One day, Zakhour arrived at TAFE, where he’d enrolled to learn English. He sat down at one of the desks and was shocked to find an old friend, Linda, sitting next to him. He used to make Linda’s prosthetic arms in Damascus, but hadn’t seen her in the five years since the war broke out, as she too had fled to save her family.
“When I came to Australia, I met her,” Zakhour said. “Not just Australia or Sydney or Blacktown or TAFE [but in the] same class [at the] same table.”
She told him about her new prosthetist in Sydney at Northmead’s ForMotion Clinic (then known as APC prosthetics), and told him to come with her to her next appointment. There, Linda introduced Zakhour to the technicians and he told them about his career in Syria.
“I’m coming to a new country, to a new life, everything, but please I love the job. I’m happy just to clean up, just let me clean up the workshop,” Zakhour remembers thinking.
The clinic gave Zakhour a trial. Although it was only supposed to be for a few hours, he was asked to stay longer.
“I prayed for this,” he said of being back in the workshop. “I smelled the chemical, [it] smelled [like] home.”
Before long, his three-month contract turned into a permanent role.
Lauren Parker skiing in Canada in December using Samer Zakhour’s prosthetics. Credit: Instagram/Lauren Parker
“He pretty much runs this whole tech shop,” prosthetist clinician George Maimoun said. “He’s got all the experience. His entire initial place of work was with not a lot of tools or materials or nothing, so they made it work. It’s just all up here [his brain] for him.”
Now an Australian citizen and affectionately known in the workshop as “Sammy”, Zakhour creates the prosthetics used by several members of Australia’s Winter Paralympic team. It started with para-biathlete Dave Miln, then word spread to teammate Matt Brumby and finally to Lauren Parker.
Each athlete has different requirements but all of them are competing in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games in the biathlon, which involves cross-country skiing and target shooting. They are the first Australians to qualify in the event in 20 years.
To build the prosthetics, Zakhour creates a mould using a bean bag filled with styrofoam balls that are vacuum sealed around the shape of the athlete. He has to balance making the prosthetics light for racing, but strong enough so they are safe – it’s a creative job that involves solving problems.
“When I go to bed, the ideas start coming,” he said.
Zakhour’s background in conflict zones means he can work quickly and under pressure. That experience is helpful when Zakhour has to make the athletes’ prosthetics during the short windows between international competitions. For Parker, Zakhour had 10 days to make the seat she’ll race in at the Games.
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“It fits me so well,” Parker said. “I was a bit worried because I hadn’t been on snow with it until it arrived in Canada. I had to race with it either way, if it didn’t fit me properly or if it did fit me properly, so I’m lucky that I felt really comfortable in it.”
Zakhour watches videos of Parker skiing in Canada on Instagram and when he and his wife go to the shops, he points out the photo of Milan on Paralympics Australia posters. Although he hasn’t been a citizen for long, Zakhour’s prosthetics will give Australia a shot at making the podium at the Games.
“I like to do normal prosthetics, but this is special,” Zakhour said. “For us, nothing’s impossible. For anyone who wants to do anything, we can help them.”
The Winter Paralympic Games is broadcast on the Nine Network, 9Now and Stan Sport.
