Humboldt crash inspires creation of memorials
People around province making lasting tributes to young victims of bus accident
REGINA About 12 kilometres west of Swift Current, on the north side of the Trans-canada Highway, sits a pumpjack that’s sure to catch the eye of passersby.
Recently revamped, it bears the iconic green and yellow colours of the Humboldt Broncos, transforming it from a machine to a heart-wrenching reminder of a tragedy that changed Saskatchewan forever.
In addition to the green and yellow paint, a variety of Humboldt Broncos logos, along with the phrase “Humboldt Strong,” adorn the side of it.
“There’s a lot of hockey roots here, and everybody felt what happened, so we decided we would do something,” said Vaughn Penley, production superintendent with Whitecap Resources Inc., the company behind the makeover.
“We figure that jack will be there for a long time, and it’s a way to remember those guys forever, not just in the short term,” he said.
The machine has been lifting oil for over 40 years, and could quite possibly produce for another 40, prompting memories of the April 6 bus crash for all who drive by it.
An unprecedented tragedy, the response to it has been immense. Four months later, the tributes show no sign of ceasing, instead getting bigger and more established in order to make a lasting mark on the province.
The pumpjack is one of a few permanent memorials that are beginning to pop up around the province — memorials that will be around long after T-shirts fade and flowers wither.
About three hours northeast of Swift Current, another green and yellow reminder sits at a grain farm in Colonsay — a tribute that will be around for decades to come. A green and yellow grain bagger, owned by Logan Sadowick, bears the Humboldt Broncos logo and the number 28 — an ode to crash survivor Layne Matechuk.
Sadowick won the chance to purchase the grain bagger at the Ag In Motion farm show in July as part of a fundraiser for the Matechuk family. It was built by a team at Pro Grain Equipment, where Layne’s mother, Shelley Matechuk, works.
“Layne, he’s from my hometown, and I know his parents pretty good,” said Sadowick. “I just wanted to do something nice for them.”
The grain bagger cost $36,500 to purchase. Sadowick felt it was important that it stayed in Colonsay, the community which built the machine and the Matechuks’ hometown.
While it represents how the community has rallied around the family during Layne’s recovery, for everyone who passes Sadowick’s farm and sees the bagger at work, it will also serve as a reminder of how the tragedy has affected people in every corner of the province.
“It’s never something you want to forget,” said Sadowick, who played one year of Midget hockey in Humboldt when he was younger. “There’s people that still talk about the Swift Current bus crash and stuff so I think it’s good that nobody forgets what happened.”
“Anybody who’s put on a Bronco jersey, you know it kind of hits home.”
Vern Kirk, general manager at Pro Grain Equipment, said he hopes the grain bagger will be seen by people driving past the farm and remind them to drive safe in order to avoid a tragedy like the Humboldt Broncos crash, in the future.
“So many young people involved. It’s crazy. Hockey is a way of life in Canada … In one way or another we
There’s a lot of hockey roots here, and everybody felt what happened, so we decided we would do something.
seem to be connected,” said Kirk.
Tributes are even making their way into the air, with STARS in the process of applying a custommade “Humboldt Strong ” decal to their entire fleet of helicopters.
As one of the first responders to the bus crash, those at STARS received an outpouring of support — financial and otherwise — unlike anything they’ve ever seen, according to Mark Oddan, senior communications adviser for STARS.
“Our placing the logo on the helicopter is both a gesture to pay tribute to all of those affected in the tragedy, but it is also a way of showing our appreciation for all the support that we’ve been provided.” The decal was designed in consultation with the Humboldt Broncos, and will remain on every helicopter across the country for one full year.
“We wanted it to be not just something fleeting, and we felt that a year is a good length of time to honour that,” said Oddan. “Putting a decal or a statement of community support on our helicopters is a fairly rare thing.”
Oddan said the decal, which will be placed under the nose of each helicopter, is designed to be viewed from below.
The “Humboldt Strong ” decal is light beige in colour and in place of the letter L, sits a hockey stick and to the left, a memorial ribbon. The subtle beige stands in stark contrast to the helicopter’s bright red body.
Oddan said the presence of the decal represents “how we as an organization want to stand with our community in support of that tragedy.”
Whether it’s a pumpjack, a grain bagger or a helicopter, a common sentiment has emerged from those who have gone out of their way to pay tribute to the tragedy and those affected by it.
No one will ever forget, nor should they.