The weather and wind were chilly but the mood was warm among the 600 or so who gathered to watch the memorial service on the big screen. The crowd was certainly livelier than the VIPs inside - when Peter Dutton and Mathias Cormann flashed on the screen they booed, and did the same for Tony Abbott. Margaret Cheah (left) and Judy Scott with their flag that has seen multiple state funerals, royal visits and weddings. Credit:Nick Moir When an image of Paul Keating came up the Labor faithful let out a tremendous cheer. When the video montage of Hawke's life played, there was laughter and tears, as well as boos and cheers from the self-proclaimed 'peanut gallery". Margaret Cheah and Judy Scott, retired teachers from Sydney’s western suburbs were state funeral buffs, who knew to BYO chairs to avoid standing for hours as they did for Gough Whitlam's 2014 memorial at the Town Hall.

"We love a state funeral," Mrs Cheah said. "But this one is special because we lived through it - after teaching politics to primary school students for years nobody remembered a prime minister's name until Bob Hawke came along - every school child in Australia knew him." Loading Mr Hawke’s was their fourth state funeral: they were at Whitlam’s, Neville Wran’s and Hazel Hawke’s, and on each occasion they have brought along Mrs Cheah's Australian flag. The flag, first unveiled from Margaret’s bag for the Sydney Olympics, has been to four state funerals, travelled to the UK for two royal weddings (Kate and William’s, then Harry and Meghan’s) one Silver Jubilee and too many Commonwealth and Olympic Games to count.

The two women in their 70s have travelled the world with that flag; although one is a royalist the other a Republican. Their flag, and veils and Dame Edna glasses they travel with and have worn on royal and state occasions have made European television news. At the Hawke memorial they used the flag to warm their knees. "I think Bob Hawke would have preferred the union jack not be on the flag but he'd appreciate that we were here," Mrs Scott said. Loading Both women taught together for 15 years at Hilltop Road Public School in Sydney's west, were lifelong members of the Teachers Union, and fondly remember the mood of the nation on what they called "Bob's finest day" the morning after Australia II won the 1983 America's Cup. "That's my greatest memory of him - his pride and enthusiasm were infectious and we had a big dress up day at school and a giant cake in the shape of a yacht," Mrs Scott said.