Funeral services to be held for Sydney siege victims

SYDNEY -- Funeral services will be held on Tuesday for two hostages died in a cafe siege in downtown Sydney last week.

Katrina Dawson, a 38-year-old mother of three, and Lindt Cafe manager Tori Johnson, 34, were killed by Man Haron Monis after the extremist gunman took 17 people hostage in a 16-hour ordeal inside a city cafe last Monday.

Dawson's memorial service will be held at the University of Sydney, where she studied Arts/Law and Johnson's family and friends will hold a private memorial service at St Stephen's Uniting Church, which is only a few hundred meters from where he died.

The family of Dawson, who was buried privately on Monday, has asked attendees to wear aqua, Dawson's favorite color to honor her life.

Meanwhile, the massive floral tribute that has grown in Martin Place near the scene of the siege is being removed ahead of the wet weather expected to hit the city.

The flowers will be mulched and used in a planned memorial to be built near the cafe, New South Wales (NSW) Premier Mike Baird said.

More than 100 volunteers along with Sydney City council workers will collect the flowers and all notes, messages and cards.

Condolence books will be kept at NSW Parliament House and the Opera House until the end of January.

"The condolence books will be bound in several volumes and one complete copy will be provided to each family," Baird said.