Oatlands Golf Club rejects Scott Morrison’s plea for Abdallah, Sakr children memorial

A letter from the PM has been dismissed by Oatlands GC, which is refusing a memorial for children killed in a car crash outside the club.

An under siege Oatlands Golf Club has doubled down on its decision to discontinue discussions with the heartbroken Abdallah and Sakr families over a memorial for their children after dismissing an emotive letter from Scott Morrison.

The Prime Minister wrote to the private club’s president, pleading it to erect a “modest” memorial where Abdallah children Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12, and Antony, 13, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed by drunk driver Samuel Davidson in February last year.

Davidson lost control of his ute while excessively speeding, mounted a kerb, and hit a group of seven children.

He had spent more than 12 hours drinking, was three times over the legal limit when he hit the children, and he also had cocaine and other drugs in his system.

In April this year, he was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison.

Parents Danny and Leila Abdallah, as well as the Sakr family, had worked with Parramatta City Council to design a tasteful memorial to be erected outside the golf club’s boundary on Bettington Rd where the crash happened.

But multiple designs were dismissed by the golf club due to concerns over the proposed memorial’s size.

Antony (13), Angelina (12) and Sienna (8) Abdallah, who died on February 1, 2020. Picture: 7 NEWS

Leila Abdallah was comforted at the site of the crash. Picture: Adam Yip

An order of ceremony booklet for the funeral of Veronique Sakr, 11. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

In May, Oatlands Golf Club general manager Sam Howe confirmed the board had decided to “close negotiations” with the family after the designs were deemed “unsuitable”.

However earlier this month, Mr Morrison wrote to Oatlands GC.

“On a personal level, I feel privileged to count these families as friends,” he wrote.

“They are good people who are facing the worst at life control them. Our prayer is that life will get easier for them and that joy will eventually return. All they have asked is for their children not to be forgotten.

“As Prime Minister, I want to encourage the club to reflect on its responsibilities as a community group.

“Frankly, if we reduce our citizenship to ‘what we have to do’ rather than ‘what we should do’, we will as Australians all be the poorer.”

Artist impression of the memorial.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote to the golf club. Picture: Christian Gilles

The club claimed its president George Isaac did not receive Mr Morrison’s July 1 letter until an emailed copy arrived on Friday, July 9.

In a cold email to members, the club reiterated it “did not intend to reopen discussion on a memorial” and that it would eventually respond to the Prime Minister.

“In those many discussions over more than 12 months, the Club and the families could not reach agreement on what would constitute a modest memorial,” an email to members read.

“In the end we remained far apart, so we do not intend to re-open discussion on a memorial. We will send the Prime Minister a response to his letter, but we consider the response should remain confidential, so we will not share that with members.”

NCA Newswire contacted Mr Howe for comment. The club provided the correspondence sent to Oatlands GC members, but did not want to comment on the memorial or Mr Morrison’s letter.

Originally published as Oatlands Golf Club rejects Scott Morrison’s plea for Abdallah, Sakr children memorial