Bondi shooting victim Peter Meagher believed in the power of service, his funeral hears

“I would like to extend a special welcome to our Jewish sisters and brothers. As Archbishop Fisher [of Sydney] A few days after the Bondi terrorist attack, he reminded us that Jesus was a Jew, born to a Jewish mother, born under Jewish law. Mary and Joseph were Jews. “Christians are children of Jews, so an attack on Jews is an attack on all of us.”

Loading

Peter, 61, was a member of the NSW Police Force for 34 years, rising to the position of detective sergeant until his retirement in 2021. And ‘Marzo’, as he was called, was volunteering at Randwick Rugby, where his family were considered the club’s royalty for decades.

When he died, he was doing what he loved: photographing Hanukkah celebrations for Chabad, the Orthodox Jewish group that employed his wife, Virginia, at her school.

Virginia told many of her friends that she and 14 others were killed at the Hanukkah event at Archer Park in Bondi.

“As we were leaving that Sunday at 4:15 p.m., I said, ‘Give them my love,’” he said. “And all of our lives were changed forever.”

Virginia and Peter met at eHarmony in 2009; Neither of them had ever been married and had no children. She said the man was a police officer and she was the daughter of prison officers. It took five months for them to meet for a date. “We had a very slow burn,” he said.

He was the first person to buy her flowers. His friends in the Jewish community said he was a “mensch.”

Her late husband was described as kind, gentle, quiet and interesting. “He was all of these and so much more. He was sensitive and cried expertly at movies. He was a real old school boy,” he said. When they went out to dinner, he would sit with his back to the wall to keep an eye on her.

Speaking on behalf of the rugby community, Morgan Turinui, a former Wallaby, began by apologizing for not giving Peter a lifetime membership to Randwick Rugby Club, where he had volunteered for decades.

Turinui said life members of the club included Peter’s grandfather Wally, a Wallabies Hall of Famer, and his father Ron, a “quality back” who was a referee.

Peter’s name was not on the list because his life’s work was not yet completed.

“Our feeling was that, although deserved, this seemed premature and almost presumptuous. “Simply put, the most generous man I have ever known still had so much more to give.

“Through decades of quiet, consistent service, Peter has become the owner of his own place; he has not been the center of attention. He has kept it for others.”

Meagher was remembered as a quiet, intelligent and extremely kind man, a police officer who took a phone call every day from a drug addict in prison to keep the young man’s hopes alive.

“His calmness was legendary and truly unique: to give just one example, [his brother] Andrew once took her to an AC/DC concert and she actually managed to fall asleep,” David Meagher recalled.

Retired deputy commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said Peter had received numerous commendations for his service.

“Peter has received three separate Commissioner Commendations, which is extremely rare.”

One of these was for his response to the inquest following the Lindt cafe siege and his assistance to the coronial inquest.

Start your day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.