It may be 25 years on but we will never forget
On March 13, 1996, the unthinkable happened in our otherwise ordinary community.
This Saturday, exactly 25 years on, those events - and more importantly those directly affected by them - will be remembered by many people in many different ways. Some will be starkly evident, most will be individual and quietly reflective.
Then, as now, there were no answers to the question“why?”, nor will there ever be. Nothing that senseless can possibly be explained away.
The wordsmiths among us will never find the words to suffice, even if sometimes we have to try.
It is important that the world never forgets. It is important that the significance of that day never fades and that those lost or affected are held in everyone’s thoughts, even as life moves on for most of us. Sometimes that means reminding that world.
This community and our readership, however, have had no need for constant or detailed reminders.
Reminders are only for those things you are likely to forget.
This weekend marks yet another milestone since that unforgettable day.
On Saturday we will each acknowledge in our own way those who fought to learn lessons from the depths of tragedy, helping to prevent other families and communities from experiencing the same pain.
We will acknowledge those who stepped up to help and support that day and in the dark days that followed, and those who strived to harness whatever light they could from that darkness.
Most of all we will honour all those whose lives were lost or changed, within the space of a few tragic minutes.
They have never been forgotten. They will never be forgotten.