Key Points
- The partner of Ashlee Good, a mother who died following the Bondi attack while saving her baby, has spoken out.
- He said "nothing will ever dull the pain of losing Ash" and the day "will never make sense" to him.
- He thanked everyone for their support, which he said had "provided a lot of comfort".
The partner of Ashlee Good — who was hailed as a hero after handing her injured baby to a stranger to save her life during in April — has spoken publicly for the first time, saying: "nothing will ever dull the pain".
Sydneysiders were left reeling for weeks after 40-year-old Joel Cauchi roamed the packed shopping centre with a knife, killing six people and seriously wounding a dozen others.
Good was heard screaming when Cauchi approached her with the knife.
"The baby got stabbed," one man at the scene with his brother told Channel 9 News in the aftermath.
"The mum got stabbed and the mum came over with the baby and threw it at me," he said.
Baby Harriet was critically ill in hospital after the event and underwent hours of surgery before recovering. She recently celebrated her first birthday without her mother there to celebrate.
Ashlee Good died in hospital on the day of the attack.
Now, four months after the attack, Ashlee's partner Dan Flanagan has posted on a GoFundMe page raising money for him and Harriet.
Thanking those who had donated money, Flanagan said: "the overwhelming support, kindness, and generosity" the family had received "in the wake of our unimaginable loss has been beyond words".
Mourners during a candlelight vigil to honour the victims of the Bondi Junction tragedy at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
'Nothing will ever dull the pain'
Flanagan said that "nothing will ever dull the pain of losing Ash", but all the support he had received had "provided a lot of comfort".
"The day our family of three became a family of two will never make sense to me, but countless people — including every single one of you who wrote messages and donated through this page — have shown me that while tragic things do unfortunately happen, there is more good in this world, than bad," he said.
Police and eyewitnesses say the Bondi attacker appeared to be targeting women. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
"Our lives will never be the same, and I wish every one of you your own strength and hope you're getting the support required to navigate such incomprehensible and difficult times," he said.
At the time of writing, the page had already raised nearly $850,000 for the family.
The other victims of the attack were 25-year-old Dawn Singleton, 47-year-old Jade Young, 55-year-old Pikria Darchia, 27-year-old Yixuan Cheng, and 30-year-old Faraz Tahir, a Pakistani national who was a security guard at the shopping centre.
Cauchi's parents said their son had battled mental illness and had come off his medication shortly before the attack.
Some, including the family of Jade Young, have called for a in the future.
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