For the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Buckingham Palace requested Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to form an official delegation to accompany him. Surprisingly, the Prime Minister invited Mr. Danny Abdallah to be part of this delegation.
While the delegation represents the six states and two territories and is formed of Australians who “embody an extraordinary contribution to our nation”, as per Mr. Albanese’s press conference, choosing Mr. Abdallah to be part of it is both a matter of honour and pride not only to Mr. Abdallah, but to the whole Lebanese community.
But who is Danny Abdallah?
He is a successful businessman and co-founder of the Rockform Group, a construction company based in Sydney. However, Mr. Abdallah is better known as the co-creator of the “i4give Day and Foundation” which he set up in memory of the three children he and his wife Leila lost due to an accident in the suburb of Oatlands on 1 February 2020. The three children, along with their cousin were fatally hit on a footpath by a drunk driver who had lost control of his ute. Although the drunk driver was sentenced to 28 years in prison before an appeal was accepted in July 2022 by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal, Mr. Abdallah and his wife’s reaction to the tragedy was one of the main reasons for the media’s attention: they forgave the driver.
Coming from an Arab, and especially Lebanese background, examples abound that forgiveness does not come as easy as vengeance does. The pain of the loss will surely not lessen no matter how much time passes, but forgiveness would allow everyone involved to carry on with their lives. According to Mr. Albanese, Danny Abdallah “has turned a tragic loss into an extraordinary generous contribution”. And this is a contribution worthy of honour and recognition not only in Australia, but also in Lebanon and the Arab World.
By asking Mr. Abdallah to accompany him to the Queen’s funeral, the Prime Minister sends a clear message of faith in the Lebanese and Arab communities in Australia despite the negative media attention they generate regularly: these communities have contributed a lot to the advancement of the country and can continue to do so. A few bad apples should not reflect the whole of the community. If we adopt the Abdallahs as our role models in the coming times of great change, we have a chance of reshaping the image of Lebanon and the Arab World in Australia and globally.
