PM says its ‘entirely reasonable’ Abdallah family should get memorial
Leaders from all levels of government and all sides of politics have condemned a Sydney golf club as “soulless” for prioritising profits over compassion.
NSW
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Leaders from all levels of government and all sides of politics have condemned a Sydney golf club as “soulless” for prioritising profits over compassion.
It comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed the Oatlands Golf Club was hoping to build 193 apartments on its site.
The deal — which will earn them a swanky new clubhouse among other perks — comes just six months after they rejected plans for a memorial for four children who died in a car crash.
Danny Abdallah’s children — Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12 and Antony, 13 — and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11 were killed when a drunk and drugged driver ploughed into them with his ute.
Pressure on the club is also mounting from Canberra, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying he is “very distressed” by the club’s failure to help the families of the children.
Labor MP Jihad Dib and Sophie Cotsis have also pushed for the club to be “called out” on their actions.
Mr Dib, who has been working alongside Parramatta MP Geoff Lee to get the memorial over the line, said the club has been “disingenuous”.
“It’s really disappointing that they didn’t speak about that (the development plans) from the outset when we were working so hard in good faith to make it happen,” he said.
“The greatest irony is that the club tried to play the victim. They came across as quite arrogant, unwilling to budge and disingenuous.
“They have completely shown a real tone-deafness to community sentiment and the role they can play in mending the nation’s broken heart.”
Ms Cotsis said she was confident Mr Perrottet would share the community’s outrage over the club’s behaviour.
“He needs to pick up the phone and call them out,” she said.
“Politics aside, I think the premier is probably outraged as much as we are, but he has the power to actually take action.”
The club’s dismissive behaviour towards the family’s heartbreak has pushed local council candidate Lee Malkoun to make both the memorial and opposing the development his key policies.
“We would happily work with the golf course on a solution. We would explore every avenue,” he said.
“Danny is a close friend of mine. When I lost my father, he was there for me. And I supported him when he was going through his loss.”
‘IT’S ONLY FAIR:’ PM SLAMS GOLF CLUB AFTER MEMORIAL SNUB
It is “entirely reasonable” a Sydney family’s “simple, honest and humble” request to build a memorial where four children died in a car crash is respected, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said.
Following revelations the Oatlands Golf Club was pursuing an apartment development on its land Mr Morrison said it was “only fair” a memorial, which was rejected six months ago, be created.
“I ... am very distressed about that,” he said.
“These awful events, we have become family friends through them.
“It has been such an ordeal for them. Both families have shown such grace and forgiveness that it has humbled all of us.”
Father Danny Abdallah said he was disappointed by the Golf Club’s pursuit of a 193 unit apartment complex following its refusal to allow a memorial for his three children — Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12 and Antony, 13 — and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, who were killed when a drunk and drugged driver ploughed into them.
Mr Morrison said he had been in discussion with Premier Dominic Perrottet about the families’ desire to build a memorial at the site of the car crash.
“I think their simple, honest, humble request that they should be able to memorialise their children that were taken from them is entirely reasonable,” he said.
“I would certainly hope that a fair outcome can be achieved here for them.”
Mr Morrison said he knew Mr Perrottet was working with the families to “hopefully achieve something positive” in relation to a memorial.
“I certainly hope they do,” he said.
Mr Morrison said the four children had “touched the lives” of many Australians and Sydneysiders.
“They have certainly touched mine and (my wife) Jenny’s lives,” he said.
“Not just the loss but the incredible way in which they have responded and shown an example to so many others about the true meaning of faith.
“They are very faithful people. I think they have demonstrated their faith in a way that has just been absolutely beautiful in the most awful circumstances.”
‘COLD-HEARTED’ CLUB SHAME AFTER REJECTED MEMORIAL
A Sydney golf club has been slammed as “cold-hearted” for pursuing an apartment development on its land just six months after rejecting a memorial for four children who died in a car crash at the site.
The father of three of those children, Danny Abdallah, said he was “disappointed” by Oatlands Golf Club’s decision to chase the new development after repeatedly rejecting their memorial plans.
Mr Abdallah’s three children – Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11 – were killed in car crash when a drunk and drugged driver ploughed into them with his ute as they walked on the footpath beside the golf club.
Even Prime Minister Scott Morrison pleaded with the club to show compassion and erect the proposed memorial in memory of the children, only for the club to end discussions on the matter in July.
It can now be revealed the club has submitted a development proposal to the Sydney Central City Planning Panel, seeking approval to build 193 residential apartments on the same Bettington Rd side of the golf course as the proposed memorial.
The development documents show the club is looking at removing the current 18th hole and realigning the 12th hole.
The club dismissed the family’s designs saying they were too elaborate and would unnecessarily remind neighbours and first responders of the tragedy.
At the time, they said the size, scale, and indemnity of the memorial were considered in the decision.
“Opinion is split on what, if anything, should be done, but the formal decision process will not begin until we work through the indemnity issues,” general manager Sam Howe said in July.
Instead, they offered a much smaller memorial, made of four stone plinths 50cm high and 40cm wide.
’COLD-HEARTED’
Skills Minister and Parramatta MP Geoff Lee has blasted the club, calling the plans “just wrong”.
“This golf club showed no compassion and understanding for a local family suffering a terrible tragedy, yet now they expect the community to support them becoming property developers,” he said.
“This proposal is completely out of character with the local community – but so was their cold-hearted attitude to the Abdallah and Sakr families.”
A heartbroken Mr Abdallah said the club had not even allowed its members to have a vote on the memorial and yet were pushing ahead with a vote on the development despite angry residents putting signs outside their homes calling for the project to be canned.
“I am disappointed … They are trying to now arrange 193 apartments,” he said. “I asked if we could get the members to vote for this commemorative garden, we asked them, and they told me ‘No’.”
His cousin David Mannah added that the club valued “commercial decisions” over “moral decisions”.
“It’s a bad reflection on their priorities,” he said.
LONG-TERM PLAN
The Daily Telegraph independently spoke to four club members who said the development was out of character for the suburb which is known for large family homes.
Some of the members also criticised the management’s handling of the local tragedy, with one describing them as having “no remorse, no compassion”.
“I think they’ve got their priorities wrong. The kids’ situation was handled disgustingly,” the member said.
Another said the club revealed it had been planning the apartment development for “some years” according to a newsletter, seen by the Telegraph, but members only found out about the scheme this month.
A third member described the plan as “out of touch” with the community.
“For me, it comes from left field. There was no consultation of members at all.”
A fourth person said members had not been given enough time to consider the planning reports to go with the development, particularly traffic considerations.
The project’s development application on the NSW government planning portal said the apartments would be accompanied by “a new two-level club house, associated carparking and landscaping”.
The club told the Telegraph it did not wish to comment on the issue.
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