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Peter Meagher, one of 15 victims of the December 14 Bondi terror attack and the last to be laid to rest, was farewelled this morning at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, where over 1000 family members, friends and colleagues gathered to celebrate his life.
The service, led by Father Richard Leonard, honoured the 61-year-old as a NSW Police detective and a much-loved figure in the rugby community. In his opening address, Father Leonard described Meagher’s death as “tragic and criminal”. “Peter’s life was taken suddenly, violently and far too soon,” he said. “It feels wrong, because it is wrong, and today the church does not pretend otherwise.”
In his eulogy, Peter’s brother, journalist David Meagher, made a powerful statement calling for further gun reform in Australia.
“What happened in Bondi on December 14 was undoubtedly an attack on Jewish people, that is not in dispute,” he said.
“Speaking about the Bondi attack, I heard a very famous Australian say over the weekend, ‘This is not a gun problem, this is an anti-Semitism problem.’ Neither myself nor any other member of our family have any desire to wade into the controversy that has arisen in the wake of the Bondi attack. We are here for Peter and to celebrate the life he lived.
“But when I heard this, I thought, ‘Why can’t it be two things at once?’ Just as we must ask why those killers did what they did, we must also ask how they were able to do it.”
Two days after the anti-Semitic attack in Bondi, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “ready for the fight” to tighten gun laws in Australia, even as the Nationals and gun groups pushed back on his proposed gun reforms. The NSW Government also announced on December 19 that it would be introducing the “toughest gun laws in a generation”, limiting the number of guns one person can own from 10 to four.
“The killer on December 14 had six legally acquired high-powered guns, which were used to kill 15 people, including my brother,” David continued. “Under new laws, he would be allowed to have four guns.
“What can you do with six guns that you can’t do with four?
“Gun reform alone will not solve hatred or extremism, but an anti-Semite without a gun is just a hate-filled person; an anti-Semite with a gun is a killer.”
He continued: “All Australians should be able to attend a religious celebration or go to the beach, or walk the streets on New Year’s Eve or Mardi Gras without the fear of being shot. Unfortunately, for my family, we no longer have the luxury of being able to say, ‘That will never happen to us.’
“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. He was a cop and even he didn’t need a gun.
“My biggest fear now about Peter is that in the years to come, when people think about him, he will be remembered mostly for the way he died. So I ask you, when you think about Peter, it would be great if you could think about the life he lived, which was a full and rewarding one.
“But if you do think about how his life ended, perhaps reflect on what can be done to prevent it from happening to someone else.”
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