MH17 memorial service in Netherlands
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The Netherlands on Friday held a ceremony to remember the 298 victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, a year after it was downed over eastern Ukraine
- 16 HOURS AGO JULY 18, 2015 10:00PM
ASMAA Aljuned audibly exhaled, dropped her head and in an emotionally charged cracking voice asked the audience “please bear with me ... I have a final task of my husband’s to do”.
There were 1300 people in the auditorium in the Dutch town of Nieuwegein 30 minutes from Amsterdam, but you could only hear her breathe heavily into the microphone as an already emotional room froze.
She then read what she said her husband Ahmad Hakimi, co-pilot of the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 would liked to have said a year ago to the day.
“I would like to welcome you aboard again flight MH17 and reintroduce the crew … the weather is fine and as we will begin our descent shortly, on behalf of Malaysian Airlines and crew once again I’d like to thank you for flying with us, have a nice day,” she said, choking back tears for the audience who had already beat her to it.
There was tears and sobs from the floor. Asmaa paused for a moment on stage to compose herself, before seat by seat, row after row, the audience — all next of kin or close friends of the passengers and crew of the doomed flight — stood and gave her a sustained ovation.
The emotion was simply too much for some, who quietly left the room in tears to be comforted by others outside the auditorium.
Such was the emotion, even the translators sitting in booths at the rear of the room translating proceedings for the overseas visitors and English speakers sobbed and croaked through their translations.
Medical staff were also on hand for those feeling the full force of distress.
Sunflowers ... the flowers have become the symbol of the MH17 tragedy. Picture: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky Source: AP
Tasmanian family Philip and Therese de Ruiter and their son Daniel attended the ceremony and found the reading aloud of the names of the Australians victims especially emotional.
Philip lost his older brother Arjen Ryder, 54, and Mr Ryder’s 53-year-old wife Yvonne, both from Western Australia, in the disaster.
“It was emotional, I think the most emotional part for us was reading the names, that was a time yes when the tears came,” Mr de Ruiter said.
“I think it was important. It was one of those things you don’t realise, it’s that emotional to read it, obviously you are just reading names off but reading it in there it was quite emotional.”
Therese added: “It was honourable as well to read the other Australian names. We were given the opportunity ... and I thought it was fantastic to do it as another Australian. We had 19 names to read so we split them and we had our younger son Daniel — if he couldn’t do it he could help — but we managed to get through the names half each.”
Mr Ryder said one year on evidence related to the downing was still coming out and that didn’t surprise him.
Remembering the innocent victims ... a mourner takes a close-up picture of a ‘hedge of compassion', made of thousands of dolls found along the road and at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport after the MH17 crash. Picture: AFP PHOTO / PHIL NIJHUIS Source: AFP
“Not really, not in the area (rebel held eastern Ukraine) that it happened we’ve come to expect these sorts of things ... and look, maybe the truth will never come out in our lifetimes but we don’t need to seek retribution and find out who has done it. We will leave that to the Lord to do that. For us we just let things happen and if they do find out all good and well.”
He said his family had good and bad days with emotions over their loss.
“We have hope in God and our comfort is knowing they are in heaven together with the heavenly father and we will be with them one day and even though it is tragic and we have pain from time to time, we also have the joy knowing they are in peace together. You do question why but we say there is sin in the world and bad things in the world but we accept that is part of God’s plans for us.”
Grace and solemnity ... dancers perform during the commemoration ceremony in Nieuwegein. Picture: AFP PHOTO / FRANK VAN BEEK Source: AFP
During the emotional two-hour anniversary commemoration, Wim van Der Graaff spoke of his sorrow of losing his son and at one point thundered “Where is my son?” in the auditorium before telling the gathered he was far from healed.
Many mourners arrived carrying sunflowers, the unofficial flower of the tragedy given their loved ones were lost in the fields of the tall flowers in that region and one minute’s silence was held, coinciding with the time a year ago contact was lost with MH17.
The theme of the day was “hope in sadness, hope in grief”.
Victims remembered ... Philip and Therese de Ruiter red out the names of the Australians who died in the tragedy. Picture: AP Photo/Phil Nijhuis Source: AP
The event was attended by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte who spoke of the national sorrow as well as ambassadors from all countries affected including Australia’s lead diplomat Neil Mules.
Mr Mules said it was an impressive and solemn commemoration organised by the next of kin themselves.
“A year on you can see some hope and some positive signs among the victims families which is a wonderful thing,” he said.
He added relations between Australia and the Netherlands had never been stronger and through the grim circumstances the two nations had been brought closer.
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