Air India memorial relocated

A plaque in memory of the victims of Air India Flight 182 has been rededicated and relocated to a quiet place in Commissioner’s Park.
The monument, a stone atop which sits a bronze plaque listing the names of the 329 men, women and children who died when bombs on the plane were denonated as it flew near the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1987, will now sit in a small area off the Queen Elizabeth Driveway near Dow’s Lake.
The monument is flanked by trees and flowers and faces east towards Ireland.
”Standing here, a certain sense of comfort comes over me that has eluded me for many years,” said Eric Beauchesne, whose father Gaston Armand Beauchesne was a passenger. “When my father and the other unfortunate victims of flight 182 perished, they perished alone in the night ... with no one to witness their final moments.”
Beauchesne said this part of the tragedy was always a difficult reality for him, especially as he felt there was little at home to connect him to it or his father’s death.
“Now, when I stand here ... I can feel that connection,” Beauchesne said. “I feel that we have finally truly brought our families home to rest, always to be remembered and honoured, no longer invisible or alone, and that gives me a great comfort and a sense of peace.”
Secretary of State Jason Kenney said the unveiling of similar memorials in other parts of the country such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, is significant.
23/06/08 Terri Saunders/SunMedia/Canoe.ca, Canada

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Categories: Air India - International Jun 2008, Foreign Jun 2008, NACIL Jun 2008, Safety Jun 2008