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Sam Fayet’s parents Andy and Mireille Archer at their Marylebone home |
‘Where is tsunami victims’ memorial?’
3 years on, parents of fashion agent who died in disaster call for government to keep pledge
THE parents of a leading fashion agent who drowned with her six-month-old baby in the Asian tsunami have called for a permanent memorial to be put up in central London.
Andy Archer and his wife Mireille, from Seymour Place, Marylebone, lost their 35-year-old daughter Sam Fayet in the disaster that claimed more than 230,000 lives on Boxing Day, 2004.
Since the tragedy the couple have raised tens of thousands of pounds for homeless orphans and to restore schools and damaged homes.
But more than three years later the government is dragging its heals on its pledge to erect a permanent memorial in central London.
Mr Archer said: “One of the things they have promised is a memorial, but after three years they cannot decide where it is going to be. They have offered us the English garden in Battersea, Victoria Gardens or the Natural History Museum.
“It is very hard for us all because it feels as if we are being forgotten. I can never move on, but the memorial would help a lot of people.
“There are probably more than 800 relatives of British people that died – but we only know a few of them. One of the problems is that under the Data Protection Act the government will not release the names to us. But we think that is a mistake. There is a huge amount of personal grief that is going unchecked.”
Sam lived in Paris, working as the fulcrum of a successful modelling agency where she shared a flat with Kate Moss.
The supermodel sponsored a photography exhibition to raise funds for her charity in New York on December 1.
Ms Archer, who grew up in Regent’s Park, was on holiday with her French husband Patrice in the diving resort Khao Lak off the west coast of Thailand when the tragedy struck.
Sam bravely clung to her baby, Ruby Rose, as she held on to a a palm tree, but was swept away. Patrice, a diving expert and powerful swimmer, survived and spent weeks searching for his family.
Mr Archer said the news of his daughter and granddaughter’s death felt like a “bullet”.
“Patrice said she clung on to a tree – but it wasn’t enough,” said Mr Archer.
“He survived because he was a trained diver and strong swimmer. He knew to go with the flow of the wave. He resurfaced two kilometres away.”
Sam grew up Marylebone but left school at 16 to pursue a career in fashion. By the age of 20 she had accumulated a host of celebrity friends including Ms Moss and the Chemical Brothers.
“They used to go to Glastonbury together,” said Mr Archer. “They’d come back to the flat and leave their muddy sleeping bags on the floor.”
A special fund-raising night for victims of the tsunami is to be held at Wilton Hall, east London, on June 27.
For more details contact Andy or Mireille Archer on 020 7535 8626
or email: tryarcher@hotmail.com |
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