Zeeshan Akbar remembered in Queanbeyan one year after tragedy

The 29-year-old, who days before had applied for Australian permanent residency, was allegedly murdered that night in a crime that shocked the close-knit community.

On Saturday evening at 6pm friends of Zeeshan will gather at the same Caltex, just out of town on Bungendore Road, in an attempt to bring happier memories to the tragic scene.

Close friend Hamid Mehmood said he was reminded of the anniversary in a recent conversation with Zeeshan’s father, Mohammad, who lives in Pakistan.

“He reminded me that it’s going to be one year and he started crying,” Mr Mehmood said.

“Zeeshan’s family are sad, but they are surviving.”

Zeeshan grew-up in Karachi, Pakistan, and migrated to Melbourne on a skilled visa in 2009 to become a mechanic.

Six years later he moved to Queanbeyan, sending money home to Pakistan and nursing dreams of one day bringing his family to Australia.

“Zeeshan was always ready to help others,” Mr Mehmood said.

“He was a very good person. Always very positive and honest. We have good memories when we think about him.”

Mr Mehmood said it was hard to believe it had been a year since his friend’s death, but those who knew Zeeshan were determined to celebrate the many positives of his life.

“It’s been one year already and everyone still misses him,” Mr Mehmood said.

“But we are feeling positive about doing things in his memory. Everyone is trying to do something for him.

“There was only one Zeeshan, but he brought so many people together.”

Syed Jaffry played cricket with Zeeshan and remembered umpiring his last game, in which he took two wickets.

After the game, Zeeshan had a long conversation with Mr Jaffry about where his life might be heading.

“I was the one who was umpiring his last game before the tragic incident,” Mr Jaffry said.

“He picked-up two wickets as well. We spoke after the game about how he might progress in his life.”

To remember Zeeshan’s love for the game, Mr Jaffry and other teammates from the Canberra Sharks would play a tribute match in his honour in April, likely on Anzac Day.

“Zeeshan played cricket with us. We thought let’s organise a proper match remembering him with all his friends,” Mr Jaffry said.

“He was very close with us. We would play cricket every weekend with him.”

Last year Zeeshan’s father Mohammad journeyed from Pakistan to Queanbeyan to celebrate the life his son had built in Australia.

Along with Zeeshan’s uncle, they made a video chronicling all the people and places he had loved.

"He would stand with a cup of tea on his balcony and call us as the sun starts to set, so we recorded the view of the mountains from there," Zeeshan’s father Mohammad said through a translator during the visit.

"We recorded everything about where Zeeshan lived and met with the community."

Two teenage boys have been accused of murdering Zeeshan Akbar on April 6 last year.

The pair, aged 15 and 16 at the time, have remained in custody since as the matter has progressed through the Queanbeyan Children’s Court.

They have appeared in court via video link on a number of occasions, the older one from a forensic mental health facility.

There were emotional scenes in the Queanbeyan court late last year, when one of the defendant’s mothers came face-to-face with Zeeshan’s mother, who had travelled from Pakistan for the hearing.

The defendant’s mother broke down in an emotional courtroom outburst, while Zeeshan's mother sat silently in a white headscarf clutching a tissue as her son’s murder was discussed.

Graphic security footage from the night of the alleged murder was shown at a bail hearing for the younger defendant in February this year.

In the footage Zeeshan could be seen entering the service station with the two teenagers.

As he walked towards the counter, one of the two in the footage - identified in court as the 16-year-old - followed him and appeared to stab him.

Zeeshan could then be seen running back towards the entrance while the offender chased him and continued to stab him.

The person identified as the 15-year-old appeared to take what was believed to be a tyre iron from his clothing and removed the till from behind the counter.

The pair then smashed the front doors to leave the service station.

The 15-year-old boy's mother told the court in February that her son was not a violent individual and had been hanging around the wrong crowd.

She told the court her son had completed year 10 studies while incarcerated and hoped to attend CIT if granted bail.

While Magistrate Michael Antrum accepted that the boy's mother would do all she could to ensure he followed bail conditions, he said there were no conditions that could properly mitigate risks to the community if the boy was released.

The accused teens are due back in court in May where the court is likely to decide whether a committal hearing is necessary.The cases will eventually head to the NSW Supreme Court.