‘The sister bond was really strong’

Matilda Britvan and her little sister Summer were so close that people would call them twins. They may have been different ages but they had similar personalities and they looked alike.

They were inseparable.

Still, they had their little differences.

As their father Michael lovingly recalled to The AJN, while Matilda was a little bit softer, Summer was a little bit tougher.

“Matilda looked after Summer, but sometimes we’d joke that when they get older, Summer’s going to be the one looking after Matilda,” he said softly.

“I was always thinking, when they’re going to become teenagers, how am I going to deal with them? But then I’d think, there’s two of them, they’ll support each other. The sister bond was really strong.”

Sadly, they won’t grow older together.

Matilda’s life was cut short in the most horrific way, as the youngest victim of the December 14 terrorist attack on Chanukah by the Sea at Bondi Beach.

Recalling what happened that day, Michael explained that he and his wife, Valentyna, were sitting slightly away from their daughters who were petting animals at the petting zoo. When the shots were first fired, Matilda tried to run to her parents, becoming separated from Summer.

It was Michael who found Matilda, lying injured in her bright yellow dress, face beautifully painted with a dolphin.

Within moments, people had surrounded Matilda to try and help. But it was too late.

Eventually, Michael and Valentyna found Summer, sheltering with a young woman behind a ute. In the chaos, Michael recalled they didn’t get the young woman’s name.

Four weeks after the attack, Michael and Valentyna met Tash, the woman who helped Summer by keeping her protected and calm. They strongly believe that had Tash not taken Summer behind the ute, the little girl would have followed Matilda into the line of fire.

“She truly saved Summer’s life,” Michael said. The family were able to thank Tash personally at the vigil for the Bondi victims, held to mark the end of the shloshim.

According to reports, Tash recalled acting on pure instinct, telling Summer to keep her eyes focused on her and to imagine the loud noises were just fireworks. The family is so touched by what Tash did that they began a GoFundMe for her and her family who were running the petting zoo.

While Summer is physically okay, the trauma will remain with the young girl likely for the rest of her life. How everyone will deal with this ongoing trauma is something that Michael is concerned about.

“We lost Matilda, and lots of other people lost their relatives, some people got injured, but people who were just there and survived, they’re okay. But to go through that event, it really changes you. And I think a lot of people truly need some support to overcome this, where they might be okay for now, but those things might creep back later on,” he said, talking about everyone who was at Bondi that day, not just those who were at the Chanukah festival.

“I myself get flashbacks thinking what could I have done differently, what should I have done differently? It stays with you.”

While some families would turn to anger, Michael and Valentyna have not. They have simply shown gratitude to every person who helped that day, from the first responders to those who opened their doors on Campbell Parade; they have wished speedy recoveries for everyone still injured, including the police officers who tried to help.

And they have simply asked for everyone to remember her name.

“Matilda was just so kind and soft and considerate, and she loved to laugh and smile,” Michael described, recalling that every weekend the girls would ask what adventure they were going on.

“She was the most beautiful girl. We loved to make videos about it as well and I’ve been posting a video practically every day to remind people of how beautiful and funny she was.”

To the Jewish community who has well and truly wrapped its arms around Matilda’s family, Michael’s message was simple: We will survive.

“Stay strong. Be positive. Never forget. We will survive as we always have. And I hope Matilda’s legacy will bring light over darkness.”

To donate to the GoFundMe that the family have started for Tash, visit gofundme.com/f/help-matildas-family-to-express-their-gratitude

To those who require support, contact the Jewish Community Resilience and Support Hotline on 1800 979 676