What happens to accidental heroes when the headlines fade? You get your award and then there's nothing'

"On 22 March 2016, the Australian expat was due to check in for a flight when Islamic State suicide bombers detonated two nailbombs inside Brussels airport. Miraculously unharmed, she sprinted to the exit after the second blast exploded metres away from her but then, risking her life, decided to turn back. Screams, wailing alarms and a thick blanket of dust choked the air. The ceiling had caved in. It turned from buzzing with life to a war zone."

"Off-duty nurse Lynne Beavis ran towards gunfire rather than to safety during the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania to help the wounded; holidaymakers Richard Joyes and Timothy Britten rushed into a burning nightclub in the wake of the Bali Bombings, rail worker Samir Zitouni blocked a knife-wielding attacker on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire, saving lives and risking his own."

"Ahmed al Ahmed, the man who tackled and disarmed one of the Bondi beach attackers, stands for the national anthems alongside other first responders after receiving a guard of honour for their service, on day one of the fifth Ashes cricket Test match between Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney on January 4, 2026. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images"

Anneke Weemaes-Sutcliffe smelled burning flesh and pulverised concrete after two nailbombs detonated at Brussels airport on 22 March 2016 and, though unharmed, turned back to help the wounded. She crawled over debris and bodies to tie tourniquets, comfort survivors and call their loved ones. Ordinary people repeatedly risk their lives to aid the injured and confront attackers during mass-violence incidents. Off-duty nurse Lynne Beavis ran towards gunfire during the 1996 Port Arthur massacre to help the wounded. Holidaymakers Richard Joyes and Timothy Britten rushed into a burning nightclub after the Bali Bombings. Rail worker Samir Zitouni blocked a knife-wielding attacker on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire, saving lives and risking his own. Ahmed al Ahmed tackled and disarmed a Bondi beach attacker and later stood with other first responders after receiving a guard of honour. Bystanders are sometimes immortalised by the everyday objects they used to halt violence.

Read at www.theguardian.com