‘You have restored our faith’
Anna Osborne lost her husband in the Pike River disaster eight years ago. Today, she writes an open letter to thank New Zealand for its support after the Government approved plans to re-enter the mine.
It was different this year. The Pike River memorial, I mean. We stood there at the mouth of the mine portal like we have every November 19th — since the first year following the agonising catastrophe that was the Pike River explosion.
But for the first time in all of those years, with the announcement of reentry of the mine’s drift, it felt different for me, it felt lighter.
Don’t get me wrong, there is still grief, a lot of grief that I don’t think will ever leave the families of the 29 men who died and the two who staggered out, but there is also hope.
I don’t know exactly what’s at the end of the drift, nobody does. There could be evidence of exactly what caused the explosion, there could be the remains of some of our men, there could be a drift runner containing the remains of many of our men.
I do know what will be there is the fulfilment of a promise. The promise made to the Pike River families a long time ago to do everything possible for truth and justice, and the promise to all New Zealanders to not walk away from them when something terrible like this happens to them.
Because I believe that this is bigger than the families of Pike.
I believe it’s about making it clear that being a Kiwi is about looking after each other and doing the right thing. Since the announcement that the drift will be recovered, I’ve had dozens and dozens of people congratulate me on “my” win.
The truth is it is our win. By which I mean all of us who want to live in a country where justice is done. Sonya, Bernie, me and the other Pike families didn’t do this alone. We couldn’t have.
That’s why I want to congratulate all of you.
The lawyers and other professionals who spent untold hours working for free because they wanted to right this wrong, the hundreds of people who stood with us at the Pike
Sonya, Bernie, me and the other Pike families didn’t do this alone. We couldn’t have. Anna Osborne
River gates and at protests around the country, the thousands who sent messages of support, the vast majority of Kiwis who knew this was the right thing to do, and the late Helen Kelly who gave us so much strength.
When we first started to negotiate recovery of the drift with the new Government we asked every family we had contact with for their mandate to do so.
Of the families of the 29 who died and the two survivors, Daniel Rockhouse and Russell Smith, 28 gave us their blessing and campaigned alongside us.
On behalf of these families and all the people so brutally affected by Pike River and the subsequent fight for justice — thank you. You have restored our faith in New Zealand and its people.