Matt Sibanda and Emmanuel Familola remembered as boys with ‘warm and kind personalities and gentle natures’ in Stormont tributes
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00:00I want to express our deepest sympathy right across the assembly with the community of Bunkranagh today
00:05and the families and the school friends from Skoll, Roora and Kranagh College of 16-year-old Emmanuel Famolola
00:15and 18-year-old Matt Sabanda, who tragically lost their lives on Saturday afternoon after getting into difficulty in the water.
00:23Matt and Emmanuel were understood to be playing football on Saturday when they went into the sea after the ball.
00:30This area is also a popular swimming spot, but sadly we know that the waters can change both dramatically and quickly
00:36as the Swilly has a big tidal range and the water also behaves differently in different parts.
00:43The devastating loss of these two young men, who had their whole lives ahead of them, cannot quite be placed into words.
00:49I know right across this assembly we will want to express our gratitude to the individuals and organisations
00:55who contributed to a large-scale search and rescue operations throughout Saturday.
01:01We also want to acknowledge the medical professionals who intervened and to the hundreds who gathered to pray,
01:06both at the pier and again at yesterday's vigil at St Mary's Oratory in Bunkranagh.
01:12Emmanuel and Matt have been described as deeply respected and valued members of their school communities,
01:19as two men with warm and kind personalities and gentle natures.
01:23Emmanuel had just completed his work experience as part of his transition year in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin,
01:30and Matt was just due to begin his Leaving Cert next month.
01:33As the next May bank holiday approaches, and as we enter another period of goodwill across Ireland,
01:39we need to make water safety part of our conversations with family and friends alike.
01:44A focus needs to be put on the water safety week, which is soon approaching,
01:49so everyone, young and old, are aware of the hidden dangers posed by the water.
01:54Across Ireland, and particularly in Donegal, which alone boasts over 100 beautiful beaches,
02:00we are very blessed for the natural beauty of Ireland,
02:03but we just need to take our advice from the RNLI and others about respecting the water and remaining vigilant at all times.
02:09In closing, I want to send our thoughts and prayers to Femiola and Sabanda's families.
02:16We know the people of Bunkranagh and Ashona and Donegal will continue to rally around these two families,
02:22school friends, response teams and all those who have been affected by this devastating tragedy.
02:30Thank you, Ciara. I call Carrie Middleton.
02:33Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker.
02:35Can I, too, on behalf of myself and on behalf of the DUP,
02:39send our condolences to the families of the Femiola and the Sabanda families?
02:45It is a very sad tragedy what has happened over the course of the weekend.
02:51Two young lives taken far, far too soon.
02:56Many of us will have heard the tributes being paid from right across the community,
03:01not least from RNLI, who so clearly articulated what had happened over the weekend,
03:08the way that the emergency services responded,
03:11the way that the families and the local community joined together to pray for Emmanuel and for Matt
03:18and indeed for the other young person who managed to get out of the water.
03:23Sadly, these tragedies are not unique.
03:26We have seen these, unfortunately, within our own constituency as well.
03:30It is a stark reminder of the dangers that open water can pose.
03:35Whilst we take great pride in our open waters and the beauty that they provide,
03:40sadly, it is the case that they can also take lives.
03:45We need to ensure that people are aware of the dangers that open waters can bring to individuals
03:52who want to get into it, whether it be the cold shock of the water,
03:56whether it be hidden currents or unexpected depths.
04:00This is a very, very sad reminder.
04:02But again, the thoughts and prayers of our party are with those individuals,
04:08families who sadly will have to deal with this grief in the time ahead.
04:13Thank you, Madam Principal, Deputy Speaker.
04:15Thank you, Gary. I call Andrew McMurray.
04:18Deputy Speaker, and thank you to the Member for bringing this, albeit tragic, subject forward.
04:24On behalf of the Alliance, I certainly want to associate myself with the comments previously made
04:28in extending the deepest sympathy to the families of the Sabanda and Famalola families,
04:34and indeed just the name, Matt Sabanda and Emmanuel Famalola.
04:39It was an absolute tragedy.
04:41It is an absolute tragedy, and it's difficult to process, to be honest with you.
04:45I know, certainly, whenever I was listening to it, coming in the car this morning,
04:51yeah, it was incredibly difficult.
04:53But I think, you know, the respect of schools of the two boys, School Muir and Karana College,
04:58again, listening to the tributes they paid was quite uplifting,
05:02and the positivity that they had in the Brinkrana community in their time there, I think.
05:07And, again, similarly, just, again, to touch on the services that were held, again,
05:11it shows the incredible community support, not from Brinkrana, I know I've been holidaying up there,
05:17but, I mean, it just, it was, again, to see that community spirit was quite something to behold.
