Sydney FC honours young Bondi survivor

“As a parent, I hope that Thommy will remember this experience and not the terror attack,” Yaron Foghel told The AJN.

Foghel’s son Thommy was honoured by A-League club Sydney FC after he was invited onto the field before the weekend’s match against Perth Glory to present the match ball and perform the coin toss.

Thommy, his younger sister Daisy and parents Yaron and Ella survived the Bondi Beach terror attack.

“We were at Archer Park shielding our kids for 45 minutes, lying on them to stay alive,” Foghel said.

Sydney FC, with the help of Detective Sergeant William Green, organised for fan Thommy to visit the changing rooms, present the match ball and sit in the box to watch the match.

“He was over the moon the whole weekend,” Foghel said.

Sydney FC also acknowledged the Jewish community “impacted by these events and [we] stand in solidarity with all those affected”.

“It was an honour to have five-year-old Thommy present the ball for tonight’s game alongside Detective Sergeant William Green,” the club said.

“Thommy is a survivor of the Bondi terror attacks, and his bravery during the events was witnessed by the Detective Sergeant. As a Sydney FC fan, we were proud to help organise a special night at the football for him and his family.”

Also on the weekend, Bondi victim Peter Meagher was given a memorial before Randwick’s first home game of the Shute Shield season against Eastern Suburbs. His nickname, Marzo, was painted in bold capitals on the field at Coogee Oval.

Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh and NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon also joined both teams for a minute’s silence to remember Meagher, who had been taking photographs at the Chanukah event when he was killed.

The Meagher family have been involved with Randwick Rugby Club for more than 100 years, with Peter first volunteering as a ball boy at Coogee Oval at five years of age.