who handed her baby to strangers were friends.
Mother Ash Good was pushing her daughter in a pram around the shopping centre when the violent events occurred about 3.30pm on Saturday.
A 40-year-old man armed with a knife stabbed more than a dozen people, killing Ms Good and five others. Her nine-month-old daughter and at least 11 other people were seriously wounded.
Lifeguard Andrew Reid of Bondi Rescue fame was at the shopping centre, and gave horrific accounts of the events.
Speaking on Channel 9 on Sunday morning, Mr Reid said he saw Ms Good was badly injured.
“She just wanted to be a mum. She was a beautiful person,” Mr Reid said.
He too had heard the account of Ms Good giving her baby to strangers for help, and called those actions brave.
The lifeguard said he was trying to not think about the state of his friend before her death.
Talking to Sky News on Saturday night, Mr Reid said “As I looked down on level 4, there was a lady down there, there was so much blood.”
Mr Reid got a retail worker to open a roller security door so he could assist the injured woman.
“There was already two other people helping ... and we all just started working on this girl, looking for stab wounds,” Mr Reid said.
“As I looked down, there was sort of victims every 50 metres.
“The other victim closest to us, there was so much blood. She was in a really bad way.
“It was quite chaotic. There was police running around everywhere and we didn’t know if the perpetrator had been caught.”
Mr Reid and Ms Good are both known in the health and fitness communities around the Bondi area.
A 2020 Instagram post from Mr Reid shows them at Bondi Icebergs Swimming Club after a long run.
In the clip, waves crash over the pair and another woman, as they appear to laugh and jump around.
Ms Good had commented on the post: “So fun.”
Later on Sunday, Mr Reid shared the clip of the pair together, and captioned it “rest in peace Ash you beautiful woman. We love you”.
As of Sunday morning there are 12 people in hospital with serious and moderate injuries, NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said.
The knife-wielding man was shot dead by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott, whom the Prime Minister described as a hero.
“I don’t think we’ve seen better police work than we did yesterday,” Ms Catley told Sky News.
The attacker has been identified as a 40-year-old Queensland man Joel Cauchi.
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