Key Points
- Ten Australians who have made an "extraordinary contribution" have been invited to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.
- Danny and Leila Abdallah's three children and their cousin were killed by a drunk and drugged driver in Oatlands.
Danny Abdallah, the father of three of four Sydney children who were killed in a crash more than two years ago, is among a small group of "everyday" Australians who have been invited to attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the list of 10 Australians who, upon request from Buckingham Palace, will travel alongside the country's official delegation to the state funeral at London's Westminster Abbey next Monday.
"The Australians who have been invited, I think, embody an extraordinary contribution to our nation. We have made sure that all eight - six states and two territories - are represented, that there is an appropriate breadth of Australians as part of the delegation," he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Danny and Leila Abdallah's three children and their cousin were killed by a drunk and drugged driver in the Sydney suburb of Oatlands on 1 February 2020.
Antony Abdallah, 13, and his sisters Angelina, 12, and Sienna, eight, along with their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were walking to get ice cream when they were fatally struck by an out-of-control ute that had mounted the footpath.
The driver was , but an appeal to that sentence was accepted by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal
Mr Abdallah is the co-creator of the 'i4give Day and Foundation', which was set up in memory of the children and to help raise community awareness around the power of forgiveness.
The families have spoken of forgiving the driver. On the one-year anniversary of the crash, and the offender for the good of his family.
"This has allowed us to live in a state of peace and grace, and I promise you if my children were here today they'd say: 'forgive him'," he said.
Mr Albanese described him as someone "who has turned a tragic loss into an extraordinary generous contribution".
Ben Roberts-Smith also invited to Queen's funeral
Separately, it's understood all living recipients of the Victoria Cross - including former Australian soldier Ben Roberts-Smith - have also been invited to attend the funeral, at the direction of the Palace.
Mr Roberts-Smith is currently suing The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times for defamation over 2018 media reports claiming he committed war crimes in Afghanistan including murder, and acts of bullying and domestic violence.
The 43-year-old denies all claims of wrongdoing, while the mastheads are defending them as true.
The other living Australian recipients of the Victoria Cross, Australia's highest military honour, are Keith Payne VC, Mark Donaldson VC and Daniel Keighran VC.
The recipients will not be travelling with Mr Albanese and will do so via commercial means.
A list of the 10 Australians who have been invited to attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. Source: SBS News
This year's Australian of the Year Local Hero Shanna Whan and state finalists from Queensland and Tasmania Saba Abraham - an Eritrean refugee who helped to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Brisbane - and Kim Smith will also attend, along with South Australian Young Australian of the Year Trudy Lin and 2021 Western Australian of the Year Professor Helen Milroy, who was Australia's first Indigenous doctor.
Champion racehorse trainer Chris Waller will also be in attendance. Mr Waller, the thoroughbred trainer of champion mare Winx, looked after many of the Queen's horses and built a close relationship with her over the years.
The 10 people will leave Australia for the funeral alongside Australia's official delegation, which include Mr Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon, Governor-General David Hurley and his wife Linda, and acting high commissioner to the UK Lynette Wood.
Arrangements are being made for Mr Albanese to meet with King Charles III and a number of world leaders.
Meanwhile, he hosted diplomats from 24 Commonwealth nations at The Lodge on Tuesday morning to commemorate the Queen.
Upon his return, Australia will have a day of mourning on 22 September - designated a national public holiday - which will include a memorial service at Parliament House.
Both houses of parliament will meet on 23 September to allow MPs and senators to speak on a condolence motion.
With AAP
