Bondi resident Ahmed Al Ahmed earns the key to the city and a lifetime beach parking pass from Waverley Council for his courageous actions during the December 14 terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration.
The 43-year-old father of two disarmed one of the gunmen at the Chanukah by the Sea event in Archer Park, where footage captured him sneaking up and wrestling away a long-barrelled gun. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the confrontation, undergoing several surgeries at St George Hospital. The attack claimed 15 lives, including a 10-year-old child.
Honors at Waverley Council Ceremony
Waverley Council, which oversees Bondi Beach, presented the awards during a special ceremony. Ahmed Al Ahmed becomes the second person in council history to receive a lifetime parking permit for the local government area.
“We say to you, our beaches are your beaches and you will forever have a place here in Waverley,” stated Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh.
New South Wales Governor Margaret Beazley attended and gifted a governor’s coin and a Christmas decoration. She praised his selflessness, invoking the surf lifesaving motto: “Whomsoever you see in distress, recognise in them a fellow human being.”
“What you exposed yourself to… was courage beyond courage,” Beazley remarked. “It was that good person in you, in which we and the rest of the community thank you and stand in awe.”
Praise from State Leaders
A video message from New South Wales Premier Chris Minns highlighted Al Ahmed’s heroism. “Without a second thought and without a sense of your own self-preservation, you put your own life at risk to save people you’d never met before,” Minns said. “Your actions showed the nation and the world what true Australian courage looks like.”
Mayor Nemesh described the viral footage as “synonymous with heroism and the bravery of ordinary Australians.” He added, “When confronted by hatred in the worst form, you acted with urgency and unflinching resolve.” Nemesh linked Al Ahmed’s deed to the Hanukkah story of shining light on darkness and urged a full recovery.
The key to the city symbolizes the community’s everlasting gratitude, Nemesh noted.
Ahmed Al Ahmed Reflects on the Day
Al Ahmed expressed ongoing sorrow for the victims. “I feel honestly for all those lost and still I feel sadness about Bondi and my heart cries,” he said. “But what I want to say, we have to be strong and stand with each other and wish peace for this beautiful land.”
Recounting his decision, he shared a barber shop exchange: Someone questioned how he charged at a gunman, to which he replied, “If you have a heart and if you are Australian, and when you see someone evil come to hurt your people, are you going to stand and watch?”
“Myself, I’m choosing myself as Australian, as a good citizen, everyone has to go in and show in for Australia and for all our family,” Al Ahmed affirmed.
