Hundreds mourn for Rita

By Alison Noonan
HUNDREDS of mourners packed St Agatha’s Catholic Church for the funeral of murdered Cranbourne woman Rita Byrne.
Griefstricken family and friends, still reeling from the shock of last week’s grisly discovery, said farewell yesterday to a caring and gentle grandmother.
Mrs Byrne, 77, was found dead in her burning Camms Road home in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
It was initially thought the widow may have died of smoke inhalation, but police now believe she was asphyxiated before an accelerant was used to start the fire.
Son Paul Byrne said he last saw his mother on the Saturday before her death when the pair went Christmas shopping.
Mr Byrne spoke at the funeral of a devoted churchgoer and active community member who migrated to Australia from Ireland with her husband and four young children in 1963.
He described his mother as a social woman who loved to travel and made friends wherever she went.
“She was planning a trip to Ireland to visit her relatives next year,” he said.
“She worked hard for the Leprosy Foundation and singing in the church choir was the highlight of her week.
“She had this gift of instant rapport with people. All my friends just fell in love with her.”
Mr Byrne said love and acceptance were important values to Rita, who always taught her children to treat others the way you would like to be treated.
“She had a wonderful sense of humour and an infectious laugh,” he said.
“She was an avid reader and music lover and completely devoted to her family.”
He said his mum was just beginning to find her own life after the death of her husband of 53 years last year.
“We were all still getting over that, still recovering.
“But mum wouldn’t leave Cranbourne after dad’s death. She didn’t want to move from her friends.
“At least now she will be with her husband again and they can laugh and annoy each other,” he said.
Mr Byrne this week made an emotional plea for his mother’s killer to come forward as he struggled to come to terms with her senseless and brutal death.
“How can we make sense of her death?
“We had all been prepared for the grief of her death being an accident but this has left us numbed and shaken.
“Why would someone do something like this? “If anyone knows anything, even if you think it’s insignificant, please come forward.
“I would like to get these people who did this terrible thing,” he said.
Police set up an information caravan on Camms Road on Tuesday morning as part of a public appeal to help solve the murder.
Detectives have released images of two men they believe were seen near Mrs Byrne’s house about 6am on Tuesday.
One of the men is described as being aged in his late teens to early 20s, 168172cm, of thin build, fair complexion with blonde shaggy shoulder length hair and a goateestyle stubble beard.
He was wearing a black windcheater with hood, light blue shredded, denim jeans and blundstone boots.
The other man is in his early 20s, 170175cm, of medium build, olivetanned complexion with short spikey hair.
He was wearing a black windcheater with a red horizontal band around the waist and dark pants.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.