THIRTEEN candles flickered at the front of the Town Church, symbolising collective sadness at the lives lost last December, and a determination not to forget them.
Relatives and friends of those who died in the sinking of L’Ecume II and the explosion at Haut du Mont sat alongside those who had responded to the tragedies and help the Island through one of the darkest periods of recent years.
On 8 December, fisherman Michael Michieli and his two crew – Jervis Baligat and Larry Simyunn – were killed when their trawler collided with the Commodore Goodwill freight ship.
On 10 December, nine residents – 72-year-old Peter Bowler, Raymie Brown (71), Romeu and Louise De Almeida (67 and 64 years), Derek and Sylvia Ellis (61 and 73 years), Ken and Jane Ralph (72 and 71 years) and 63-year-old Billy Marsden – were killed in the Pier Road blast, while a tenth, Kathy McGinness (73), who lived in an adjacent block and was injured in the explosion, died in hospital on Christmas Day.
The memorial service in St Helier’s parish church was a simple but highly poignant affair, over within half an hour.
Christmas decorations were in place above the aisles and at the sides of the church, and the Rev Canon Dominic Golding, the Island’s Catholic Dean, recalled the pre-Christmas excitement of the same day last year, the eve of the first of the tragedies.
Canon Golding described how sad it had suddenly become to prepare for Christmas, and admitted that this year may be just as hard for many of those affected – “doing the usual” would probably be what those who had died would have wanted, he suggested.
Reading the classic poem She is Gone by David Harkins, which featured in the funeral service for the Queen Mother in 2002, Canon Golding said the congregation could shed tears that their loved ones were gone, or smile because they had lived.
And he urged all Islanders to be kind, outward-facing, and willing to forgive and support others, actions that would create a ripple effect in helping to move forward positively.
The Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, said that the Island had “mourned together” in the wake of the tragedies and that it was important to come together to remember the lives lost and support those left behind.
“Each of us knows why we are here. We have either suffered a great personal loss, are supporting those who have, or we are responding as a community, showing solidarity with our friends, neighbours and fellow Islanders who were hit by two tragedies,” Sir Timothy told the congregation.
The service, led by the Dean of Jersey, the Very Rev Mike Keirle, also featured readings by Chief Minister Kristina Moore and the Constable of St Helier, Simon Crowcroft.
After singers from the Musical Originals sung I Believe in the Sun, there was a period of silence, and then prayers for those affected to be patient as they waited for the outcome of the investigations into what happened.
Although almost everyone wishing to attend was able to squeeze into the church, there was an overspill facility in Church House, and counselling was available in the St Helier Chapel.
As a lone guitar broke the silence after the service, members of the congregation filed out. Some were seeking company and conversation, perhaps over a glass of mulled wine in the Royal Square, while others preferred to head home.
The Island had come together, and it seemed everyone felt a little bit better, a bit more optimistic, as a result.
