Before court proceedings commenced on Monday, magistrate Kevin Hockey paid tribute to Mr Lucas, saying he had served with "great distinction" and passing on his regards to Mr Lucas' family "on behalf of the court and all those present".

Afterwards, Bathurst solicitor Shane Cunningham, who trained under Mr Lucas, said he would be missed by all who knew him.

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"Terry was a very compassionate, family-orientated man who dispensed justice in a very balanced way," Mr Cunningham said.

Mr Cunningham said Mr Lucas was a kind, thoughtful and generous man.

"He would give you the shirt off his back," he said.

"He was incredibly down to earth and that's what made him such a great magistrate. He could relate to people's real life experiences. He was an outstanding individual who will be very sadly missed."

Mr Cunningham said Mr Lucas had been instrumental in his own decision to become a solicitor.

"My earliest recollection of Terry was when I was at a cross road about what I wanted to do myself, so I went and spoke with him about the possibility of doing an MBA or law.

"He said to me, with the greatest respect, if I did an MBA, I might get a job managing a car wash, but if I did law, it would open doors."

Mr Cunningham said Mr Lucas went "above and beyond" supporting him from that moment on to become a prosecutor.

"Through Terry's sole efforts I was able to secure a trainee prosecution position in the country (rather than going to Sydney), it was the first time that happened in NSW."

Mr Cunningham said while on the bench, Mr Lucas became known for his pragmatism and empathy.

"He always took into account the principles of sentencing, but at the same time had empathy for people, and understood the difficult backgrounds some people come from," he said.

He said he will always have fond memories of travelling to different court locations with Mr Lucas and laughed when he recalled "the rubbish music" he played on the journeys.

"They were really great days," he said.

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