A memorial event was held in Sunbury for Albert and Maree Rizk, remembering their connection to the community and marking 10 years since they were killed in the downing of flight Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.
The memorial was held on Wednesday, July 17, at the Sunbury Social Club, and united attendees in remembering Albert and Maree and reminiscing about good times spent with the pair.
The event was held on the 10th anniversary of the Malaysia Airlines plane being shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. On board the flight were 15 crew and 283 passengers, including 80 children. Among them were 38 passengers who called Australia home.
In 2022, a Dutch court convicting two Russians and a Ukrainian pro-Russian separatist unit leader in absentia of murder for their role in transporting a missile into Ukraine, which a investigation found had brought down the plane.
Albert was the director of local real estate agency Raine & Horne Sunbury.
Raine & Horne Sunbury administrator Yolanda Donoghue, one of the event organisers, remembered Albert was a well-respected real estate agent and community member.
“He was a lovely guy, a great boss, a great real estate agent, and just known and loved and respected by so many people in Sunbury,” Yolanda said.
She said that when the tragedy occurred 10 years ago, there were plenty of condolences offered from local Sunbury businesses.
“I still remember that 10 years ago, our office was like a florist. There were just flowers everywhere and … the pizza shop dropping off pizza … even the other real estate agents came by with flowers … it was amazing,” she said.
Another of the organisers, former Sunbury Lions Football Club president Hedley Duhau, said Albert and Maree dedicated plenty of time and effort into supporting the club.
Albert and Maree’s son, James Rizk, played junior and senior football with the club, and Hedley was vice president at the time of the tragedy.
“Maree was working at the canteen on a regular basis. Albert would be involved in a sponsorship type of role and always providing good support to the club … and this continues today with Raine & Horne,” Hedley said.
“They were the kind of people who were very warm, welcoming, engaging, very social, and I think that’s a reflection today [in] James and Vanessa – their children. It’s a … credit to Albert and Maree,” he said.
James said he and his sister Vanessa were proud of both the Sunbury community for its support and of their parents for the impact they made on the region.
“I would just like to say how grateful our family is to have so much support in the local community. Especially people like Hedley Duhau and Yolanda Donoghue, who were instrumental in getting everyone together for this event,” James said.
James and Vanessa , who were in Canberra on Wednesday for a national memorial event at Parliament House, thanked the community for its support.
“We thank everyone for their continued support [and] we want everyone to know how much we appreciate it,” James said.
