The victims were remembered this week in Adelaide as The 3rd Cricket Test Match between Australia & England was starting. “After the tragic events at Bondi Beach last Sunday evening, we come together as nations to pay our respects to all those who lost their lives and offer our condolences to their families, their friends and to the Jewish community. We also acknowledge those who bravely offered assistance to others at the scene,” the ground announcer said. The 60,000 cricket fans stood silently in the grand-stands, the cricketers all wore black armbands, and the flags were held silently in respect. A minute’s silence at Adelaide Oval was to honour the murder victims and to express condolences to their families, friends and the Jewish community.
60,000 cricket fans at the Adelaide Test Match
plus the two teans and flags
standing and remembering the mass murders on Bondi Beach
John Williamson was singing at the cricket in the centre of the huge green pitch, leading a stirring tribute at Adelaide Oval as the cricket world paused to remember the victims of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. Cricket fans in the stands came together in silence to remember the murder victims and then to watch the cricket.
It was a powerful moment before the match started in Adelaide as John Williamson sang the Australian classic True Blue. In one of the finest cricket ovals in the world there was not a dry eye in the house for that moment of silence, followed by a stirring rendition of the music. True Blue was sadly perfect on this occasion; a beautiful and poignant rendition of a classic Aussie song and a single guitar.
Lyrics
Hey True Blue, don't say you've gone
Say you've knocked off for a smoko
And you'll be back later on
Hey True Blue, Hey True Blue
Give it to me straight, face to face
Are you really disappearing
Just another dying race
Hey True Blue
True Blue, is it me and you
Is it Mum and Dad, is it a cockatoo
Is it standin' by your mate when he's in a fight
Or just Vegemiite
True Blue, I'm a-asking you
Hey True Blue, can you bear the load
Will you tie it up with wire
Just to keep the show on the road
Hey True Blue
Hey True Blue, now be Fair Dinkum
Is your heart still there
If they sell us out like sponge cake
Do you really care
Hey True Blue
Listen to the heartfelt music on cricket.com
It was a powerful moment before the match started in Adelaide as John Williamson sang the Australian classic True Blue. In one of the finest cricket ovals in the world there was not a dry eye in the house for that moment of silence, followed by a stirring rendition of the music. True Blue was sadly perfect on this occasion; a beautiful and poignant rendition of a classic Aussie song and a single guitar.
Lyrics
Hey True Blue, don't say you've gone
Say you've knocked off for a smoko
And you'll be back later on
Hey True Blue, Hey True Blue
Give it to me straight, face to face
Are you really disappearing
Just another dying race
Hey True Blue
True Blue, is it me and you
Is it Mum and Dad, is it a cockatoo
Is it standin' by your mate when he's in a fight
Or just Vegemiite
True Blue, I'm a-asking you
Hey True Blue, can you bear the load
Will you tie it up with wire
Just to keep the show on the road
Hey True Blue
Hey True Blue, now be Fair Dinkum
Is your heart still there
If they sell us out like sponge cake
Do you really care
Hey True Blue
Listen to the heartfelt music on cricket.com
John Williamson singing True Blue
and playing the one guitar.
True Blue was written and performed by folk singer-songwriter John Williamson, and released in 1982. Williamson’s aim had been to capture authentic Australian spirit and slang, and to become an unofficial national anthem celebrating mateship and the Aussie character. The lyrics drew heavily on Australian slang, with the title meaning authentically Australian, but the slang meant of course that people from other countries may not have understood the song’s details.
John Williamson said he celebrated the genuine, loyal and cultural references, to define a core national identity, but he emphasised it was about caring, inclusive people, not racism, despite attempts by some groups to hijack the song. The phrase itself apparently came from British slang meaning steadfast loyalty. But Williamson's song applied it to an Australian context, asking questions about what makes an Aussie in a changing multi-cultural nation, focusing on fairness, honesty and caring for mates and the land. No song could have been appropriate for a nation in mourning.
Sydney mourners after the wounded were taken to hospital and the dead were buried
Thank you John Williamson, thank you cricket players and fans, thank you all Australians across the nation. We will never recover, but your comfort has been vital.
.jpg)
.jpg)
22 comments:
Events involving violence or serious harm can have a profound and immediate impact, not only on those who were directly involved, but also on witnesses, families, first responders, local communities, and people across Australia watching or hearing about what has happened. When something frightening occurs in a familiar public place, it can strongly affect our sense of safety.
Strong emotional reactions in the hours and days after an event like this are normal, understandable, and deserve support. As time passes, it's common for reactions to change. Support isn't only for the immediate aftermath, it's okay to reach out at any point.
On Thursday Cricket Australia Chief Executive Todd Greenberg revealed Will-iamson’s selfless act which delivered a stirring performance that left Aust-ralian cricketers on the verge of tears. First of all it was a beautiful mom-ent. Credit to John himself, who incredibly made himself available at very short notice. He’s an amazing individual, a national treasure. Greenberg reached out to him on Monday at lunch cold-calling John, and exp-lained to him that as the first national sport to stand up after the tragedies seen in Sydney, that there was a moment in time that the sport bring the nation together. He was on his way to the airport with his wife on holidays when they stopped the car, turned around and said ‘we’ll be with you Todd on Wednesday.’ And he did that.
