Sydney Siege Victims Katrina Dawson & Tori Johnson Paid Final Tribute

The funeral of the Sydney Siege victim Katrina Dawson was paid tribute in her funeral at the Great Hall of Sydney University. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was also present during the ceremony.

Mourners appeared in aqua coloured clothes during the funeral ceremony. They were asked to wear the colour or bring something aqua coloured by Dawson's family as it was her favourite colour. Friends, colleagues, dignitaries and family members of Dawson gathered in the hall as a slide show of the happy moments of Dawson played on. The weather was gloomy as the sky opened up. People gathered with umbrellas, while Abbott was escorted to the venue. Herald Sun reported that classical music drifted above the heads of the mourners. Former colleague Jeremy Stoljar SC said that they were trying to remember the happy times they had spent with Dawson in spite of the tragedy. "She had it all. She looked after the younger ones, she worked with the older ones," Stoljar said, "She put 100 per cent into everything she did...she was the best friend anyone could have."

Another funeral paid tribute to another victim of the Sydney Siege, Tori Johnson. Traffic was halted on Macquarie St outside the St Stephen's Uniting Church as a white hearse bearing Johnson's coffin arrived for the morning service. Senior members of the police force and public figures joined his family, partner and workmates. Some of them included those who had been hostages during the siege last week. News.com.au reported that the 34-year-old was remembered for his "love, generosity and life" as the order of service booklet of the ceremony read so. Many of the attendees knew Johnson for a long time, while some of them knew him only during the hours when the café was under siege by Man Haron Monis.

The Muslim community in Australia earlier released a statement condemning the "criminal act unequivocally." The Grand Mufti of Australia and the Australian National Imams Council jointly said that Islam denounces such actions "in part and in whole." In addition to the viral hashtag #sydneysiege, A Twitter hashtag #illridewithyou, promoting support for Australian Muslims got viral. A Sydney mosque held multi-faith prayers during maghrib (sunset) as a response to the Sydney siege.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@IBTimes.com.au