A retired detective killed in the Bondi terror attack has been remembered as an “incredibly moral and honest man” during a funeral service held three weeks after his death.
Peter Meagher was working as a freelance photographer at the Chanukah by the Sea event on December 14 when he was fatally shot.
His funeral, the final service held in connection with the attack, took place at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney and was attended by hundreds of mourners.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among those present, having previously said he would attend the funerals of Bondi victims if invited by their families.
Meagher served with the NSW Police Force for three decades.
His family said in a statement that his “kindness, generosity and love touched everyone who knew him”.
He was also a long-time volunteer with Randwick Rugby.
The club’s general manager, Mark Harrisson, previously described Meagher as “one of the heart and soul figures” of the organisation.
A moment of gentle laughter rippled through the cathedral when a jar of lollies was placed near Meagher’s casket, a nod to his well-known sweet tooth.
His police badge, Randwick Rugby jersey and camera were displayed alongside the coffin.
Father Richard Leonard, who had presided over Meagher’s wedding nine years earlier, said it was his “sad honour” to conduct the funeral.
“None of us should be here,” he said.
“Peter’s life was taken suddenly, violently and far too soon … it feels wrong because it is wrong.”
Meagher’s brother, David Meagher, told the congregation that his brother was “the perfect big brother”.
“He looked after us and protected us, which in many ways made him the perfect candidate for the police force,” he said.
David Meagher described his brother as having a gentle and calm nature and spoke about the importance of gun reform in the wake of the attack.
“What can you do with six guns that you can’t do with four? Gun reform alone will not solve hatred or extremism,” he said.
“But an antisemite without a gun is just a hate-filled person, an antisemite with a gun is a killer.
“My brother was a police officer for more than 30 years. He carried a gun every day of his working life and he never drew it once.”
Meagher’s wife, Virginia Wynne-Markham, said the couple met through an online dating service and that she had been “instantly drawn” to his love of rugby.
She said their relationship was a slow-burning romance and that she received her first ever Valentine’s Day flowers from her future husband.
Wynne-Markham said many of her friends and former colleagues had been at Archer Park on the day of the attack.
“I said to Peter as he left at 4.15 that Sunday [afternoon] ‘give them my love’. And all of our lives are forever changed,” she said.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald worked with Meagher for four years in Maroubra and Malabar.
Meagher received multiple commendations during his 35-year policing career, including for his work on the investigation into the Lindt Café terror attack in Sydney in December 2014.
“What happened to Peter at Bondi was immoral, unjust and indecent, and Peter was none of those things,” Assistant Commissioner Fitzgerald said.
“Peter was an incredibly moral and honest man, he believed in justice, and he believed in good.
“Most importantly, Peter was inherently decent, caring and compassionate in everything he did, and that is the Peter I wish to remember.”
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