Sunbury MH17 victims Albert and Maree Rizk to be honoured one year after tragic Malaysian Airlines crash
IT’S been one year since James and Vanessa Rizk tragically lost their parents, on board the Malaysian Airlines plane shot down over Ukraine.
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NEXT Saturday will mark one year since the devastating news that well known Sunbury couple Albert and Maree Rizk were on board the doomed Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.
The couple was among 298 people on board the plan, which was shot down over Ukraine on July 18, last year.
It’s been an agonising 12 months for their children, James and Vanessa, who have shown great strength and courage since the tragedy.
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While the grieving process will never end, the siblings share the strongest motivation to move forward with their lives.
“We wake up every morning because we want to make Mum and Dad proud,” Vanessa, 23, said.
“I really believe they’re looking down on us.”
There aren’t many in the Sunbury community who didn’t know the Rizks.
Did you know Albert and Maree Rizk? Leave your messages of support in the comments section below.
Albert was a real estate agent at Sunbury Raine and Horne and on the committee of the Sunbury Lions Football Club, where James, 22, plays.
Maree dabbled in everything from property managing and writing to volunteering at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and was part of a community book club.
To their kids and those around them, the Rizks were extremely generous people loved by all, reflected by the thousands who gathered for an emotional memorial service at Salesian College last year.
“Dad was a very loyal, respected man in the community,” Vanessa said.
“He was a good real estate agent as well, and people trusted him.
“If Mum wasn’t around, Dad wouldn’t be able to do all that — Mum and Dad were just a great team together.”
“They were generous and they were equal — they never thought they were better than anybody.” — Vanessa Rizk
They describe the weeks following their parents’ death as a blur, but the support from extended family, friends, the Sunbury community and even strangers has been ongoing — cards and flowers continue to arrive at their doorstep.
The siblings have shown a brave strength and maturity in a challenging 12 months.
Vanessa is a youth worker at a local secondary school, while James, a former property manager at Gisborne Raine and Horne, has moved into sales at the Sunbury office, continuing his father’s legacy.
“My dad was honest, respected,” he said.
“I want to be the same kind of real estate agent he was.”
Their parents’ bodies were identified in August, with James making the gut-wrenching trip to Amsterdam to bring them home.
They were returned to Australia in what they describe as the most respectful way given the circumstances — via military plane, and together.
“It was a big decision. It was one of those things I felt I had to do,” James said.
“It was one of the most important things I’ve done in my life.”
Following such a public grieving process last year, they farewelled their parents at a private funeral in the church their parents married in.
On Friday, they’ll attend a national memorial in Canberra, with a commemorative football match in Sunbury to follow on Saturday.
A year on, James and Vanessa feel it’s time to celebrate their mum — a loyal and amazing person who had “the best laugh in the world” — and their dad, a little goofy but the most intelligent man they knew.
They also intend to make sure justice is served over the tragedy that claimed 298 innocent lives.
“They were generous and they were equal — they never thought they were better than anybody,” Vanessa said.
“James and I have a lot to thank our parents for.”
Community unites in remembrance
WHEN the siren sounds for the opening bounce between Sunbury Lions and Redan next Saturday, July 18, it will echo the way Albert and Maree Rizk lived their lives — surrounded by family and friends.
The teams will vie for the first annual cup in memory of the popular Sunbury couple, who were among 298 people killed when Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine 12 months ago.
RELATED: Albert and Maree Rizk remembered during Sunbury football match against Redan
“These tragic events sort of tend to galvanise people and bring them closer together.” —Peter Britt, Redan Football Club
The Ballarat Football League clubs clashed in an emotional game just 24 hours after news broke of the Rizks’ death in July 2014.
Their son James will play in the senior match and daughter Vanessa will toss the coin.
Pictures of the fun-loving couple will be shown on the scoreboard at breaks and their names will be sprawled across the oval.
At least 1000 people are expected through the gates, including Mrs Rizk’s family from Queensland.
The Rizk family have been involved with the Sunbury football club for some time — James began playing in the Under 18s before Albert joined the committee a few years back.
“Dad used to come to every game,” James said.
“Mum would help out whenever she could.”
The siblings said their parents would have stuck with the club even if their son had stopped playing, as they loved the social aspect.
Vanessa said Saturday’s match at Clarke Oval, while emotional, would be a beautiful tribute to their parents.
“Mum and dad were good at uniting people together and that’s what we want to do,” she said.
“That’s (our) motivation — to celebrate their lives.”
Sunbury Lions secretary Hedley Duhau said the Rizks had a great connection not only with the football club, but the community, and that the game was an important way to celebrate their lives.
Redan Football Club president Peter Britt said they were happy to be part of an annual memorial.
“These tragic events sort of tend to galvanise people and bring them closer together,” he said.
Ballarat Football League operations manager Aaron Nunn commended the initiative.
“Obviously with last year’s tragedy with the Rizk family and the way that it coincided with the Redan (and) Sunbury game the day after it happened … it was a natural fit for both clubs to be able to (get involved) in such a way and honour (Albert and Maree),” he said.
The under 18s match starts at 9.55am, the reserves at 11.55am and the seniors at 2.15pm, following a president’s lunch and minutes’ silence.
A new pavilion at Clarke Oval pavilion is also expected to be named after the Rizks later this year.
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