Bondi Junction massacre: Jade Young’s family release statement ahead of architect’s funeral

The Nightly

2 Min Read

23 Apr 2024

Friends and family of Jade Young will farewell her in a service in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Credit: AAP

The family of Bondi Junction massacre victim Jade Young says they do not want her children’s lives to be defined by the brutal death of their mother.

Ahead of Young’s funeral at The Calyx in the Royal Botanic Gardens on Tuesday, her family said their world had been shattered and the death of the 47-year-old had left a gaping hole in their lives.

“The loss of Jade Young at the catastrophic attack at Bondi Junction on the 13th of April has shattered our world,” said the statement released by NSW Police.

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“While we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from friends and the community, Jade’s death has left a gaping hole in our lives.

“Her children were her life, and we do not want their future to be shaped by her death.

“Today’s memorial at the Calyx is a celebration of Jade’s life and we know many in our community loved her.”

Young’s family said they had been overwhelmed by the outpouring of community support after the death of the 47-year-old at the Westfield shopping complex in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on April 13.

A paddle-out in memory of those affected by the Bondi massacre — Paddle boarders formed a heart to remember the six lives lost in the Bondi Junction stabbing attack. Credit: Steven Saphore/AAP

Young, an architect and mother, was one of six innocent victims killed when Joel Cauchi, a drifter from Queensland who battled schizophrenia, committed a mass stabbing that police believe could have targetted women.

The other victims of Cauchi’s murderous rampage are Dawn Singleton, the daughter of millionaire businessman John Singleton; Yixuan Cheng, a Chinese national and international student; Pikria Darchia, a 55-year-old artist; Faraz Tahir, a security guard on his first day at work; and Ashlee Good, a first-time mother who gave her injured baby to strangers after she was attacked.

At sunrise on Tuesday, about a hundred surfers and paddleboarders formed a love heart in the ocean off Bondi Beach to honour the victims of the Bondi Junction massacre.

BONDI JUNCTION, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 14: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Premier Chris Minns (C) and Allegra Spender (L) lay floral tributes Oxford Street Mall at Westfield Bondi Junction on April 14, 2024 in Bondi Junction, Australia. Six victims, plus the offender, who was shot by police at the scene, are dead following a stabbing attack at Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction, Sydney. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images) — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, NSW Premier Chris Minns (C) and Allegra Spender (L) lay floral tributes at Westfield Bondi Junction. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Organiser Vicky Austin said 12 local clubs came together to say goodbye at the ocean, a focal point for the community.

“Everyone’s feeling the after-effects of Bondi Junction and it was just a way for us as a community to come together in solidarity in the ocean we all love,” she told ABC TV.

“We play, we compete, and we come here for solace and I think it’s our way to say goodbye to those that we have lost.

“It’s solidarity and mateship and what we’re all about.”