NRL Roosters great Anthony Minichiello says bullets hit his Bondi unit during shooting

Sydney Roosters NRL premiership winner Anthony Minichiello has revealed how close he came to being one of the victims of the Bondi massacre, revealing a bullet shot past his balcony, while another hit his unit block.

Minichiello, who went for a morning swim at Bondi and had planned to return on Sunday afternoon but did not, said he was still in shock.

“I feel sick for the people that have passed and their families,” he told News Corp.

“A bullet hit our building – I was watching from the window. It was crazy shit, absolute madness

“I was on the lounge and heard gunshots. I went to the window and thought: ‘What the hell is going on?’ A couple of neighbours below came out and then a bullet hit the building. We heard it and everyone on the balconies around us ducked down.”

“I thought: ‘Did I imagine that?’ But we then spoke to other people in the building and they definitely heard it as well.

“Then one bullet whizzed past. We heard the whistle. I thought: ‘Get down, get out of the way. Jesus Christ, this is unbelievable’. The gun fire lasted ten minutes, it was non-stop. We got a message from the building (manager) saying that the building was in lockdown and: ‘Do not leave, stay inside’.

Minichiello has lived in Bondi for more than 20 years.

“I can actually see the footbridge (where the gunmen fired multiple shots) from my balcony but the gun shots were so loud that I didn’t know where they were coming from. All I saw was people running towards south Bondi,” he said.

I thought it was a proper gun fight between bad people and then the bullet hit the building. I’m still in shock to be honest. I was down there at lunchtime having a swim. I was by myself (his wife Terry and daughter were away) so thought I might go down for another swim but I watched a movie instead.

“Bondi Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the world … a beautiful Sunday arvo, you don’t think anything like this could happen.”

Minichiello’s brush with death came as Australian captain Pat Cummins urged Australians to donate blood, while security will be increased for the Adelaide Test, with South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens confirming specially trained police would be deployed carrying stronger weapons.

Cummins’ plea came as it was revealed former English captain Michael Vaughan sheltered in a Bondi restaurant during the shooting,

Preparations for Wednesday’s third Ashes Test continued on Monday, albeit with the sadness of Sunday night’s terror attack in Sydney hanging over Adelaide Oval.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas confirmed extra precautions were being taken to ensure Ashes spectators were safe.

“Given the events that have occurred yesterday in Sydney, there will be additional protocols put in place at Adelaide Oval,” he said.

England’s Test team said they were “deeply saddened by the horrific events”, and that they stood by the people of Sydney and the Jewish community.

Nathan Lyon told reporters in Adelaide he was “extremely saddened”, adding nothing he could say “would make anyone feel better”.

Cummins, who lives with his young family in the nearby suburb of Waverley, said on Instagram he was “absolutely devastated by the horror last night in Bondi”.

“My heart goes out to the victims, their families, the people of Bondi and our Jewish community during this time,” Cummins wrote.

“If you can, please book an appointment to donate blood.”

Usman Khawaja expressed similar sentiments, writing in an Instagram story on Monday morning that he is “praying for the Jewish and Bondi community as a whole”.

“No room whatsoever for these hate crimes,” he wrote.

Vaughan, who is in Australia commentating on the Ashes, detailed when he knew something serious had happened.

“I have never experienced anything like it,” Vaughan wrote in his column for UK newspaper The Telegraph.

“We were having a drink in the Royal pub next door, and I was on the phone outside. The bouncer walked over with his hands in a gun sign and told me to get inside.

“To be so close that you can hear it happening is terrifying.”

The Australia Red Cross Lifeblood has called for donations from across the country to help the wounded, with a desperate need for O-type donors.

The NRL’s Sydney Roosters and their AFL counterparts the Sydney Swans headlined the list of Australian sporting clubs to express sympathy and sadness.

Players and staff from both teams are regulars at Bondi Beach.

“We are deeply shocked and shattered,” Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich said in a statement.“To our Jewish community, we are feeling for you and send our sincere condolences to all in your community. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.”

AFL chair Richard Goyder and chief executive Andrew Dillon released a joint statement, describing it as “a time to come together to grieve, to support one another, and to stand with our Jewish colleagues and friends”.“Every person in our country has the right to celebrate their faith in peace and safety, including our Jewish community,” they said.

The Sydney Sixers, who were in Perth playing the opening BBL match, were given special access to their phones just before the match on Sunday night.

Under Cricket Australia’s strict anti-corruption rules, players are forced to surrender their phones or have them locked away after arriving at the venue for a match.

But in the wake of the tragic events at Bondi Beach, Sixers players were given permission to use their phones in order to check on family and friends.

None of the Sixers players were directly affected and the team all took the field for Sunday’s rain-delayed match, which the Scorchers won by five wickets with five balls to spare.