Words of Welcome at Funeral Service of Mr Curtis Shu Kei Cheng St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney

Words of Welcome at Funeral Service of Mr Curtis Shu Kei Cheng
St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, 17 October 2015

Welcome all to St Mary's Cathedral this morning as the relatives, police family, and wider community of Sydney gather to pay tribute to Mr Curtis Cheng with full Police Honours and offer prayers for the repose of his soul, for the consolation of his family, and for peace and good order in our society.

Two weeks ago Sydney was shocked by the violent death of an innocent man. He was leaving work after a good week's work, ready to join his family for the hot long weekend ahead. We will hear more about this gentle, loving, family man in this morning's service. That such a man should die, that any innocent person could be shot dead in our city, appals us.

Adding to that shock was the fact that Mr Cheng was a civilian accountant working for the NSW Police and that it seems likely he was killed simply because he was emerging from their Parramatta Headquarters by someone who wanted to hurt the police. As such it was an attack not just on Mr Cheng and his family, but on our police force and our whole community. It was an attack on our security, apparently motivated by hate for our community. And so it was intended to shake our police force, to shake us all. That the assassin was only fifteen years old and had just emerged from a place of worship, a place that should have taught him love and peace, aggravates the whole story for us all.

But here we are, gathered in another place of worship, remembering Mr Cheng, a Buddhist, who had close connections to the police chaplaincy and who often visited this Cathedral and prayed here when he worked nearby at the College Street police building. His son is a Catholic and his daughter an Anglican. Together they and all of us present are a counter-sign to that recent tragedy, a sign to our world that people of all faiths call live and love as one family. We are united today in our determination not now, not ever, to give in to despair or recrimination, united in our trust in a just and merciful God, and in hope for peace and reconciliation in the community Curtis Cheng served so well. We pray that Almighty God will now welcome him into His loving embrace for all eternity and console the bereaved with the sure and certain hope that one day they will be reunited with Curtis.

Today, I am pleased to welcome to St Mary's Cathedral in their time of grief Mr Cheng's family, especially his widow Selina, son Alpha and daughter Zilvia. They have, I know, been buoyed up through their sorrow by the love and prayers of the police and wider community.

Representing faith communities I acknowledge the presence today of:

• NSW Police Force Senior State Catholic Chaplain, Fr Paul O'Donoghue, who will lead the service today
• NSW Police Force Anglican Chaplain Rev Dan Connor, who will lead our intercessions
• NSW Police Force Buddhist Chaplain Ban Ri Shi
• NSW Police Force Chaplain David Reathmula
• Fr Peter Hosking SJ, from Alpha's school, St Aloysius College, who will proclaim the Gospel.

Representing our civil community:

• His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley, Governor of NSW, and Mrs Linda Hurley
• Premier Mike Baird MP and Mrs Kerryn Baird
• Deputy Premier and Minister for Justice and Police Troy Grant
• Leader of the Opposition Luke Foley
• Several other members of parliament.

Representing our police forces:

• NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and Mrs Joy Scipione
• Deputy Commissioners Catherine Burn, Nick Kaldas and David Hudson with a great many police personnel
• South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens
• Victoria Police Chief Police Commissioner Graham Ashton
• Northern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw
• Tasmania Police Commissioner Darren Hine
• Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin
• West Australia Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Dreibergs
• New Zealand Deputy Police Commissioner Glen Dunbier along with many members of the NSW Police Force, colleagues and friends of Mr Cheng and his family, and ordinary members of the public. To all of you a very warm welcome.