Narrow escape for Singaporean family of 6 when gunmen attacked Sydney’s Bondi Beach

SINGAPORE – A Singaporean family of six holidaying in Sydney found themselves in the middle of a terror attack on Dec 14 when

in Bondi Beach, killing 12 and injuring dozens.

Recalling the harrowing experience, Ms Karin Lee, 44 and Mr Edward Wong, 49, told The Straits Times in a phone interview about 12 hours later that they were at the famous beach from about 1pm (10am, Singapore time) with their triplet daughters, 12, and son aged five.

The family had been in the Australian city since Dec 6 to celebrate the girls’ completion of PSLE, and was slated to return home on Dec 15.

It was a very peaceful and sunny day when they arrived at the beach, said Ms Lee, with lots of families with young children having a good time. Once they had set up their belongings in the middle of the beach, the kids then went to play in the water.

About five hours later, the family decided to pack up when they suddenly heard loud sounds that seemed like gunshots.

Mr Wong’s first thought was: This is not normal.

“The gunshots went on for a while. Then we noticed seagulls were flying away and people were panicking. We could also hear police sirens, ambulances and car horns in the distance. That’s when I knew something was definitely wrong,” said Mr Wong, who is a dentist.

He immediately sprung into action to get the kids to safety. His wife, who had stepped away to use the toilet a few minutes before, returned just in time and the family began running.

According to Reuters, witnesses said the shooting lasted about 10 minutes, sending around 1,000 people there scattering into nearby streets and parks.

There was no time to gather their personal belongings or clothes, said Ms Lee, who is a kindergarten teaching assistant.

“We had only our wallets, phones, cards, money, things that were already on us. We left our boy’s stroller, bags, shopping and left the beach without shoes,” she said. Most importantly, their passports were with them too.

“We were running or at least, trying to. With the sand, there was not much movement and it was so difficult,” said Mr Wong.

Amid the chaos, there was a moment when they lost sight of one of their daughters.

She was almost trapped in what seemed like a stampede, and although it was for just a few minutes, Ms Lee said it felt like “a million years”.

The six of them ran till they reached the top of a hill, where police officers had arrived and were gesturing to the crowd to keep running to safer areas.

Ms Lee recalled: “We don’t even know how long or how far we ran. I even got a cramp from the running.”

When they stopped at an entrance of a block of flats to hide, they heard a couple from a second-floor unit call out to them and another woman to come into their home for refuge.

They took up the offer by the local couple, and stayed there for a few hours while the situation calmed down. They then learnt from the news that there had been a terrorist attack.

“The couple were so kind to us, offering us water and shelter in that moment. The man even drove us back to our hotel, because so many of the roads were closed. It was so scary but we are so thankful for them. It was a godsend to have met them,” said Mr Wong.

The shooting occurred during a Jewish holiday event at the beach. Of the 29 who were wounded, two were police officers.

According to Reuters, one suspected gunman was killed and another was in a critical condition. Police were investigating whether a third gunman was involved in the shooting, and a bomb-disposal unit was working on several suspected improvised explosive devices.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack later on Dec 14, calling the evil that was unleashed was “beyond comprehension”.

As the beach has been closed for investigations, Mr Wong’s aunt, who lives in Sydney, has agreed to help the family collect their belongings.

Mr Wong said the trip, which was the family’s first time to Australia, was still an “amazing one”, except that the timing happened to be bad.

“The kids are still shaken up, but fine. We have been messaging our friends and family back home who have read the news. We are just grateful for the couple who sheltered us and God for being safe,” said the couple.