Eight Australians who risked their lives during the horrific Bondi Junction stabbing attack two years ago will receive national bravery awards for their selfless actions.
The tragedy, which unfolded in a crowded Sydney shopping center in April 2024, claimed six lives and left ten others injured. The attacker, Joel Cauchi, was experiencing a psychotic episode when he entered the center armed with a knife.
Among those being recognized is NSW police inspector Amy Scott, who fatally shot Cauchi after he lunged at her with the weapon. Scott will receive a bravery medal for her decisive action that ended the rampage.
Two victims will receive posthumous honors: Ashlee Good, a 38-year-old mother who saved her baby daughter while being fatally stabbed, and Faraz Tahir, a 30-year-old security guard who was killed on his first day shift while trying to intervene.
"From different parts of Australia, and around the world, these Bravery honourees are characterised by their selfless, courageous, and determined response in unspeakable and horrific circumstances," said Australia's Governor-General Sam Mostyn.
Security guard Muhammad Taha, who survived being stabbed while attempting to disarm Cauchi alongside Tahir, will also be honored. "It means a great deal to me," Taha told media. "It gives me a lot of strength, and it's not only for me, it's for everyone who stood strong on that day."
French nationals Silas Despréaux and Damien Guerot will receive awards for arming themselves with metal bollards and attempting to stop the attacker. Noel McLaughlin, husband of victim Jade Young, and nurse Catherine Ann Molihan will also be recognized for their brave conduct during the crisis.
Molihan, who sought refuge in a shop but emerged to help the injured security guards, recalled comforting the fatally wounded Tahir: "I held just his head and patted his beard and I told him he would be OK."
The eight recipients will receive their awards at Government House in New South Wales in a ceremony marking the second anniversary of the attack.
A recent coroner's inquest into the tragedy made 23 recommendations, including urging the NSW government to improve mental health outreach services and provide short-term housing for people with mental health issues. The inquest also referred Cauchi's psychiatrist to health investigators over concerns about missed opportunities to keep the attacker on medication.
Cauchi, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in his teens, was unmedicated and homeless at the time of the attack. The six victims who lost their lives were Dawn Singleton, 25; Yixuan Cheng, 27; Jade Young, 47; Ashlee Good, 38; Faraz Tahir, 30; and Pikria Darchia, 55.