Heavily pregnant Leila Abdallah listens to emotional speech from husband Danny as they are joined by two prime ministers and a premier to unveil memorial to four children killed by drunk driver in Oatlands crash tragedy
The Abdallah and Sakr families have emotionally unveiled a permanent memorial to their children who were tragically killed by a drunk driver.
A heavily pregnant Leila Abdallah and her husband Danny Abdallah paid tribute to their lost ‘angels’ at the ceremony outside Oatlands Golf Club, in Sydney’s west, on Saturday.
Current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in attendance, as were his predecessor Scott Morrison, NSW Premier Chris Minns and former Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet, who have all spent time with the family since the tragedy.
Mr Abdallah thanked his wife for being his “pillar of strength” as they unveiled four sandstone pedestals with the faces of each of the children.
The Abdallah’s lost their children Antony13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and their niece Veronique Sakr, 11 when they were hit by a car on February 1, 2020, while walking on a footpath to buy ice cream at Oatlands.
Mr Abdallah paid tribute to his lost family and thanked everyone who supported him through their grief.
“Leila, thank you for being a pillar of strength and carrying your grief with grace and dignity,” he said.
“I remember coming here every morning at dawn the day after the tragedy and for the next few days. I was a broken man in tears asking God why?’
“And then a family member came to me and said, ‘Danny, stop asking why and start asking how.'”
Leilah, Danny and Alex Abdallah paid tribute to their lost family members in an emotional tribute outside Oatlands Golf Club, in Sydney’s west, on Saturday
Mr Abdallah thanked his heavily pregnant wife for being his ‘pillar of strength’ as they unveiled the sandstone plinths containing the faces of each of their children.
Alex and Danny gave emotional speeches about the grief they have experienced since a drunk driver killed three of Alex’s siblings and his cousin in early 2020.
The family had long fought for the creation of a permanent memorial in the aftermath of their tragedy
The driver of the ute, Samuel Davidson, then 29, was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, driving erratically and too fast when he fatally struck the group of seven children, killing four.
Davidson was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison, with a minimum of 15 years in 2021.
Mr Abdallah has previously told how he underwent a religious conversion thanks to their forgiveness.
The Abdallahs are now expecting their eighth child, and their youngest yet, Alex, recalled how he cried that night as he watched his siblings and cousin die.
“I got scared and hid in my mom’s car,” he said.
‘I didn’t want anything bad to happen.
“I looked at the car and saw Angelina lying on the ground and started crying.”
Nearly 200 guests attended on Saturday and Mr Albanese spent his time praising the Abdallah’s ability to rise ‘from the deepest sorrow’.
Mr Morrison, who offered spiritual guidance to the family in recent years and has since become a close friend of the family, said the memorial had made the area more than just “a place of chaos”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the event, as did his predecessor Scott Morrison, Prime Minister Chris Minns and former Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet
Mr Morrison, who provided spiritual guidance to the family, has since become a close friend of the family
“Can you imagine the pain of not being able to get to your daughter (that night),” he said.
“Danny told me how he saw them putting sheets over their children under this tree.
‘The mountain of sadness, the mountain of tragedy, the mountain of tears, the mountain of questions and fear and the mountain of fear.
“Through their faith, they found a way to find forgiveness and cast that mountain into the sea.”
The pedestals are each printed with photos of the children and are placed before an etching with the phrase “eternal life, forgiveness through tragedy” and a plaque commemorating the surviving children.
The monument was finally confirmed after years of struggle between the Abdallahs for its erection 80 percent of the Oatlands Golf Club board approved it last year.
The family said the memorial would bring them much-needed closure.
The children were in the crowd when they were hit by a car as they walked on a footpath to buy ice cream at Oatlands
Three other children were injured in the tragedy
Danny and Leila publicly forgave Davidson and it was revealed that he has since become a Maronite Catholic in prison.
A brave Ms Abdallah returned to the scene two days after the horror crash, where she held hands and prayed a rosary with loved ones before famously forgiving Davidson for his actions.
‘The man (driver)… Right now I can’t hate him. “I don’t want to see him, but I don’t hate him,” she told reporters.
“In my heart I think I should forgive him, but I want the court to be fair…I’m not going to hate him because that’s not who we are.”
The family also established the i4Give day foundation in 2023, with a mission to “increase community awareness of the power of forgiveness to transform human relationships and provide resilience for human flourishing.”
The festival should become an annual event full of fairground attractions, live performances and an open-air film to end the day.
Danny and Leila have since forgiven the drunk driver, who has since become a Maronite Catholic in prison
The Abdallahs said the monument would finally bring them some much-needed closure