By Jack Gramenz in Sydney

Six people killed in the Bondi Junction massacre have been memorialised in a public commemoration one year on from the attack.

Marking the anniversary of the tragedy could prompt further trauma but is essential for healing, experts say.

Australia’s worst mass killing in nearly a decade took place at a Westfield shopping centre in Sydney’s east one year ago on Sunday.

Joel Cauchi, 40, killed six people and injured at least another 10, including an infant, before being shot dead by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott minutes later.

Ashlee Good, 38, Dawn Singleton, 25, Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Yixuan Cheng, 27 and security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, were killed in the attack on April 13, 2024.

Relatives and loved ones left bouquets in nearby Oxford Street Mall on Sunday, where community condolences and photos from a candlelight vigil have been included on commemorative display boards.

“We miss you, we love you and we wish you were here,” read one card at the scene on Sunday.

Insp Scott lingered before one display alongside NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb after laying flowers.

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Governor-General Sam Mostyn left bouquets along with federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and other dignitaries, with the community also invited to reflect on the tragedy.

Ms Webb paid tribute to emergency services and civilians who were involved in the initial response to the attack.

“They are heroes, risking their own lives in an effort to save victims and nurse the wounded during what can only be described as a senseless tragedy,” she said in a statement.

“The memory and the trauma of this day will never be forgotten.”

Mr Minns promised an appropriate commemoration of the tragedy.

“We do need to recognise this, we can’t just sweep it under the carpet.

“We do need to make sure those who lost their lives, and their families, know that we care about them.

“But it obviously opens wounds for those trying to repair their lives and grieve,” he told ABC News on Sunday.

People walking through Oxford Street Mall paused to watch, with some onlookers wiping away tears.

But the ceremony was a low-key affair and the crowds did not match those drawn to the scene in the attack’s immediate aftermath.

A small floral tribute was placed inside the shops, where centre staff wore black ribbons.

The anniversary will be a raw milestone for some people and could prompt “anniversary trauma”, psychologist Maria Kangas told AAP.

“Just even the thought of the anniversary coming up this weekend could set off physiological responses in the body, like panic symptoms,” the head of Macquarie University psychological sciences said.

The event’s violent nature could cause greater stress responses than other traumatic incidents, such as natural disasters.

“Because it’s been committed by another person – a violent act that has come out of the blue, unexpected – it re-activates primal trauma fear responses in all of us,” Professor Kangas said.

“A sense of safety has been threatened.”

Commemorating the tragedy is an important part of coping, psychiatrist Ian Hickie said.

“Denial doesn’t help,” the co-director of Sydney University’s Brain and Mind Centre told AAP.

“It’s no use pretending it didn’t happen – and anniversaries can serve that useful purpose.”

An inquest will begin examining the massacre later in April.

It will probe Cauchi’s mental illness and treatment, past interactions with police, and the response from centre management and emergency services among other issues.

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