Celebrating the life of Marika Pogany

When four friends set off for Chanukah by the Sea at Bondi Beach on that devastating December afternoon, only three returned. Marika Pogany, a force of nature beloved by her tight-knit group of girlfriends, was among the victims killed in the terror attack. Now, a new documentary airing this Sunday on ABC TV is honouring her memory, and the remarkable women who refuse to let it fade.

Bondi Spirit, screening at 6.30pm on Sunday 8 March before heading to iview, is a deeply personal Compass documentary produced by Tracey Spring, who was drawn to the story through a close friendship.

“My friend’s mother was best friends with Marika and was with her when the shooting started,” Spring told The AJN. “After the massacre, we spent hours talking and she asked me if I would consider making a Compass about the group.”

What followed was a gentle but urgent process of trust-building, not only with the women, but also with the community, and with Rabbi Ulman, who was himself deep in grief.

“Rabbi Ulman and his son Rabbi Mendy Ulman did not really have time to talk to me, but they made time,” Spring explained. “The women were all still in shock and grief, but they were strong and generous enough to sit down and open up about their dear friend.”

The result is an intimate portrait that begins at the Bondi vigil, one week after the shootings, and unfolds across the following fortnight, capturing raw grief and deep love, as well as the extraordinary resilience of a group of women mostly in their 80s who have called Bondi home for decades.

Marika was the undisputed heart of the group. She organised the outings, including bridge, beading, the theatre, and schnitzel lunches across Sydney, and kept the energy alive for everyone around her. She delivered more than 12,000 kosher meals for COA and according to many, she didn’t just drop them off, she also cleaned kitchens and rearranged cupboards while she was there. And according to her friends, she baked cakes that were so beautiful, you’d swear they’d come from a patisserie.

“I really felt like I got to know Marika,” Spring said. “I wish I had known her when she was alive. It was a privilege to understand this incredible woman.”

Spring also said she learnt a lot about friendship from the women.

“They are a total inspiration. Their energy and the way they live life to the full. They are all ridiculously strong and care so much for each other,” Spring said. “I’ve seen the best in people in the process of making this documentary.”

Without her, as friend Nellie puts it in the film, the group are a bit like headless chickens, lost without the woman who had always been their compass.

But what the documentary also captures is something quietly profound: the power of female friendship in later life.

Another friend in the group put it simply: “We don’t need psychologists or psychiatrists because we had each other.”

Marika’s granddaughter Lucy reflected on what the group represents to younger generations.

“They are inspiring because you realise that so many people at that age could just be on their own or be alone, and that’s never good for anyone,” she said. “I think they’re all actually really lucky to have each other. That’s what I want to be like. I hope when I’m 82, I want to see my friends that much and do everything together.”

The friendship between Marika and her closest companion Agi was particularly special. As one friend recalls in the documentary, “they had one argument once and they were both sick, physically ill, until they made up. It was a beautiful relationship.”

Bondi Spirit also weaves in the broader Jewish history of Bondi, looking at the Hakoah Club, the old Gelato Bar, and the waves of migration that shaped the suburb’s identity. Rabbi Ulman and Rabbi Mendy Ulman speak to the loss of the beloved Rabbi Eli Shlanger, and offer both understanding of the shiva process and, ultimately, words of hope.

The documentary is introduced by journalist and author Mia Freedman, who Tracey spotted at the vigil and reached out to immediately. True to the spirit of generosity that runs through the entire film, Freedman agreed without hesitation.

Deliberately free of politics or commentary, Bondi Spirit is, at its heart, a story about people.

“I hope the film celebrates the life of Marika Pogany,” Spring said when asked what message she hopes the documentary shares. And that it brings a small start to healing.

Bondi Spirit airs Sunday 8 March at 6.30pm on ABC TV, and will be available on iview.