Eight people will be awarded for their actions during the mass stabbing at Westfield Bondi Junction on April 13, 2024. Governor General Sam Mostyn AC will announce the awards on Monday. The attack occurred on April 13, 2024, exactly two years ago from the announcement.
Joel Cauchi killed six people and injured several others in the attack. The victims were Dawn Singleton (25), Jade Young (47), Ashlee Good (38), Faraz Tahir (30), Pikria Darchia (55), and Cheng Yixuan (25). According to major media, Cauchi was suffering a psychotic episode when he walked into the centre armed with a knife.
He was first diagnosed with schizophrenia in his teens, was unmedicated, and homeless at the time of the attack. Among those receiving Bravery Medals are Frenchmen Silas Despréaux and Damien Jean Guerot. Major media reports that they entered Westfield Bondi Junction at about 3:30 PM, saw people running, and went to locate the offender.
They grabbed metal bollards for protection, followed Cauchi, and threw bollards at him, hitting his leg and arm. Afterward, they ran from the shopping centre to Oxford Street and approached Detective Inspector Amy Louise Scott. Two awards will be given posthumously.
Ashlee Good will receive a bravery medal; she was stabbed from behind while pushing her baby, shoved Cauchi away when he attacked her baby, and got her injured baby to safety before dying. Security guard Faraz Tahir will also be honored posthumously; he and fellow guard Muhammad Taha heard 'code black' on their radios and headed towards the stabber, with Tahir fatally stabbed and Taha surviving but stabbed. Noel McLaughlin will receive an award for confronting Cauchi to try to reach his wife and child.
According to major media, McLaughlin was running towards his injured wife after a call from his daughter when he saw Cauchi with a knife, shouted at others to get back, retreated, and gave first aid to his wife, who later died. Muhammad Taha, the security guard who survived being stabbed, is also among the recognized. Detective Inspector Amy Louise Scott fatally shot Cauchi, ending the attack.
Among those recognized are a police officer who shot Cauchi, two Frenchmen, and a security guard who tried to disarm him. Six Bravery Medals and two Commendations for Brave Conduct will be awarded. An independent Australian Bravery Decorations Council compiled the list of eight heroes.
Molihan, an experienced nurse, left refuge in a shop to help the two stabbed security guards. The full names and roles of all eight award recipients, as well as the specific actions each took beyond those detailed, have not been fully disclosed. Additionally, the current status and recovery of the injured people remain unclear, and the exact circumstances leading to Joel Cauchi's psychotic episode and lack of medication are not fully known.