It must have been ever so moving to have been present. The horror of last Sunday was mentioned at the ceremony I attended to see my tenant graduate at RMIT. There will be more mentions of course, but Adelaide while people feel quite raw, might top them for open emotion.
I really hope you do and the rest of Australia's Jewish population recover. There is only one path now, as laws, monitoring of those who threaten Australia, gun regulations, harassment of individuals and extreme protests all must adjust to a new mindset. They will not have died in vain.
Lifeline
Thank you. It is very important that you have offered support, to those involved in Sunday's tragedy and to others who feel the safe Australia they love may be badly damaged.
Just some care needs to be taken with the children and grand children of Jews who lived during the Holocaust and survived. Those Holocaust survivors warned their children to _always_ watch out for anti-Semitism, even in Australia.
Foxsports
I loved the words and music of True Blue way back in the early 1980s, and although I hadn't heard it sung for ages, I tearfully sang along with John Williamson. So it is not surprising that a man with strong views about multiculturalism would be very supportive of the programme at the Adelaide Oval. Bless him.
Andrew
Certainly people were very unhappy when the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea was razed by fire in Dec 2024. The people praying inside got out quickly and noone died. But the feeling of imminent pain settled over Melbourne's south eastern suburbs :(
So we all took easy steps towards safety eg removing a Star of David from all children's necks; removing the Hebrew doorpost from outside our front doors. If only we could have removed ALL guns from private citizens.
Violence is always shocking. More so the one in Bondi Beach mainly because of the peaceful and inclusive nature of the Australian community. The only way out is for greater vigilance, tougher laws that will act as a deterrent, and efforts to eradicate hatred and radicalism from the society.
The tribute at Adelaide Oval was profoundly moving, a moment of national mourning and solidarity where sport, music, and shared grief combined to honor the victims and reaffirm the values of care, courage, and community.
Hello Hels, The whole world reacts with grief and horror at the Bondi Beach killings. This has been a strange period in which we also saw the shootings at Brown University and the murders of Rob Reiner and his wife. This is a lot to take in at once--a terrible hate crime in Australia, the deaths with no apparent motive yet at a major university (one incidentally, that celebrates individual uniqueness and "coolness") And the personal tragedy that took the life of the multi-talented Reiner, in which his son's drugs and mental illness seem to have been involved. So many senseless tragedies, and I am despairing at the current state of the world.
--Jim
This is such a sad event. And it is horrible too. It's wonderful to see such lovely tributes, but sad that these tributes even need to happen because it means some people are gone.
Anything we can do to foster unity and show love to each other is a winner. After the Bondi killings and every day.
I am so glad John Williamson made the time to be there and that the crowd responded with empathy and reverence
I saw that tribute on my TV and had to reach again for the box of tissues. I read in your comment to Andrew of a Hebrew door post, I shall google to see what that is, but can you also explain that here please?
Google Images shows some that are very lovely to look at.
Pradeep Nair
I agree. Deaths in wars, earthquakes, flooding and starvation are tragic .. to the extent that families never survive the pain. But massacring families who are having a festive holiday on the beautiful Bondi beach is much much worse. I knew there had been violence in the past, but I had no idea the gun laws after Port Arthur mass murders (1996) didn't end the risk of killers getting hold of illegal guns.
Tougher laws will come very soon yes, but eradicating hatred seems impossible.
roentare
sporting competitions have always brought Australians together, especially when we are competing against other countries (or even against other states).
But I was not expecting solidarity between people from different religions, different states and different enemies. The minute of silence, the black arm bands and the special music brought people together to honour the victims and to offer solidarity to the Bondi families and communities. I was so proud of the cricket fans in Adelaide.
Parnassus
Ugandan militants on behalf of Islamic State entered a village in Congo, mass beheading 70+ civilians one after another. That tragedy barely even made the news here.
On the other hand Brown University tragedies, the Reiners' murders, and the Bondi Beach massacre were on our news morning, noon and night. So I too agree civilisation is collapsing, and we probably don't even know half of it.
Erika
I am certain that citizens understand once the families, rabbis and policemen were buried, those victims would never know about the tributes made in their names. Ditto the plaques on the beach, the loving tomb stones in the cemeteries and the scholarships given in their names to the schools and universities.
But the survivors DO know, as do the families and friends of the victims. We hope they feel the loving public support given across Australia and in other countries, the blood donations, the synagogue and church ceremonies etc.
kylie
did you see John Williamson on tv or in my blog post? He was so empathetic himself, he tapped into the broken hearts of the huge crowd.
I hope the unity he was describing lasts for a long time.
River
a mezuzah is a parchment inscribed with religious texts and attached in a small cover to the doorpost of a Jewish house as a sign of faith. The mezuzah identifies a Jewish home, a visible symbol to all those who enter that Jewish identity and faith exists inside.
We still have a mezuzah on the front door, but less visible from the front garden.
River
good idea. Have a look at https://www.amazon.com/Always-Kiss-Your-Mezuzah-Childrens/dp/1639714650.
Hels I watched John Williamson singing, it brought tears to my eyes the respect the cricketers had as well. Beautiful to watch and see.
Margaret
I didn't expect that. I usually think that sports fans are a bit rough and argue over who should have won the Brownlow Medal. But the players and the fans must understood how tragic the massacre was and how Australians' security might end forever. Mine has :(
Post a Comment