Bruce Baird farewelled at Sydney’s St Andrew’s Cathedral

Family, former political colleagues and people he had supported gathered at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney on October 12 to farewell former Liberal politician Bruce Baird, who died aged 84.

Sydney Archbishop Kanishka Raffel presided over the service. Former prime ministers John Howard and Scott Morrison attended, along with former foreign minister Julie Bishop and former New South Wales premiers Nick Greiner and Gladys Berejiklian.

Baird’s children Mike, Julia and Stephen spoke about their father. Mike, a former NSW premier, thanked the archbishop for offering the larger cathedral to accommodate the people wishing to attend.

The congregation also included former asylum seekers who had benefited from Baird’s advocacy. His political career included service in both the NSW and federal parliaments, and he was remembered for his work supporting Sydney’s Olympic bid.

Baird died on October 2 after collapsing in an airport lounge in Singapore. Monday’s gathering marked his funeral, rather than a new announcement of his death.