A blustery and rainy Saturday wasn’t a deterrent to the group sinking shovels into the soggy soil at the Memorial Site for the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy.
Members of the 2017 – 2018 Humboldt Broncos Memorial Committee and Broncos family members gathered on Saturday morning, October 5, for a ceremonial sod turning to mark to official beginning of the construction phase at the site.
It’s an event that’s long been in the making, said Kurt Leicht on behalf of the Committee and the families. At the site, Leicht gave a brief overview of the Committee and its concerted efforts over the past 6 years to see a memorial developed at the site.
The Committee was established in November of 2018 after discussions with the Broncos organization, the affected families, and the City of Humboldt revealed the need to coalesce for planning.
“We had our first official meeting in February of 2019, so that’s how long it’s taken us to get to this point of the ground breaking,” Kurt Leicht explained. “We had a number of delays, mainly from our government and crown corporations – that's what’s taken the longest period of time.”
To get the green light on the projects, agencies including SaskPower, the Ministry of Highways, the local RM, and landowners needed to be involved in logistics and design. The site formerly housed a fuel station, so testing needed to be done.
Kirsch Construction of Humboldt will begin its work in prepping the site for concrete beginning Monday, October 7. Westcrete Concrete is volunteering services, and Paramount Paving will be set to do the asphalt work when the time comes. A couple of Nipawin contractors will also be involved with the ground work.
“The main reason we are able to actually do this project is because of the love and donations from all the people.”
Kurt Leicht and Celeste Leray-Leicht lost their son Jacob in the crash that occurred April 6, 2018, as the Broncos bus was struck on its way to a playoff game in Nipawin. Celeste reflected on the sombre Saturday event.
“It’s very meaningful and humbling to see the level of support coming different businesses in the area. And it’s time. It’s part of our process moving forward in healing. Some of those feelings never fade in grieving, but the sharpness of it kind of does.”
From the aftermath of the accident and the groundswell of support, families like the Leichts have summoned the courage and love to establish remarkable tribute efforts, like Celeste’s Northern Lights Movement for Kids, which works to bring understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth and communities through dedicated wellness projects.
So it is with Carol Brons, whose daughter Dayna, the team’s athletic trainer, was lost in the crash. Hockey Gives Blood was spurred by Dayna’s commitment to blood donation, and a host of scholarship awards has been established as a legacy. Carol has been another instrumental member of the Memorial Committee. She agrees that seeing the ground breaking finally arrive has come as an exercise in patience.
“It’s been a hurry up and wait kind of feeling,” Carol revealed. “Originally, nobody was really ready to do a lot because of shock and pain. People were very cognizant of trying to push, but as time went on, we all felt the need to get things started.”
The ceremony and the subsequent ground moving is a relief which will lead to the next stage of development. This will include monuments and other significant features.
In its current guise, the site maintains a large cross and makeshift markers and hockey sticks that commemorate the 16 individuals who lost their lives. Brons concedes that coming by the site is hard for the survivors and the families of those impacted, but for the volume of motorists travelling between Tisdale and Nipawin as well. She says that the creation of something more restful and peaceful will add some solace to the voyage.
She echoes the grateful sentiments toward all the local individuals who have tended to the site and kept it trimmed as best the area would allow. The new site will be designed with a low maintenance aspect in mind.
The site is incredibly important to the residents of Humboldt and area, some two hours away from the crash site, says Rob Muench with the Committee and a liaison to the City of Humboldt. Muench was Mayor of Humboldt at the time of the crash and is currently on Humboldt’s City Council.
“The City of Humboldt has been involved, but this project is coming together with donations from the community, the greater area, and from across the province and the country,” says Muench. “We’re very grateful to everybody who has contributed to this.”
With some cooperation from the weather, the hope is that concrete work and initial design details can be completed in the fall with work resuming in the spring. The sod ceremony represented both an end to a long journey of advocacy and a beginning of a lasting memorial to the sixteen angels and to all those affected by the tragedy.
The full conversation with Kurt Leicht, Celeste Leray-Leicht, Carol Brons and Rob Muench follows.