Rollcall of respect as politicians and diplomats mourn the passing of Kimberley Kitching

As Penny Wong arrived to face the cameras outside St Patrick’s Cath­edral on Monday afternoon, Richard Marles stood a few steps back.

To onlookers it was obvious he did not want to be photographed alongside one of the “cantankerous cabal”, whose mere appearance at Kimberley Kitching’s memorial would make headlines.

The deputy Labor leader waited a few minutes until the clicking of the cameras had stopped before he stepped up to sign his name in the Catholic Church’s register.

Kitching – or as some comrades called her, “the senator of senators” – would certainly have been wryly amused by the political archipelago of powerbrokers, diplomats and even a former prime minister who descended on ­Melbourne to mourn her shock passing … from conservative columnist Andrew Bolt to former Victorian Labor premier Steve Bracks, Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp, former Australian­Super boss Ian Silk and the French ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault. (“For the record, our parliament has just lost its best French speaker, a skill that we may need,” Bill Shorten quipped during his touching tribute.)

Andrew Landeryou and family. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty.

As Andrew Landeryou, her husband of more than 20 years put it: “I thank you all so much for being here in such strength and unity, from the length and breadth of this land: family, Kimberley‘s parliamentary colleagues, dear friends, old foes, neighbours and constituents and so many people whose life was touched by Kimba’s light … to celebrate Kimberley Kitching’s daring and courageous and resilient and magnificently impactful, tragically short life.”

And lo, the factional fracas and petty party politics were put aside, for a few hours at least. (Even though. as one attendee morbidly advised before the funeral had even began … you can’t work the room too hard, obviously, as it will put people off, but you shouldn’t pass up such a great networking opportunity.)

Anthony Albanese shook hands with Joel Fitzgibbon as they made their way into the church.

Shorten bowed to a Buddhist monk before joining his wife, Chloe, and three children, Georgie, Rupert and Clementine.

There were (faceless) men and women from past and present: Don Farrell; Kristina Keneally; Katy Gallagher; Tanya Plibersek, Kim Carr, Michelle Rowland, Tony Burke, Mark Dreyfus, Madeleine King, Brendan O’Connor, Jacinta Collins, Michael Danby and Sam Dastyari. Wayne Swan and Stephen Conroy ascended the steps ­together.

Anthony Albanese and Daniel Andrews. Picture: David Caird

Kimba’s conspirators and confidantes from the infamous Otis Group: Labor Right’s Anthony Chisholm, Raff Ciccone, Deborah O’Neil, Helen Polley and the Left’s Anne Aly. And her cross-party friends in The Wolverines: Liberals Andrew Hastie, Tim Wilson and James Paterson, plus Nationals senator Matt Canavan.

Nine Network political commentator Chris Uhlmann watched the service with his wife, Gai Brodtmann, a former federal Labor MP.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was joined by his state Treasurer Tim Pallas, Employment Minister Jaala Pulford and Sport Minister Martin Pakula. Meanwhile, Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy avoided making eye contact with Tim Smith, his car-crashing former bestie.

Tony Abbott arrived alongside his former chief of staff Peta ­Credlin and her husband, Brian Loughnane; former defence minister Kevin Andrews with his wife, Margaret.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce led the strong show of support from Scott Morrison’s cabinet. He was flanked by Fin­ance Minister Simon Birmingham, Defence Minister Peter Dutton, Attorney-General Michaelia Cash, Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston.

Penny Wong. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Kristina Keneally. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Assistant Women’s Minister Amanda Stoker, Zed Seselja, Michael Sukkar, Sarah Henderson, ousted minister Alan Tudge and the federal parliament’s presiding officers – House of Representatives Speaker Andrew Wallace and Senate president Slade Brockman – bowed their heads for a ­silent prayer as She by Elvis Costello played.

John Setka rocked up solo, sporting a CFMEU-branded black shirt. ACTU president Michele O’Neil stuck to the traditional sombre funeral attire, while federal MP Libby Coker turned heads in a suit made of Labor red.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson wiped away a tear as she sat in the pews alongside her chief of staff James Ashby.

Rounding out the colourful cast of crossbenchers was Greens senator Janet Rice.

There was also a large representation from the diplomatic corps, as well, including the US, UK, Japan, Taiwan, Israel and more. Condolence messages were read out from the Dalai Lama, founder of the Magnitsky movement Bill Browder and Geoffrey Robertson QC.

However, one of the most important attendees wasn’t one that you or I would recognise. It was a young woman, Roya, wearing a yellow scarf. With the help of Kimba, she and 29 other people managed to escape Kabul before it fell to the Taliban last year.

As Landeryou reflected of his lioness: “Politics can be, maybe it even has to be, fickle. Kimberley was not.”