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A Star News Group Publication
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Vale Amigo Sam By Mikayla van Loon Known to most in the Mount Evelyn community simply as Amigo, the kindness of one man rippled across hundreds and has shown the power of regarding each and every person as a friend. Sam Abounajm, was more than the Red Robin Milk Bar owner, he was a family man, a loving father, dedicated husband, a confidant, a community member and an immigrant twice over. The real life Wonka of the small, hilly township was endlessly positive, spreading joy, love, a warm smile, some humour and, of course, lollies with all who walked through his shop front door. With Sam’s sudden passing on Monday 12 August came shockwaves and an outpouring of support for his wife Sue and children, Nina and Will. Remembering their father as the kindest, most hardworking person they knew, Will said he didn’t just do that for his own children but for so many others in the community. “He’s the hardest working person I’ve known. He’s never taken a day off but he never complained about the hours. He was very positive naturally,” Will said. “He would never mention anyone in a negative light, that’s why people looked up to him as a person. He was such a strong, fatherly figure to a lot of us men from 20 to 40 who grew up around the shop.” Nina said her father’s generosity spanned beyond just giving to people, he was “generous with his beautiful smile, generous with his laugh” too. “He had the warmest heart, the biggest heart, and he genuinely cared about people. He was really humanistic and he could feel anyone’s pain,” she said. “He had this gift of being able to know what to say to each person, whether they were young or, a child or teenagers or adults or seniors. “He made everyone feel special and important, and it didn’t matter if he saw you every day, or if he saw you once, you were all important.” Born in Lebanon, Sam was one of many migrants who travelled to South America, settling in Venezuela.
A portrait of Sam Abounajm by local artist Louise Tesoriero with a red robin on his shoulder, wearing Mt Evelyn maroon, surrounded by floral tributes. (Mikayla van Loon: 427373) It’s there that he met his wife Sue, setting up businesses and starting a family. “Then in the ‘80s, Venezuela was becoming extremely unstable, so they decided to migrate to Australia with their young family,” Nina said. First arriving in Australia, the couple worked opposite shifts at different factory jobs, with Sam doing the night shift at the Buttercup bread fac-
tory and Sue working day shifts at a large sewing factory. Over two years they saved enough money to open their own milk bar in East Doncaster just as it was starting to develop. “They did that with little English and they learned everything along the way. That’s the magic about my parents,” Nina said.
“I always think they were migrants twice from Lebanon to Venezuela at a very young age, they grew up there and then started again in two languages. For me, that’s resilience. “They were always seeking a better future for us.” Continued Page 2
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