Bettington Road Memorial Proposal

Dear Members,

The Oatlands Golf Club Board has been in discussions with the Abdallah and Sakr families regarding a proposed memorial since the tragic incident that occurred on 1 February 2020 adjacent to the Club on Bettington Road which took the young lives of four of their children Antony, Angelina, Veronique and Sienna.

Following the tragedy, there was a significant amount of media scrutiny regarding a potential memorial to recognise the loss of Antony, Angelina, Veronique and Sienna. Despite the portrayal of the Club and its members in the media, the Board, primarily represented by the Club President and General Manager, have remained in discussion with the families on the form of a memorial that could be put to the Club’s members for consideration and vote at a General Meeting.

Following these discussions, the Board are pleased to advise members that an appropriate memorial, in-keeping with the scale of the tragedy, the relationship with the adjoining golf course and concerns of neighbours and first-responders, has been agreed with the families. The next step is that the proposed memorial, which has the support of the Board, will be put to the Club’s members for approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on 11 October 2023.

We recognise that this has been a highly sensitive issue for all involved, none more so than for the Abdallah and Sakr families. In reaching agreement on a suitable memorial, and in seeking members approval, it is expected that all parties will be able to move forward harmoniously while recognising the terrible tragedy that has occurred.

More information on the proposed memorial is provided below.

Plans of proposed memorial

 Key details of proposed license for memorial area

• Financial: the families will be responsible for all costs associated with the construction of the memorial including new 2.4m high perimeter fencing at the interface between the golf course and the memorial, and lower fence between the memorial and Bettington Road.
• Licensing: an entity owned by the families will be granted a licence to occupy the site of the memorial for a period of 25 years, unless the land is required for use by the Club in specific circumstances, in which case the Club can terminate the license earlier.
• Land: the land the subject of the memorial and licence is as shown on the plan attached to the licence (refer to above plan) and has been designed to produce minimal disruption to the play of golf.
• Landscaping works: subject to approval, the memorial, fencing and landscape works are anticipated to take up to 8 weeks, and we do not foresee disruption to playing of the 12^th hole while the works are carried out.
• Access: the memorial will be fenced in on Club land with no access to members of the public.
• Ongoing maintenance: the Club will maintain the hedges and plants within the memorial as part of their usual maintenance activities.
• Temporary Items on fence: The agreement reached includes both the right and an obligation that the Club removes any temporary items placed on the Club’s fence, including the fence surrounding the memorial.

 Next steps

• The licence and construction of the memorial is subject to approval by the Club’s Members.
• The proposed memorial and its conditions will be put to a member vote as part of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 11 October 2023.
• If the proposal is passed by the Club’s Members at the AGM, a contractor will be appointed to commence the works.
• Notification of the Club’s AGM will be issued on or around 20 September 2023.

If members have any questions, they should direct them to Club General Manager, Sam Howe (gm@oatlandsgolf.com.au)

Sincerely,

George Isaac
Club President
On behalf of the OGC Board of Directors