05:23Again, just want to pay the thanks to the rescue and recovery efforts of the RNLI,
05:29the Coast Guard, and the entire Brinkrana community,
05:31and, again, listening to the efforts that went in by the RNLI and the community that was described by,
05:38I think, Mr. Joyce, was incredibly moving.
05:40You know, the principle that you speak, I know that, I think we all, anybody that takes part in it,
05:45knows the physical and emotional and positive attributes that outdoor swimming comes with,
05:50but the danger of entering the water cannot be underestimated, and I think it's all incumbent upon us
05:56to educate our families, our loved ones, and the wider community where we can,
06:01on the dangers, on once entering the water. Thank you.
06:06Thank you, Andrew. I call Robbie Butler.
06:10Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, on behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, I want to echo
06:14all of the words of sympathy and support that has been offered in this chamber, and thank the member
06:19for bringing this very important matter for discussion this morning, because when we look at the faces of
06:25those two young boys, we can't help but associate perhaps our own family members. If you are blessed
06:31enough to have a son or a daughter of similar age, what you do as a parent very often is you transpose
06:37that tragedy or that instance and say, how would I cope? And I don't know how I would cope. It's incredibly
06:46sad to see two young lives so needlessly lost in something that we sadly speak about far too often
06:54in this country. But what has been perhaps of some heart and hope to those families is the response
07:03on both sides of this border. To the community in Bunkrana, who have rallied around and shown
07:09unequivocal support and unequivocal support in all manners through prayer, through in person, and through
07:15rallying around to help in whatever way that they can, to the help from
07:22the members constituency and the response by the emergency services in that area. Because the reality is,
07:29as some of you may know, the ripple of these deaths will extend further than the family that's been affected.
07:35For those that were at the beach at that time or in the vicinity who will have seen things that they
07:40will never forget. For those who responded in the hope of saving life, because when you go out to
07:46respond you hope to make an intervention, but unfortunately sometimes it just becomes a recovery
07:52operation and that is so tragic to see two young lives lost in such a sense. But I will do what all the
07:59other members have done is issue a warning, not just for our coastal waters, but particularly even
08:05for our inland waters where we have lots of quarries, where unfortunately young people congregate and
08:11think they'll go for a cold dip. And those waters are often much colder and pose much hidden darker
08:17dangers than even our sea has. And we do really need to get to grips in terms of the advice that we get
08:23and the advice that we give yearly, especially when the temperatures rise and the temptation is to get
08:28into the water because the water is indeed dangerous. But I'm just going to finish Madam Principal Deputy Speaker
08:35by offering sincere thoughts, condolences and prayers for the families of the two young boys
08:39that have lost their lives. Thank you. Thank you, Robbie. I call Daniel McCrossan.
08:44Thank you, Madam Speaker. On Saturday, as the sun shone brightly and temperature soared, many of us,
08:54young and old, families, friends, gathered at beaches and various resorts across the island of Ireland
09:00to enjoy the weather that we haven't been able to enjoy for some years. With that, unfortunately,
09:07comes tragedy, as has happened at various times over the years, not just in open waters, but also in
09:15quarries and other areas as well. A simple day out for three friends, three young lads were playing
09:25football near the shoreline when the ball entered the water. In an attempt to retrieve it, entered the sea
09:30and unfortunately encountered difficulties due to the strong currents. Sadly, as a result of that very
09:38simple getting together, enjoying the sun, together with friends, two lives have been lost.
09:46Emmanuel Fumulia, 16 years of age, originally from Nigeria, and Matt Sabanda, 18 years of age,
09:53originally from Zimbabwe. Luckily, if that's a word we can use even in the context of this,
10:00there wasn't a third victim. And today, our thoughts are with the young lad who is recovering in hospital,
10:07who, from the details I've heard, is lucky to be alive. It is so important that we put a very clear
10:15message that open waters are not safe. Please act with great care. And can we ask parents,
10:23parents of children and young people who will be out enjoying the weather in the week ahead,
10:29to alert their young people of the very real dangers. I have known numerous people my age, younger and
10:37older, unfortunately, from my own constituency, that have died in the last number of years by entering
10:44various waterways in Western Rome. The tragedy is incomprehensible. I can only say that today,
10:54and certainly on Saturday, when the news came through just after four, that this was happening,
11:00our hearts were in Donegal. Our thoughts and prayers were with the three young lads, their families,
11:05and the entire community. This is something that affects us all, because at any time in life,
11:12these tragedies could come to our own doors. And we need to be conscious at all times of how easily
11:17something can go wrong. I think, Madam Speaker, it is important to thank the multi-agency response and
11:23also the community. The Irish Coast Guard, Orion LIE Lifeboats, Rescue 118, Helicopter from Slago,
11:29Local Guarantee and Amblin services. And to thank everybody who rallied to support the families
11:34and what is a very devastating time. Thank you.