Coogee ‘wall of kindness’ gives hope in Sydney lockdown

A waterfront fence in Sydney’s east has been transformed with hundreds of locals putting up messages of love and gratitude.

Overwhelmed by the despair and devastation she saw in the world, social worker and Coogee resident Sarah Lance felt compelled to put a renewed sense of hope back in her community.

The 31-year-old turned to craft to shine a light in the darkness by heading to a beachside fence that she crossed on her daily walk and setting up a gratitude wall.

“We made some shapes and laminated them and got a basket with hand sanitiser and instructions. We started with a sign that said stay safe and one note to the community saying, ‘Hang in there, this won’t last forever,” she said.

Sarah Lance, who started the hope message wall at Coogee Beach, today. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“The next day the fence was full of people writing lovely messages. I have had to go back and fill the basket a few times.”

Working with families and children in crisis has shown Ms Lance the remarkable power of kind words.

“At the moment not just in Sydney and not just with Covid, things are really grim. Being able to practice gratitude is something that research shows us can increase happiness and wellbeing,” she said.

“There have been people who have written things and it’s nice to see a sense of humour in these times. Lots of people are giving thanks to be living near the ocean and that was a big theme on the wall, being grateful for the ocean and being able to go outside.”

Be Kind

Be Kind

Messages written by locals included people taking a moment to show their love for animals, their friends and their community.

“Grateful for dogs, margs, conversations with friends and warm sunny days,” one person wrote.

“Still better than winter in Europe. Please get the Covid jab,” another wrote.

“Be kind,” was the simple message from yet another person.

Ms Lance’s initiative has prompted other locals to follow suit, with one person putting roses out on offer for anyone struggling with their mental health.

The hope message wall at Coogee Beach, today. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“If Covid affects your mental health, pick a rose and know you are not alone,” the rose wall read.

Overwhelmed by the response, Ms Lance will be taking the wall down in the coming days to prevent the notes littering into the ocean but will share the messages on her social media account to keep their spirit alive.

“It has given me a lot of hope to see people reading the messages. Unfortunately, it is only temporary but I will keep them and try and turn it into something that people can share,” she said.

The yoga teacher said she may post the messages to her Instagram account to allow people to read them once they have been taken down.

“It’s incredible to see so many people promoting it (the wall). We need connection to survive. It’s important to still find ways to connect with the community in this environment,” she said.