‘Thank you for living’: Bondi survivor meets her superhero

1 week ago 5

Liya Barko has yet met her real-life “superhero”, an anonymous antheral successful a greenish T-shirt who saved her beingness aft a weapon chopped done some her kidneys during the Bondi Junction attack.

Six radical were stabbed to decease by assailant Joel Cauchi. Barko, 35, whitethorn person been the seventh if not for the actions of Wayne Tolver-Banks and his woman Michi, who came to her rescue astatine the Westfield buying centre.

Bondi Junction stabbing subsister Liya Barko (right) is re-united with Wayne Tolver-Banks.

Meeting this week for the archetypal clip since that bloody onslaught connected April 13, Tolver-Banks and Barko hugged a fewer times.

“I americium truthful blessed to spot you alive. It is truthful good,” Tolver-Banks said successful the interrogation broadcast connected Nine, the proprietor of this masthead.

He lone discovered Barko had recovered aft proceeding astir her interrogation with Nine News newsman Damian Ryan earlier this week, successful which she had talked astir wanting to convey the tall, calm antheral successful the greenish shirt.

Barko thanked him for redeeming her life. “Thank you for living,” helium replied.

Bondi Junction stabbing subsister Liya Barko (right) re-united with her hero, who she remembered lone arsenic the “Green garment man”.

Asked however helium stayed calm and responded quickly, Tolver-Banks, a wellness and information enforcement with Mitsubishi, said his erstwhile grooming successful the subject had kicked in.

“It was tough, you could accidental I wasn’t acceptable for it, but I looked astatine you,” helium told Barko, “and erstwhile I saw the antheral stab you, I said I person to assistance you due to the fact that I didn’t privation you to die.”

In Wednesday night’s follow-up interview, Barko said everything seemed to hap successful seconds.

“You were my angel appearing successful the close spot astatine the close time,” she said. “That was 1 of the reasons I stayed calm.”

The Tolver-Banks, from Cherrybrook successful north-west Sydney, refused to fto Barko die.

Barko said that radical similar them were the existent heroes of the Bondi attack.

“All these movies with superheroes … aft this situation, these are the superheroes we truly request connected our side,” she said. “The radical who tin beryllium with you erstwhile you suffer, taking attraction of you.”

She said Michi made her committedness “not to fto go”. She shook Barko to support her conscious arsenic they waited for constabulary and paramedics to arrive.

In the panic aft she was stabbed, Barko recalled others crying and screaming successful fear. Tolver-Banks told a pistillate to calm down. “If you scream, helium knows wherever you are... helium (Cauchi) tin find you,” helium reminded the panicking woman.

After checking if Barko could walk, they moved her to information wrong the precocious manner store Sass & Bide, which past locked its doors.

Nine News newsman Ryan said aft the trauma of the past period and the grieving for those who died astatine Westfield Bondi Junction, it was bully to study connected thing positive.

Tolver-Banks and Barko were relieved to person met, helium said.

“It was each portion of the healing process,” said Ryan. “I deliberation we person to determination connected from this story, but the mode to determination connected is to person thing affirmative to deliberation about. We volition ne'er hide it, but for thing positive, Liya (Barko) is it.”

Barko is lone successful Australia for 18 months connected a pupil visa, but her friends anticipation the national authorities volition springiness imperishable residency to a pistillate they picture arsenic “brave, beardown and intelligent”.

Her person Kathryn Roulstone, of Bellevue Hill, said Barko had lone conscionable walked done the doors of Westfield Bondi Junction erstwhile she was stabbed.

“She was not afforded the accidental to beryllium a hero, but she has been earnestly injured, and we should supply her the aforesaid accidental to stay,” she said.

The “Bollard man”, a French nationalist Damien Guerot, who tried to halt Cauchi, has been granted imperishable residency for his bravery. Cauchi was changeable dormant by police.

The autarkic national MP for Wentworth Allegra Spender said they had been advocating connected Liya’s behalf with Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.

“Liya is simply a precise valued subordinate of the community, and we each privation to spot her recovered and safely surviving here,” she said.

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