Relatives and friends of Maltese couple killed in a Sydney car crash gathered to mourn the elderly couple on Tuesday evening in a memorial mass held in Żebbiegħ.

The mood was sombre outside the Mġarr church later, as family embraced and held up pictures of Carmen and Frank Sant, who were well-loved within the Maltese community in both continents.

Carri and Ċikku, as they were known to their loved ones, were round the corner from their house in west Sydney when a speeding car hit them head-on.

Their car was sent hurtling across the road, and Carri died at the scene of the crash while her husband of over 50 years died in hospital the next day.

Louie, one of Carrie and Ċikku's two sons, was the one to pass on the sad news to the family members in both continents.

"He was devastated over the phone. They were such good people, he kept on telling me. They didn’t deserve this. And they were about to become great grandparents for the first time,” a close relative, Lillian Chetcuti Riolo, told Times of Malta.

Ms Chetcuti-Riolo’s mother had emigrated to Australia during the 1960s at the same time as Carri and Ċikku, and the two were like sisters. They lived 15 minutes away from each other and the two families were always at each other’s houses.

“My mother and the rest of the family are in shock,” she said “it’s hard to put into words what they’re feeling. Every party we had, every Christmas we were together. If one of them got sick they would look after each other.”

The couple had been having dinner with friends at the Maltese social centre La Valette that Sunday and were on their way home when the accident happened. “They had been going there every weekend for years,” Ms Chetcuti-Riolo explained, “the Maltese community there are really going to take it hard”.

Ċikku’s younger brother Joe Sant expressed sadly that he had spoken to his sibling not long ago. “There was talk of him visiting, but Carri had just had an operation and he did not wish to leave her by herself.” 

The 22-year-old deliveryman driving the car that crashed into the Sants was arrested and underwent mandatory testing.

He was charged with two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, along with a number of other charges.

The driver was speeding and failed to stop at a give-way sign. However, people within the neighbourhood had long flagged the accident site dangerous and had been petitioning to get a roundabout built there.

The council had said it lacked the funds, but since this has happened they have pledged to build one, Ms Chetcuti-Riolo said.

They emigrated for a better future

Carri and Ċikku, who grew up in Bidnija, emigrated to Australia soon after they got married to carve a better life for themselves.

“He couldn’t find stable work here,” his brother explained. “And he had relatives there so he thought he would give it a try.”

They were in their 20s and headed north first to Queensland where they had stayed with relatives and later to Sydney, where they bought a house and had two boys Louie and Charlie.

Ċikku had a trailer truck and worked a number of different jobs, including as a driver and as a worker in the cane fields.