The organizers of this week's Canada Day celebrations in Squamishdeserve a big shout out for a job well done. It's no understatement to say it takes thousands of person-hours to pull off such a successful event with so many moving parts, with limited funding. Congrats to all.
In at least three instances, though - one close to home, two further afield -the Canada Day long weekend was a tragic one. Two of those remind us that in our quest to experience life to the fullest, it's possible to test fate one too many times. The third instance - the death of 19 firefighters in Arizona - is a solemn reminder of the risks that courageous people willingly incur in their heroic efforts to protect others.
Sarah Guillot-Guyard, 31, became the first performer to perish in the Cirque du Soleil's storied 29-year history when she fell about 15 metres during a performance in Las Vegas. The founder of the Quebec-based circus, Guy Laliberte, said he was "heartbroken," and the Vegas show was suspended.
In somewhat similar fashion, Pemberton Soaring Centre founder Rudy Roszypalek was among four people who perished in a mid-air collision of a powered glider in which he was travelling and a single-engine Cessna aircraft that was passing by near Nairn Falls on Saturday (June 29). Fortunately, no one on the ground was hurt by the falling debris, but Roszypalek's death has devastated the close-knit Pemberton community. We offer our deepest condolences to Roszypalek's family and close friends, and to those of the other, as-yet-unnamed, victims.
The Arizona incident appears to have been a case of the unpredictable forces of nature turning from bad to worse, resulting in the highest loss of life for those fighting a wildland fire in the U.S. in 80 years.
Last fall, Squamish Search and Rescue member John Howe told The Chief that his group aims to minimize personal risk to its members through preparation and training. It's important, he said, that first responders "be regarded as heroes for their collective achievements rather than any perceived acts of heroism."
Amen to that, and here's hoping our community's own first responders never come up against a diabolical combination of natural forces similar to the conditions that confronted those brave young men in Arizona.
- David Burke
