ABOUT 30,000 people attended a march in Melbourne, Australia yesterday to honour Irish woman Jill Meagher, who was murdered in the city on September 22nd.
Among those attending was Ms Meagher’s mother, Edith McKeon, who went to the Duchess Boutique where a CCTV camera had filmed the last-known sighting of her daughter as she spoke with a man in a blue hooded top. He has since been charged with her rape and murder.
Accompanied by family members, Ms McKeon read messages attached to the hundreds of bouquets of flowers left outside the boutique, which has become an impromptu shrine to Ms Meagher (29).
“I would like to thank the huge support from Melbourne. It’s just been unbelievable and just thank you,” Ms McKeon said.
“Simply, thank you and I hope they put cameras in here. Keep people safe and just thank you everybody for all your support.”
Posters announcing the march appeared around Melbourne and online after Ms Meagher’s body was found on Friday morning.
The march through the Brunswick suburb where Ms Meagher lived started at midday on Sydney Road, where she was last seen alive. The march paused for a minute’s silence in a nearby park.
Local mayor, John Kavanagh, told ABC radio it was an important event for the community. “It’s actually not a council-organised march, but we’re supportive of whatever the community want to do. We’ll be looking at ways in which to recognise the life of Jill over the next few days, but at the moment it’s the community’s role and right to celebrate her life in whichever manner they feel fit, while respecting the family.”
Mr Kavanagh said the community’s response to Ms Meagher’s death had been overwhelming. “It’s really comforting that in a time when people feel isolated in the community, that when things are really down, and they couldn’t get much more tragic than this event – that the community is able to come together and unite and comfort each other,” he said.
Philip Werner, who organised the march, said the huge numbers attending was a sign of how strongly the community felt.
Adrian Ernest Bayley (41) has been charged with Ms Meagher’s rape and murder.
