They deserved so much better: COVID-19 families unite in grief, pursuit of justice
Families of loved ones killed by COVID want justice as the report into Victoria’s bungled hotel quarantine program is finally made public.
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Devastated Victorian families who lost loved ones to COVID-19 are demanding answers and justice.
The fatally-flawed hotel quarantine program sparked Victoria’s second wave that infected more than 18,000 people, killed 801 and plunged the state into a hard lockdown.
Speaking on behalf of 16 families, lawyer Tony Carbone said the government must be held to account for the devastation.
“The government failed in terms of the way they conducted themselves with the hotel quarantine and you just can’t pass the buck and say ‘we don’t know’ or ‘we don’t have a clue’,” the Carbone Lawyers managing partner said.
“Someone should put up their hands, among the ministers, and admit responsibility for it.
“Why should we have innuendo and speculation as to who is at fault? The bottom line is the captain of the ship should take responsibility.”
Premier Daniel Andrews has previously said he was “ultimately accountable” for his government and the botched scheme.
As the virus — unleashed from the quarantine hotels — swept across Melbourne, vulnerable residents in aged-care homes were the hardest hit.
Almost 650 of the lives lost were connected to aged care.
Sebastian Agnello, who lost his mother, Carmela, 92, said he was “disgusted with the government”.
“They are totally responsible for the second (wave) we have had,” Mr Agnello said.
He said a royal commission was needed to flush out “the hidden agendas by all politicians” connected to the quarantine failure.
He feared the deaths would be “swept under the carpet” with the release of the hotel quarantine inquiry findings four days before Christmas. “I’m gutted there will be no accountability,” Mr Agnello said.
Mr Andrews still had his mother, but more than 800 families would have empty seats at Christmas, Mr Agnello told the Herald Sun.
“The Premier has failed all those people,” he said.
“He knows who made the call to use security guards … If he put his hand up, because we all make mistakes, and took responsibility and move on from there, but he wants to move on without taking responsibility.”
Ann-Marie Jeal, whose 88-year-old mum Olga Boyle died, said: “They all deserved so much more than what they got. It just defies belief.”
Sharon Woodward lost her father Sam Scicluna, 85, and said changes needed to be made “across the board” to prevent a similar tragedy from ever happening again.
“No one deserves to die like that and go through what those poor people did,” Ms Woodward said.
“That’s the sad thing about this situation — there was no one there to hold his hand when he died.”
Carbone Lawyers has launched a class action against Epping Gardens, where 38 residents died, alleging the home was negligent.
“The reality is what happened in Victoria was they forgot about the most vulnerable people, which was the elderly, and those who were sick,” Mr Carbone said.
“If we had looked after the elderly we would have had a much lower number of deaths.”
Mr Carbone said outbreaks in other states never spiralled out of control like in Victoria.
“Our clients’ loved ones paid the ultimate price, didn’t they? Their family members won’t be having Christmas with them this year,” he said. “It will be a period of grieving.”
THE VICTIMS
Carmela Agnello, 92
Sebastian Agnello will remember mum Carmela for many things, but one phrase will forever stick in his mind. “Each time I rang her to say I was coming over to visit she would always say: ‘What can I make for you?’.”
Mr Agnello said his mum was an “Italian lady who could come up with a meal of something at the drop of a hat”.
She was loving, caring and always wanted to try to do something for everyone.
Antonio Croce, 81
Mr Croce was a family man with a wide range of interests and pastimes.
Daughter Luisa Croce said he loved to play cards.
“He was remembered for that. People have come up to me and said they remember him playing cards,” Ms Croce said.
Mr Croce, the first resident at Epping Gardens aged care home diagnosed with the coronavirus, also loved opera
Olga Boyle, 88
Ms Boyle never missed a birthday for her children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren.
“She had an incredible memory and knew how old they were each birthday,” daughter Ann-Marie Jeal said.
She loved quiz shows and crosswords. But it was entertaining that left the biggest mark.
“She catered all our things like engagements — the parties would go for days, ours was the house to be,” Ms Jeal said.
“When the kids were growing up they would bring home friends and she would always be able to feed them all.
“She could whip up a feed so quickly — I don’t know how she did it.”
Sam Scicluna, 85
Two years before his own death, Mr Scicluna lost his wife Carmen to Alzheimer’s disease.
“Dad cared for her before she went into hospital and (after she died) he wasn’t the same — he just wanted to be with her,” daughter Sharon Woodward said.
She remembered him as a “strict family man” who always put those closest to him first.
“He adored his children and grandchildren — we are a very close family — and we were often at Epping … there was someone there pretty much every day,” she said.
Danica Stefanovska, 89
Ms Stefanovska’s thirst for life inspired her family.
“She had a positive attitude and enjoyed life so much,” grandson Robert Guruskovski said.
