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Danny Abdallah, the father of three young children mowed down by a drunk and drugged driver in the Sydney suburb of Oatlands, has revealed how his “rugby league family” has surrounded him with love and support as his family continues to deal with the tragedy.
“The rugby league family have cried with me and are so sad about what happened,” Abdallah told The Sun-Herald.
Abdallah and his wife, Leila, lost Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, as well as their cousin, 12-year-old Veronique, at the start of 2020.
As a nation was outraged by the actions of the driver, Samuel Davidson, the man behind the wheel of the out-of-control car that killed the four children, Abdallah had nothing but forgiveness. Davidson was later sentenced to 28 years in jail and will be eligible for parole in 2041.
Now Abdallah, a proud “Doggies fan”, has spoken about being welcomed into the Bulldogs family, plans for Canterbury and Parramatta to play for the i4Give Cup in honour of his children and even the various leadership talks he has started doing alongside NSW Origin coach Brad Fittler.
Abdallah was born at Canterbury Hospital and quickly became a supporter of the Bulldogs. His entire family supports the club.
“Anyone who didn’t, they could find another house to live in,” he quipped.
His Lebanese parents migrated to Australia and did not want their son playing league because it was too dangerous. “So I did kickboxing,” Abdallah said.
Abdallah was full of praise for Canterbury, saying: “They have been so kind to me and my family.
“I’ve been to a few of the games with the kids. It was hard to get there for a bit when I had six kids under the age of nine. But they’re just a good family club.
“Aaron reached out to me. Gus [Gould] is a good guy. Brad Fittler and Greg Alexander also reached out to me. The rugby league family have cried with me and are so sad about what has happened.”
Abdallah and Leila last week welcomed a baby daughter, Selina, into the world. The name was chosen by their other daughter, Liana, and is a blend of Sienna and Angelina. The couple also have two boys, Michael and Alex.
“Forgiveness is for the forgiver more than the forgiven,” Abdallah said. “And if you hold a grudge, you’re only harming yourself.
“I was a western Sydney boy and, if someone did something wrong, I’d have a crack.
“But I forgave. I’ve got three other kids, now four kids, and I know the end result if you have bitterness in your heart. I had to make a choice for my kids, and it takes more balls to do that than seek revenge.”
Abdallah’s positivity is infectious. No parent dares to dream about burying one child, let alone three.
“They copped the worst possible thing, so how could I make it better for them?” he said. “I had to forgive the driver and move forward so they could learn and understand how resilience comes from forgiving and letting it go.”
The Dogs and Eels will look to play for the i4Give Cup in round 14 on the Monday of the long weekend. Abdallah lives in Eels heartland, while his cousin is former Eels favourite Tim Mannah, the prop who lost his younger brother Johnny to cancer.
Few people would have noticed Abdallah wearing a Bulldogs polo shirt at the start of the week as he attended the official launch of the NRL’s Multicultural Round on the streets of Belmore, but NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo was “deeply touched” when he met Abdallah.
Abdo opened up to the Herald last month about how he had long grieved for his brother who died at 18 in a motorbike accident in South Africa and was delighted how league had reached out to Abdallah to help lift the family’s spirits.
Abdallah received a phone call from Bulldogs chief executive Aaron Warburton last year. He was given a tour of the facilities, met coach Trent Barrett and chairman John Khoury, and Warburton wants Abdallah to spread his message about forgiveness to fans, sponsors and corporate partners at future games.
“We always talk about surrounding ourselves with the best people at Canterbury, that’s inside and outside the building, and Danny fits that mould,” Warburton said. “Danny is one of us, and we want him to get closer to the club.”
Fittler and Alexander have also reached out to Abdallah, meeting his family for dinner one night at Customs House in the months that followed the triple tragedy. Alexander lost his brother, Ben, in a car crash in 1992 and has since become involved with the state government’s Knock-On Effect road safety campaign.
Fittler confirmed Abdallah and his family would be included in the Blues’ inner sanctum this Origin series, and when he began telling his story last week to a group of children in Wollongong, “you should have seen their jaws drop”. Fittler and Abdallah will address a group of students in Parramatta on Friday.
“Danny and his family will be part of Origin this year, without a doubt,” he said.
“We try to introduce our players to people of strength, strength comes in all different manners, and Danny certainly has [strength].”
Abdo, who had been briefed and liked the plans for the i4Give Cup, said of meeting Abdallah in person: “Danny is one of those guys that no matter what happens, he’ll see the positive side of it.
“I was deeply touched by my interaction with him, how positive he was, his spirit of forgiveness and positivity and wanting to make a difference moving forward.
