Living in a small town we are often isolated from the tragedies that happen in other parts of the world.
And although we register and understand mentally about how these various events impact the people involved, often it does not hit a chord emotionally.
Every day we are bombarded with stories and images from the media about natural disasters and man’s inhumanity to their fellow man and somehow we are, at least partially able to turn that part of ourselves off. It is a self-survival instinct because if we didn’t we just couldn’t function.
However, every once in a while something happens that hits the entire populace.
The horrific accident, involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team, is one of those times. On April 6, at about 5 p.m. on a rural road in Saskatchewan the Broncos bus collided with a tractor-trailer unit, which resulted in the deaths of 16 people while injuring 14 more, is one of those unfortunate incidences.
Why has this tragedy ingrained itself to our collective consciousness?
Perhaps it is because Canada is a hockey nation and one would be hard-pressed to find someone who cannot relate. It is our way of life. In the winter and spring, every weekend parents entrust their children to road trips to allow them to play the game they love.
Unfortunately, that knowledge doesn’t mitigate the grief of the families and friends who lost people in this accident. Each of them is special in his or her own way, treasured by friends and family members, and their passing is heartbreaking to those close to them.
While the words may sound empty at this time, all we can at the Barrhead Leader is add our heartfelt condolences to the thousands of others across the nation. We would also like to express our deepest sympathies to Barrhead Composite High School teacher Ed Tobin and his family on the loss of their son, Bronco’s goalie Parker Tobin.
Although it is impossible for us to know what you are going through, our thoughts and prayers are truly with you. God Bless.