That love of life caused her to worry about death.
“She didn’t want to die, she always felt she would live to 100,” he said.
Henry Taylor, 88
Peter Taylor uses two words to describe his father: “quiet achiever”.
“He grew up in an orphanage and was thrown out at 13, so I think he did pretty well despite all that,” Mr Taylor said.
“I have described him to people by saying ‘if I asked to meet him and said I needed $10,000 he would have handed it over straight away’. He wouldn’t ask why or anything. He was that sort of guy.”
He never missed a milestone for his grandchildren.
“They were really close to him. He attended every sporting event, every function. He was always there,” Mr Taylor said.
Maureen Battista, 73
Throughout her life Ms Battista enjoyed shopping, and loved it most when she had family at her side.
“When I was a little girl I would go shopping with mum and her sister,” daughter Carly Battista said.
“It was mostly about spending time with family and the grandkids. Every weekend we would go to lunch and a look around the shops.”
Even when she had to use a wheelchair, her enthusiasm didn’t wane. “Spending time with her family was a big thing to her,” Ms Battista said.
Sam Tropea, 71
Mr Tropea didn’t always show his emotions, but his family were in no doubt how he felt.
“He was a practical joker. He could be very serious and wouldn’t show his emotions, but that was his way of interacting with us,” daughter Connie Tropea said.
From squirting them with cleaning products to eating the cooking ingredients before they could be used, “he always used to stir us”, she said.
Mr Tropea passed on a strong work ethic to his children after a career in the building industry, including time as a crane driver.
Concetta Mineo, 89
Nancy Tullio says mum Concetta was “just perfect”.
“We always got along. I never remember arguing, there was never any differences between me and her,” she said.
She always helped with the grandchildren and became their second mum.
“Knitting, cooking, nothing was a problem — nothing. Even as time went on and her health got worse, she always wanted to try and do something,” Ms Tullio said.
“All my life I was close to her. She has left a big gap in our family.”
Jo yce Scipione, 76
Ms Scipione spent most of her time caring for others.
“She was all about family, that is what she devoted her life to,” daughter-in-law Robyn Scipione said.
There was not much she asked for and she was content with living life well, she said.
“She didn’t want much out of life, she just had such good old-fashioned values,” Mrs Scipione said
Zisis Ioanou, 80
Tony Ioanou will always remember father Zisis’ smile.
“He always had a smile on his face. Every time we went to see him, it was there,” he said.
His face would especially light up when he was looking after his grandchildren when they were younger.
“He really cherished the grandkids. He would pick them up from school and take them to his house while we were at work,” Mr Ioanou said.
His grandchildren were now in their 20s and still had a close bond with him.
K athleen Gribble, 75
Ms Gribble had an open-door policy for her family.
“She lived for her family. Her door was always open and everyone was welcome to her,” daughter Nicole McGuiness said.
She hoped the family would continue the traditions her mum began that meant so much to her — all about family and spending time with each other.
“I want us to still do the things we used to. This year was not what any of us were expecting,” Ms McGuiness said. “She should have had plenty of years ahead of her.”
Stella Galea, 89
Mark Galea could talk about his mother all day. ”She was a great mum, a caring mum and we miss her a lot,” he said.
She had three big passions.
“She loved her gardening. That and cooking were her pastimes, and spending time with her eight grandchildren,” Mr Galea said.
Carol Halley, 75
Barbecues will never be the same for the Halley family. “Mum made the best rissoles in the world,” daughter Belinda said. “I know it sounds funny, but we had lots of barbecues.”
Carol also loved knitting; the family has many booties, blankets and cardigans. She died on granddaughter Indiana’s 8th birthday.
“It was horrible. We had to say goodbye over FaceTime,” Belinda said.
Helen Wilson, 69
Ms Wilson would still be working if she had her way.
“After she divorced my dad, she went back to school and got an accounting degree,” daughter Adele Pittao Tomlin said.
“She really was an inspiration to us all. She was never out of work, and would still be working now if she hadn’t had health issues.
“She was a very determined lady who was still using her computer earlier this year even though she was legally blind.”
Alexandros Alexiou, 89
A labourer, Alexandros Alexiou always worked hard.
Daughter Angela Guioridis said it wasn’t fair his life ended the way it did.
“He didn’t deserve what happened during his last few days,” she said, adding he died alone in hospital without his family.
BIGGEST MYSTERY MAY BE UNSOLVED
The report into the Andrews government’s fatally bungled hotel quarantine program will be released today, but the public is unlikely to find out who made the fateful decision to hire private security guards.
Retired judge Jennifer Coate will hand over her final report into the $195m program after an inquiry examining the breaches that seeded Victoria’s second wave of COVID-19, which led to the deaths of 801 people.
The inquiry ran for six months, examined 63 witnesses and received 300,000 pages of evidence.
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