Rundle rock commissioned for Air India memorial

Canmore: Last weekend, in front of a memorial for those who lost their lives in the worst terror attack in Canadian history, two Canmore residents discovered how sorrow and renewal can be connected with a 220 million year old piece of Rundle rock from the Bow Valley.
Brenda and Louis Kamenka made the trip last week to Toronto for the unveiling of a memorial to the 329 lives lost when Air India Flight 182 went down off the coast of Ireland in 1985.
A memorial sundial was commissioned for the city, which saw the largest loss of community members, to mark the passage of time and contain the names of those who lost their lives in the disaster.
A rock from every province in the country was gathered to create the timepiece and the piece selected from Alberta came from Kamenka Quarry in Harvie Heights, which was a particular honour for the long-time locals.
Dixon Edward, with the Alberta Geological Survey, says he suggested Kamenka's Rundle rock to memorial organizers because it is the "kind of rock that you could think of as an Albertan rock."
While it was not immediately clear to Edward if they were looking for a commonly used rock, a rock that is only found in Alberta, or just a unique stone, Kamenka's stone fit all three categories.
As time went by, the scope and connection between the event and the rock itself became more apparent to Kamenka and his wife. He says while there was a lot of sorrow and sadness, the families also had a lot of hope for how life and memory carry on.
"That is what amazed us," he said. "They all had gone on with their lives, but they did not forget.
"Finally, the Canadian government and provinces recognized (with this memorial) this is a tragedy that really happened to all of us in a way and life goes on."
Five 50-pound rocks were sent to Toronto from Canmore, where one was chosen and stone masons put it together with rocks from the other provinces, the U.S. and India to be unveiled 22 years after the explosion that brought down the Air India flight off the coast of Ireland, which has an identical monument.
Thought of as the worst terror attack in Canadian history, Air India Flight 182 went down over the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Ireland on June 26, 1985, taking 329 lives, 280 of which were Canadian.
04/07/07 Tanya Foubert/Rocky Mountain Outlook, Canada

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Categories: Air India Jul 2007, Foreign Jul 2007, Safety Jul 2007