Thousands attend Erebus anniversary

Nearly 1000 people attended the main commemorative ceremony at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell yesterday. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Twenty-five years on and another chapter has closed in the lives of those who lost loved ones in the Mt Erebus crash.

Hundreds of people gathered at churches and memorial services nationwide yesterday to remember the 257 people who died when the Air New Zealand DC10 hit the Antarctic volcano on November 28, 1979.

In some cases it was the simple act of attending a service and laying a wreath that allowed closure after a quarter of a century.

For others, such as Carrie Finlay-Shilton* - the first wife of Michael Finlay, who died on Erebus - it was the unscripted and sincere words from Air NZ chief executive Ralph Norris that will allow her to move on.

"He came up to me and said that it was something the company couldn't have foreseen. He said he was sorry."

Yesterday's commemorations of the country's worst disaster started close to where it all began on that fateful morning - Auckland Airport.

At 10am, about 100 friends, family and airline staff gathered at a crew memorial site to remember the 20 airline staff who died doing their jobs.

Ian Hambly, a steward between 1973 and 1983, recalled his role after the crash - identifying colleagues. He then had the "harrowing" task of returning their property to their families.

Mr Hambly said the only thing worse than the accident was the cover-up and incorrectly placed blame that followed.

"I believe it's important that we remember what took place so long ago and to ensure that we don't forget the lessons we learned at such a terrible cost," he said.

At midday, nearly 1000 people gathered at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell for the main commemorative service of the day.

Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright, one of only a few to speak at the service, said the anniversary was a time not of celebration but of remembrance.

"On November 28, 1979, we grew up," she said. "We learned that here, in God's own country, we are not immune from errors resulting in large-scale tragedy."

Dame Silvia said flights to the Antarctic were more than just an aeroplane ride. They were a kind of adventure New Zealanders had not encountered before - a brief luxury, a "glimpse of a fairyland".

After 25 years, she said, the pain of Erebus was still raw for many of the victims' friends and family. "We want you to know that we share your sorrow."

Dame Silvia also paid tribute to the recovery teams that worked courageously in "catastrophic conditions".

In the afternoon a wreath-laying service was held at Waikumete Cemetery in West Auckland, where a memorial stands to the victims whose remains were never identified or recovered.

Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey assured friends and family that their loved ones would never be forgotten.
Sean Collins, who lost his father, Martin, said attending the service revived a lot of old emotions.

"It's just like it happened yesterday. I can't believe it's been 25 years." 

* Clarification: In the original version of this story, Carrie Finlay-Shilton was described as a widow. She is the first wife of Michael Finlay, who died on Erebus. At the time of his death Mr Finlay was married to Michelle Anne Eileen Finlay.