'We are very proud': hero guard remembered as Bondi Westfield reopens

He died a hero.

That's the message Australia's Muslim community wants people to know about security guard Faraz Tahir, one of the six victims of the stabbing at Bondi Junction Westfield on the weekend.

At the opening of Bondi Westfield today members of the Muslim community came to pay their respects.

The national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Inamulhaa Kauser wanted to see exactly where his young friend died.

"We are very proud of him," he said. "He didn't shy away from danger."

Mr Tahir was working his first daytime shift at the centre.

The 30-year-old Pakistani national had fled religious persecution in his home country.

Sources say he was the first on the day to confront Joel Cauchi on his deadly rampage, an act of bravery that cost him his life.

His four siblings overseas remain "deeply distressed" by his death, said Mr Kauser. His parents had passed away when he was a child.

Queensland man Joel Cauchi, 40, stabbed 18 people during the shocking attack on Saturday afternoon.

There were sombre scenes as Westfield reopened for the first time since it happened for a day of reflection.

Members of the public, politicians and community leaders walked through the centre to pay their respects, amongst a heavy police presence.

Visitors were offered black ribbon commemoration pins to wear as a symbol of respect to remember the victims.

Georgie Rosen, 16, has lived in Bondi her whole life.

Ms Rosen said she felt connected to the families who had lost people.

"It was so beautiful to see people commemorating the victims," she said.

But she acknowledged Bondi Junction had changed forever by the attack.

"It's not the same place," she said.

Caroline Macdonald from Darling Point in Sydney wept as she left.

"It shouldn't happen in this country," she said.

Mental health workers from Assure and Lifeline were on hand to console people.

Lifeline counsellor Lily Reed said calls had skyrocketed to the service since the attack as people sought help dealing with the distress.

"There is a lot of shock," she said. "It's good to talk about it."

One retail worker who didn't want to be named said she would be working at the centre tomorrow.

"I didn't want tomorrow to be my first day coming in, I wanted to see how I felt," she said. "It is very shocking because I am here every day and I work here."

Tommy Bonansea, 16, described the attack as "horrible".

He lives down the road.

"It is pretty scary it can happen so close. I feel guilty for those that died."

Retailers will start opening for trade on Friday.

Whether shoppers come back in the same numbers is unknown.

On Monday, two days after the attack Bondi Junction, was a ghost town, a crime scene. Police tape firmly surrounded the Westfield.

Today, it was far more bustling. But it will take time for the city to heal.

"The reaction is very personal, it is not distant at all," said one local.

A candlelight vigil, supported by Waverley Council and the NSW government, will be held on Sunday to allow the community to further grieve from the tragedy.