Hundreds pay tribute to Luke Davies in Brisbane park memorial
Family and friends attended a memorial in memory of Davies. (Getty/@jessebairddd/Instagram)
The family of Luke Davies have paid tribute to the flight attendant at a memorial service at a park in Brisbane.
Davies and his partner Jesse Baird were allegedly murdered by a serving New South Wales Police officer in February. Their deaths rocked the LGBTQ+ community in Australia, and beyond.
Before moving to Sydney to work as an international flight attendant for Qantas – who paid a moving tribute to the killed gay couple at Mardi Gras – Davies lived in the inner-city suburb of New Farm.
Hundreds of his family members and friends attended New Farm Park on 20 April for the memorial service, with many wearing white in honour of Davies.
Luke’s brother John read an obituary in honour of his sibling, saying: “I will go on forever trying to be like you.”
A former teacher of Davies, Stuart Chrichton, said his “infectious positivity would overshadow the darkness of his death”.
He added: “He brought pure goodness, light; he had a cheeky, fun-loving demeanour.”
Back in March, the entire Mardi Gras parade held a moment’s silence in memory of the couple. The moving act was described as a “chance to collectively reflect on the lives of Jesse and Luke and to stand together in solidarity”.
Qantas dedicated its parade float in honour of former cabin crew member Davies, emblazoning his name on the side of a ‘plane.’
Davies started working with Qantas in September 2022 in Brisbane before moving to Sydney in November last year to work across the company’s international network.
Football team the Sydney Swans also paid tribute to the couple by wearing black armbands during the parade.
TV presenter Baird’s body was found alongside that of his boyfriend Davies on 27 February. The pair were last seen alive on 19 February.
Serving police officer Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, who reportedly once dated Baird, has been charged with their murders. Police allege the killings were “of a domestic nature” rather than a “gay-hate crime”.
