SouthShoreNow.ca

Lisa Brown
Lighthouse staff

 COUNTY - Three sites have been chosen to form a memorial to remember the victims of Swissair Flight 111.

 In making the announcement Friday, Premier Russell MacLellan said the tribute will extend beyond recognizing those who died when the plane plunged into the water off the coast killing the 229 people on board. The memorial will also stand as a permanent reminder of the co-operative efforts of Nova Scotians in the aftermath of the September 2 crash.

 The locations include the Whalesback, an area about 500 metres west of Peggy's Cove on the east side of St. Margarets Bay and Bayswater on the bay's west side. The crash site, about 11 kilometres off Peggy's Cove, will also be designated and marked on marine charts as a "special place."

 The Flight 111 Memorial Advisory Committee recommended the three sites, which were then approved by the premier.

 "This memorial will represent the special relationship that the people of Nova Scotia have with the victims' families and with each other because of the tragedy," Mr. MacLellan said Friday in the legislature. "We hope it will offer a place of comfort for all who were touched by the tragedy, a place to remember the effort of the people of our province and a place to reflect on the value of life."

 Former chief justice Lorne Clarke, the chairman of the memorial advisory committee, spent months getting input from the Swissair victims' families, the people of the St. Margarets Bay area and others from across the province and country. He said he was touched by the heartfelt response from those who contributed.

 "Many people came forward with ideas for location and design that were well researched and well thought out," he said. "I hope the memorial will reflect these ideas and give people some degree of comfort."

 Blandford resident Marilyn Publicover, the municipal councillor for the area, was one of those who met with Mr. Clarke. She was pleased by Friday's announcement.

 "I'm quite happy and I think, in general, the people are. You won't make everyone happy, but it does have to come to some closure - for everybody."

 She was also pleased that the meaning behind the memorial was extended to recognize the Nova Scotians who were touched by the tragedy.

One of the poignant sentiments expressed by residents along St. Margarets Bay following the tragic crash of Swissair Flight 111 in September. The province announced two memorial sites for Bayswater and Whalesback, near Peggy's Cove, last week. The actual crash site will also be designated as a "special place" on marine charts.

 "I thought that was very honourable," Mrs. Publicover said.

 The memorial committee was also tasked with determining how unidentifiable remains of victims should be interred. That decision is expected within a few weeks.

 While the people on the west side of St. Margarets Bay have never been asked about hosting the grave, Mrs. Publicover said she thinks it would be a good location. The Bayswater site is on Crown land and offers lots of parking without being in the stream of traffic.

 "We're quite willing, as a community, to have it right there on the piece of land in Bayswater," the councillor said. "I think that would be a peaceful little place. It would be a great little haven for them."

 Many people in the area were greatly affected by the crash - from the fishermen who put to sea right after the disaster and residents who went out with blankets to try to help survivors, to those who assisted the military encamped there as part of the search effort.

 Mrs. Publicover said it was an emotional roller-coaster for many who saw, heard and thought too much. She herself managed to get off it and escape from her nightmares of babies crying for help when the wife and child of one of the victims stayed with her for a weekend late last year.

 "The day that she left, she put her arms around me and she said 'Remember my husband as a great father, a great lover and a handsome man. Just think of that big man with a happy face. Every time you think of him, think of that.'

 "It blacked it all out for me," Mrs. Publicover said. "Here was a woman I was supposed to make feel good and she made me feel good."

 The councillor hopes the memorial will help people come to terms with the tragedy. Although residents are healing, she said, most people now just want to put the Swissair disaster behind them. She feels park benches near the memorial would allow people time to reflect in solitude without intruding on any neighbouring properties.

 "People can go there if they wish. If not, they can drive along," Mrs. Publicover said. "We're all different. Some people grieve in different ways. With me, I'd love to maybe take a book and go sit there some day. Then there will be others who may close their eyes when they go by."

 The memorial committee will next determine the design of the memorial. A request for proposals to design and build the memorials is expected this week.

 Premier MacLellan also announced a memorial service for the victims of Flight 111 to be held on the anniversary of the crash. Details are still in the planning stages.