A young woman killed during a horrific knife attack at a Bondi Junction shopping centre has been remembered as a “shining light” and “kind-hearted person” as calls mount for a review into the bloody rampage.
Dawn Singleton, daughter of millionaire businessman John Singleton, was one of six people killed by Queensland man Joel Cauchi during his 25-minute rampage through Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday.
The 25-year-old University of Technology Sydney alum was an e-commerce assistant at Australian fashion outlet White Fox Boutique, which remembered her on Monday as the “shining light amongst us”.
“Dawn has been part of our family at White Fox for four years … She had built an amazing relationship with so many people from the company,” the company said in an Instagram post on Monday.
The company added: “Dawn will always be remembered as an amazing, sweet & kind hearted person. We are all so lucky to have known her and will never forget her as part of the White Fox family.”
The heartfelt post was widely shared by local and southeast Australian-based influencers, including Sydney model Ashleigh Menin who wrote that Ms Singleton will “forever (be) in out hearts”.
In a tribute posted to Facebook, friend Jade O’Connor said she “should be writing (Ms Singleton’s) wedding speech”, as she was expected to be wed later this year.
“Instead I sit here sobbing coming to terms with how life isn’t fair that you are no longer here. Dawn, you were my best friend, my absolute whole world,” Ms O’Connor wrote.
“This year you were meant to be married to the love of your life … I’m so broken and can’t believe this is reality. I love you so much Dawn and I will remember you every day for the rest of my life.”
Chinese national Yixuan Cheng was the last of the six victims named on Monday, alongside Ms Singleton, Pikria Darchia, mothers Jade Young and Ashlee Good, and security guard Faraz Tahir.
The horrifying attack came to an end when Cauchi was shot and killed by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott and has since raised questions about security procedures at the nation’s busy malls.
Security expert and former Westfield security manager Phil Boss said guidelines required security staff to reduce the time “an offender can perform his actions”, but “it could be done better”.
“What’s required is to make sure that security staff and tenants know their responsibilities and are not facing these incidents for the first time,” Mr Boss told the Today show’s Karl Stefanovic.
“Practice, co-ordinated practice with local police and the three parties, security staff, shopping tenants and security management of the centre, need to be regular so these things are muscle memory.”
Mr Boss said rehearsals of security procedures also informed shopping centre tenants of how they could physically shelter shoppers who might not be able to evacuate, including closing their stores.
Source Agencies
