They were standing on the Isabella Drive footbridge and under the shade across from the Chisholm fire station ordinary people who wanted to pay their respects to firefighter David Balfour and his family.
Despite the hot weather, they stood and watched the impressive funeral cortege being escorted by vintage and current fire trucks, police motorcycles and an ambulance, with the Snowy Hydro SouthCare and Rural Fire Service helicopters hovering overhead.
The lights of the emergency services vehicles were flashing but the sirens were silent.
Gilmore woman ''Judy'', who preferred not to give her last name, was moved to tears as she watched the procession pause outside the Chisholm fire station where MrBalfour had worked.
His colleagues, stood ramrod-straight in their yellow fire suits, as a car carrying Mr Balfour's widow, Celia, and their three children stopped to acknowledge the officers.
Judy's son is a firefighter and her grandchildren know the Balfour children. She found it difficult not to cry. She wanted to show her sympathy.
''It's terrible,'' she said. ''I just feel for his wife and children.''
Vivienne Coble, of Monash, was on the footbridge watching with her children Lachlan, 3, and Joshua, eight months. Her husband Peter is also an officer with the ACT Fire Brigade and she wanted to be there as a show of support.
''You just think it could have happened to you,'' she said.
Mrs Coble was with her friend Natalie Hogan, of Tharwa, and son Isaac, 2.
''It was so sad watching the hearse going past. It's so close to home. You just think, 'That poor lady','' MrsHogan said.
The funeral cortege later stopped outside the Phillip fire station where officers also stood to attention, before making its way to the Woden lawn cemetery where an impressive guard of honour had formed with all the colours of the ACT emergency services family: the blue of the Fire Brigade, white of the Rural Fire Service, orange of the State Emergency Service, green of the Ambulance Service, cream of the Territory and Municipal Services firefighters and light blue of the Community Fire Unit volunteers.
Mrs Balfour seemed moved by the wall of blue that was the ACT Fire Brigade out in force, craning in the car to look back at her husband's colleagues.
Fire Brigade Station Officer Peter Rayner was among the officers who wanted to honour a mate they remembered as always happy and a bit mischievous.
''In a smaller brigade, everyone knows everyone else and it becomes really personal,'' he said.
''Everyone knew Dave. He was a really nice guy. I'm amazed by how many people are here. It's incredible.''
Ben Moore, a Community Fire Unit volunteer from Fadden, said MrBalfour helped train some of the local residents so they could join the unit.
''The Fire Brigade has a lot to do with a lot of different people and the members have a lot of input into so many people's lives so it's obviously a sad day to be here but it's the right thing to do and it's great to see so many people come here and pay their respect,'' Mr Moore said.
Gordon McAlpine, commander of the Woden unit of the ACT State Emergency Service, said he simply thought of Mr Balfour as he stood in the guard of honour.
''I was thinking of a comrade who has fought fires, the same as all of us have. It's his last trip. The best we can do is pay him respect and wish him God speed,'' he said.
Then there was Brenda Skipper, who lives up the road from the church in Gowrie where Mr Balfour's funeral was held, who earlier in the day had come out to offer a glass of water to the SES volunteers directing traffic in the hot sun. It was a small gesture but it said a lot ...
''We couldn't do without them,'' Mrs Skipper said.
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