How the father of Sydney, whose three children died in a car crash, paid a secret tribute to his NRL team as he attended the Queen’s funeral
- Danny Abdallah wore a Bulldogs pin while attending the Queen’s funeral
- Sydney father’s three children killed by drunk driver in 2020
- He was invited to the funeral in London as part of 10 ‘ordinary Australians’
- He wore a Canterbury pin on his lapel to thank the club for their support
Danny Abdallah gave a poignant tribute to his beloved NRL club after the Sydney father was invited to Westminster Abbey for the late Queen’s funeral.
Abdallah’s three children – Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight – and niece Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed by a drunk driver, Samuel Davidson, in Oatlands, Sydney in 2020.
After the tragedy, Abdallah and his wife forgave Davidson, who was sentenced to 28 years in prison, and the couple later founded i4give Day and Foundation to commemorate their lost loved ones and help others in a similar situation.
Danny Abdallah paid a secret tribute to his favorite NRL club at the Queen’s funeral
Abdallah was one of 10 “ordinary Australians” invited to represent the country at Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in London on Monday.
And the trio of pins on his lapel caught the eye, including a map of Australia, the Australian flag and a bulldog – a nod to his beloved NRL side, the Canterbury Bulldogs.
“I just wanted to honor the club. The Bulldogs have been nice to me and my family and I wanted part of the club to be there with me to show them respect,” Abdallah told the Daily Telegraph.
“They were always by my side, checking me out. They have a round called the I4Give Cup. I think sport is a good place to start making progress for your grief.
The Sydney father, who lost three of his children in 2020, was invited to the state funeral
He wore a Bulldogs pin to thank the NRL club for their support during his ordeal
Abdallah has spoken of the support he received from Canterbury and the NRL following his tragedy, once saying “the league cried with me” during his ordeal.
“I love the NRL and my kids love their football too,” said Abdallah. “Having grown up in western Sydney, it’s the game that’s played here more than anything else. It honors the whole NRL, that connection to Australian sport that we all have. It was nice to honor the club.”
Bulldogs boss Aaron Warburton sent Abdallah the pin when he learned the Canterbury fan would be traveling to London for the state funeral, an event he thinks was an honor to be a part of.
“Now that I’m back, I’m processing everything,” Abdallah said. “It was part of history and what I learned from it is no matter how important someone is or how insignificant someone is, love and sorrow are in all the same households.
“I could see the sadness of the king, the princes (William and Harry) in their eyes, losing their mother, their grandmother, and it just shows the universality that we all have in common as human beings and the essence of family. ‘
