'Our perfect little baby': Infant victim of Bourke Street rampage identified as Melbourne mourns
The family of the infant killed in Melbourne’s Bourke Street tragedy has paid tribute to their “perfect little baby”.
Matthew and Nawwar Bryant lost three-month-old Zachary when a car, allegedly driven by Dimitrious James Gargasoulas, ploughed through the city’s busy Bourke Street Mall on Friday.
The couple's two-year-old daughter Zara remains in hospital.
“Our beautiful Zara is in a stable condition, however Zachary, our son, did not survive,” Matthew and Nawwar said in a statement.
“He was the most beautiful, loving, happy, and perfect little baby we were so lucky to be gifted with.
“He was the light of our lives constantly filling our days with smiles and laughs. He leaves us with the best three months and 14 days of wonderful memories spent in this world.
“Zac, Mummy and Daddy love you very much, and always will.“
The grieving parents have thanked “everyone who has helped us, comforted us and grieved with us” and asked everyone to keep Zara in their prayers.
Three days on and Melbourne is a city grieving for five lives lost in the tragic Bourke Street rampage.
The carnage began on Friday when a driver began doing donuts.
Zachary and Zara's other relatives have also expressed their overwhelming grief on social media.
“Please pray for my cousin’s son and her daughter,” Zachary’s uncle wrote.
“I can still remember I held you and you slept in my arms.”
It would turn out to be the last time.
Matthew Si’s wife didn’t get to say goodbye either.
The pair had just finished lunch when the rampage unfolded.
Adelaide couple James and Kylie Duffield were in Melbourne to celebrate Kylie’s birthday when the tragedy unfolded and did their best to keep Matthew alive.
They were just arriving at their hotel when they rushed to Matthew’s side.
“To be honest, I didn’t see the car,” Kylie said.
James said Matthew Si was unconscious from the start.
“Just hoping he could hear what I was saying, I just kept telling him, 'You’re going to be okay. We are here, someone is here with you, help is on the way',” he said.
James did everything he could, comforting the 33-year-old until the ambulance arrived.
The couple want Matthew’s family to know he fought until the very end.
“Just to tell them they will always be there in my heart, for sure, poor buggers,” James said.
Victim Jess Mudie did not die alone either.
Strangers who rushed to her aid have left flowers and cards expressing their regret at not being able to save her.
Glen Piper was one of hundreds of strangers who rushed toward the chaos.
He helped to stabilise Erin Shi.
“She was conscious and breath and clearly [had] broken bones,” Glen said.
“She clearly had injuries.”
The 19-year-old is one of the victims in a critical condition.
Also fighting for life is the mother of Thalia Hakin, the 10-year-old who was killed.
Nethra Krishnamurthy was walking back to work after breastfeeding her eight-month-old in daycare when she was hit.
On Monday she woke from a coma and was placed in intensive care.
There are still grave fears for more victims fighting to survive the evil act.
Shrine grows as Melbourne return to work
Monday marked the first day back in the city for many workers who witnessed the tragedy.
Thousands added to a floral shrine, which has grown from a handful of bouquets to an overwhelming amount of colour, covering a large part of the wall.
Many felt uneasy about returning to the CBD.
The looks on the faces of those who paused at the shrine were of sadness, dismay and bewilderment. They were aware it could have easily been any one of them who fell victim to Friday’s violent and deadly act.
Members from Victoria’s Highway Patrol left a teddy in memory of the victims.
The words were simply, but reflect what everyone was thinking: “I’m sorry”.
Victoria’s Governor Linda Dessau, like so many others, left flowers but it was not just senior community figures who visited.
Young children, struggling to understand the gravity of what happened, left notes for those who were killed.
“They wanted to pass on how sorry they were for the families of the deceased and they each wrote a message for the families say we wanted them to understand how precious life is,” Cam Truong said.
At the time there were thousands of workers either evacuated or locked in their buildings.
Joanne Jamaldeen was one of them, and says there is still a feeling of unease in the city.
“It’s actually heart breaking and, walking into work, everybody was pretty shocked and just felt a bit emotional,” she said.
Kirsty Parsons and her colleagues were just metres away when the car came through Bourke Street Mall.
“We go to school just across the road and it could easily have been us,” she said.
“It’s beautiful to see how our city rallies together and it makes you proud to be a Melburnian.”
Thousands of Melburnians and visitors to the CBD paused to leave flowers and reflect on the innocent lives lost.
It has become a meeting point for so many who need tome to come to terms with the senseless loss of life, with vibrant colour now overshadowing a dark day for the city.
