Corner Brook -
The Cougar Helicopters Flight 491 tragedy will be on many minds across Newfoundland and Labrador today, but few can really relate to the loss endured by the families and friends of those who died in the accident one year ago today.
Priscilla Boutcher of Corner Brook can appreciate what they have been through and will continue to cope with beyond this sombre anniversary.
Boutcher's son David was aboard the Ocean Ranger, the offshore drill rig which capsized during a fierce winter storm in the early morning hours of Feb. 15, 1982.
All 84 men aboard the Ocean Ranger perished.
One person, Robert Decker, survived the downing of Cougar Flight 491, which took the lives of 17 others as they were being flown to work on the oil platforms in the Grand Banks.
"Everyone in Newfoundland was affected by this disaster and, following it on the news for the last year has almost been like reliving the things I've been through," Boutcher told The Western Star. "I don't know any of the families involved in this one, but I can certainly relate to them. You often hear people say they can relate to them, but it's a different connection when you've been there."
For Boutcher, there is one significant difference between the two tragedies. Only 22 of the 84 Ocean Ranger crew's bodies were recovered from the frigid North Atlantic Ocean.
Her son was not among them.
All 17 bodies were recovered in the helicopter disaster.
"I'm grateful the families and friends of the helicopter crash victims saw closure, which is something I didn't get," she said. "That's something that will never leave me or my family."
Everyone deals with tragedy in their own way. Anniversaries and other special times of the year will always be emotional moments, said Boutcher, adding the key is to find a way to channel those feelings into becoming a stronger person.
"At first, you are in denial and you feel angry about it because you feel you've been cheated or robbed of something, especially when it's something so sudden as this," she said. "With faith, time, family and friends you get through it ... There will be lots of tears, especially on the first anniversary, and that's normal. It doesn't get easier, but you do learn to live with it and that you have to be strong for the others in your family."
While this day will continue to bring back memories of her own loss, Boutcher said she doesn't have any special plans to mark the anniversary.
"I'll just be keeping them all in my thoughts and prayers," she said.