“I’m also extremely proud of how the rugby league community has again come to the support of people in need, be it floods or someone who has experienced a tragic death. We should feel we all belong to this community.”
“The rugby league family have cried with me and are so sad about what happened,” Abdallah told The Sun-Herald.
Abdallah and his wife, Leila, lost Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 8, as well as their cousin, 12-year-old Veronique, at the start of 2020.
As a nation was outraged by the actions of the driver, Samuel Davidson, the man behind the wheel of the out-of-control car that killed the four children, Abdallah had nothing but forgiveness. Davidson was later sentenced to 28 years in jail and will be eligible for parole in 2041.
Now Abdallah, a proud “Doggies fan”, has spoken about being welcomed into the Bulldogs family, plans for Canterbury and Parramatta to play for the i4Give Cup in honour of his children and even the various leadership talks he has started doing alongside NSW Origin coach Brad Fittler.
Abdallah was born at Canterbury Hospital and quickly became a supporter of the Bulldogs. His entire family supports the club.
“Anyone who didn’t, they could find another house to live in,” he quipped.
His Lebanese parents migrated to Australia and did not want their son playing league because it was too dangerous. “So I did kickboxing,” Abdallah said.
Abdallah was full of praise for Canterbury, saying: “They have been so kind to me and my family.
“I’ve been to a few of the games with the kids. It was hard to get there for a bit when I had six kids under the age of nine. But they’re just a good family club.
“Aaron reached out to me. Gus [Gould] is a good guy. Brad Fittler and Greg Alexander also reached out to me. The rugby league family have cried with me and are so sad about what has happened.”
Abdallah and Leila last week welcomed a baby daughter, Selina, into the world. The name was chosen by their other daughter, Liana, and is a blend of Sienna and Angelina. The couple also have two boys, Michael and Alex.
“Forgiveness is for the forgiver more than the forgiven,” Abdallah said. “And if you hold a grudge, you’re only harming yourself.
“I was a western Sydney boy and, if someone did something wrong, I’d have a crack.
“But I forgave. I’ve got three other kids, now four kids, and I know the end result if you have bitterness in your heart. I had to make a choice for my kids, and it takes more balls to do that than seek revenge.”
Abdallah’s positivity is infectious. No parent dares to dream about burying one child, let alone three.
“They copped the worst possible thing, so how could I make it better for them?” he said. “I had to forgive the driver and move forward so they could learn and understand how resilience comes from forgiving and letting it go.”
The Dogs and Eels will look to play for the i4Give Cup in round 14 on the Monday of the long weekend. Abdallah lives in Eels heartland, while his cousin is former Eels favourite Tim Mannah, the prop who lost his younger brother Johnny to cancer.
Few people would have noticed Abdallah wearing a Bulldogs polo shirt at the start of the week as he attended the official launch of the NRL’s Multicultural Round on the streets of Belmore, but NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo was “deeply touched” when he met Abdallah.
Abdo opened up to the Herald last month about how he had long grieved for his brother who died at 18 in a motorbike accident in South Africa and was delighted how league had reached out to Abdallah to help lift the family’s spirits.
Abdallah received a phone call from Bulldogs chief executive Aaron Warburton last year. He was given a tour of the facilities, met coach Trent Barrett and chairman John Khoury, and Warburton wants Abdallah to spread his message about forgiveness to fans, sponsors and corporate partners at future games.
“We always talk about surrounding ourselves with the best people at Canterbury, that’s inside and outside the building, and Danny fits that mould,” Warburton said. “Danny is one of us, and we want him to get closer to the club.”
Fittler and Alexander have also reached out to Abdallah, meeting his family for dinner one night at Customs House in the months that followed the triple tragedy. Alexander lost his brother, Ben, in a car crash in 1992 and has since become involved with the state government’s Knock-On Effect road safety campaign.
Fittler confirmed Abdallah and his family would be included in the Blues’ inner sanctum this Origin series, and when he began telling his story last week to a group of children in Wollongong, “you should have seen their jaws drop”. Fittler and Abdallah will address a group of students in Parramatta on Friday.
“Danny and his family will be part of Origin this year, without a doubt,” he said.
“We try to introduce our players to people of strength, strength comes in all different manners, and Danny certainly has [strength].”
Abdo, who had been briefed and liked the plans for the i4Give Cup, said of meeting Abdallah in person: “Danny is one of those guys that no matter what happens, he’ll see the positive side of it.
“I was deeply touched by my interaction with him, how positive he was, his spirit of forgiveness and positivity and wanting to make a difference moving forward.
“I’m also extremely proud of how the rugby league community has again come to the support of people in need, be it floods or someone who has experienced a tragic death. We should feel we all belong to this community.”
