Matilda's grieving parents speak publicly for the first time
The grieving family of Matilda — the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach terror attack — have spoken publicly for the first time as they paid tribute to their 10-year-old daughter during a moving vigil at Bondi Pavilion on Tuesday night.
"I can't imagine what monster stands on that bridge, and seeing a little girl running for her father, to hide with him, and he just pulled his trigger on her," Matilda's mother, Valentyna, said through sobs.
Matilda's father, Michael, said he had not expected to address the crowd and choked back tears as he spoke.
"It wasn't just a bullet from a stray, it wasn't an accident. It was a bullet that was fired on her," he said.
"We came here from the Ukraine … and I named her Matilda because she was our firstborn in Australia. And I thought that Matilda was the most Australian name that could ever exist.
"So just remember ... remember her name."
Other members of Matilda's family also spoke at a vigil, including her brother, who said he was comforted by the 10-year-old's memory.
"The one thing that brings me comfort is that whenever I would ask Matilda if she knew that I loved her, she would immediately say 'yes'," he said.
"She knew she was loved. She wasn't alone," he said.
Matilda's aunt, Lina Chernykh, told Nine News their devastated family would never recover from the little girl's loss.
"She was open-hearted. Everywhere she goes, she was like a sun."
— Miles Proust
"I can't imagine what monster stands on that bridge, and seeing a little girl running for her father, to hide with him, and he just pulled his trigger on her," Matilda's mother, Valentyna, said through sobs.
The mother of 10-year-old shooting victim Matilda addressed members of the public during a candlelight vigil at Bondi Pavilion on Tuesday night. Source: Getty / Audrey Richardson
"It wasn't just a bullet from a stray, it wasn't an accident. It was a bullet that was fired on her," he said.
"We came here from the Ukraine … and I named her Matilda because she was our firstborn in Australia. And I thought that Matilda was the most Australian name that could ever exist.
"So just remember ... remember her name."
Other members of Matilda's family also spoke at a vigil, including her brother, who said he was comforted by the 10-year-old's memory.
"The one thing that brings me comfort is that whenever I would ask Matilda if she knew that I loved her, she would immediately say 'yes'," he said.
"She knew she was loved. She wasn't alone," he said.
Matilda's aunt, Lina Chernykh, told Nine News their devastated family would never recover from the little girl's loss.
"She was open-hearted. Everywhere she goes, she was like a sun."
— Miles Proust
