Luke Davies’ friends, colleagues say goodbye with glitter and dancing

Days after Jesse Baird’s and Luke Davies’ bodies were found, Davies’ colleagues celebrate his life with glitter and love at Mardi Gras.

Luke Davies’ colleague and friend has his name adorned on his face at Sydney’s Mardi Gras. Picture: Chris Pavlich

Luke Davies’ mum walks behind her late son’s colleagues in a Mardi Gras float he would have been front-and-centre on.

If he loved two things in this world, they were his work and his mum Sandy, his Qantas colleagues say, so the tribute is fitting.

It’s just weeks since Luke and his boyfriend, TV presenter Jesse Baird, were allegedly murdered in a Paddington home by serving police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon, and days since their bodies were found in a shallow grave in the southern tablelands.

But Sydney Mardi Gras is a day for celebration – of life and identity – his friends and peers say, so they keep it together as they perform their choreographed dance down Oxford Street in rainbow-coloured capes and black short-shorts, which was rehearsed over many tears.

“I’ll bring it back to a celebration because as much as I can, I’m celebrating his life,” Luke’s best friend Lee Kearney says when asked how the last two weeks had been for him.

“It’s destroying. But for me, being here with the float, I’m representing him. And I’m going to do him proud tonight.”

He has Luke’s name written in sparkly letters across his cheek. The Qantas float – an aeroplane nose and tail – is also tagged with his name.

Lee Kearney dancing in the Mardi Gras. Picture: Chris Pavlich

The Australian stands around in a marshalling area with some of Davies’ closest friends ahead of the parade, as they reminisce about their joyful colleague.

He loved a cup of coffee and Taylor Swift, they say. He loved entertaining and pleasing people. He was fun but professional in his work.

Luke’s big dream was to become international cabin crew – a dream he secured in November.

“Unfortunately, I never got to go on that one (long-haul) flight with him,” Lee says.

Lee met Luke when they both pivoted careers to aviation in 2017. They had an instant connection.“He was the most beautiful, genuine, gentle soul I’d ever met … We clicked, we helped each other, it was phenomenal,” Lee said.

“He wasn’t one of those friends where you go, oh, I haven’t spoken to him in three weeks, I better give him a call. He’d beat you to it.”

Jack Dawson, who started ground school with Luke and spent eight weeks with him Melbourne, recalled their last flight together.

Luke Kearney and Marcus Burk. Picture: Chris Pavlich

“My last flight with Luke was from Brisbane to Perth. We had a very intoxicated passenger who threw up all over himself on landing. But Luke was the kindest and most understanding person, he got the passengers clothes out, got them changed before they had to get off the aircraft. It’s a testament to the kind of person he was. No judgement, just pure heart,” Jack says.

He says while they were only in each other’s lives for two years, it was “enough time to fall in love with him”.

Holly Scanlon holds her friends in her arms as she describes Luke as “sunshine in human form”.

Cooper Smeaton – also long-haul cabin crew – used to call him the “golden smile”. They were meant to fly to Shanghai together on Monday, he says sadly.

Mardi Gras was tinged with grief on Saturday, with a moment of silence as the Dykes on Bikes made their second lap around Taylor Square. “Rest in dreaming my two loved ones,” Nana Miss Koori said at the end of her Welcome to Country.