This year marks 35 years of the SA 295 Helderberg tragedy that occurred on November 28, 1987.

ALSO READ: Hospice East Rand to hold remembrance ceremony

As news filtered in on that morning, it was learned that flight SA 295, a scheduled Boeing 747- 244Super B Combi service, from Taipei to Johannesburg, with 140 passengers and 19 crew members, had suffered a catastrophic incident over the ocean. It happened east of Mauritius and everyone on board was presumed lost.

Though they are gone, they are not forgotten. This day marks the 35-year mark of this day in South African aviation history.

Members of the South African Airways Museum Society conducted a memorial service and wreath-laying Ceremony at Rand Airport in Germiston in remembrance of those lost.

Family members and local councillors attended the ceremony and toured the museum before screening a documentary film.

One of the speakers said, “You think after 35 years we do not cry”’, emphasising that family members still grieve for their relatives.

South African aviation history vice chairperson Peter Boshoff said the incident in international terms was declared to be catastrophic.

It stems from the fact that the Helderberg was the largest aircraft flying at the time and crashed in an area where it was difficult to find.

“We recorded a high number of lives lost from that incident.

“We did not only lose the aircraft and people but as a country, the SAA lost its reputation as well.

“The SAA had to rebuild to win the trust of the people and build up our reputation from the way down. Thanks to the staff at that time we managed to soldier on,” said Peter.

Every guest attending the memorial says the same thing ‘the memories of the news flash are still fresh in their minds’.

ALSO READ: Oliver and Adelaide Tambo remembered in wreath-laying ceremony

Retired Captain and the museum founding member Karl Jensen and other members realised back then that when we need to have something to share, we need to start now. The museum stands because of those great minds.

“It is 35 years after the incident and we still hold the memorial service to honour those who perished,” said Peter.

Jensen said flying the Helderberg was like driving a sports car, adding that he flew the Helderberg for 27 years. “I went to Portugal 76 times, with that plane and countless times to other countries.”

He said everyone who was in the room broke down when the news of the incident was announced.

“They found the plane after six hours and in six hours it had gone for more than 50km after it hit the water,” said Karl.

Marc Daniel’s father Alan Daniel was on the plane as a junior pilot engineer. In 1987 Marc was four years old.
He said it was hard growing up without his father though their mother remarried a few years later.

“It was difficult to accept at first but we had to find a way to move past it and live a healthy lifestyle. I have an attraction to aeroplanes, but I never wanted to be part of the aviation industry,” he said.

“It is important to continue this memorial service every year because there is no other memorial in the country.

South Africa did not erect a plague or something for us to remember them. It is beautiful that the museum keeps the memory of our families alive and we have a place to go to and pay our respects.

ALSO READ: Hospice East Rand to host remembrance event

“Though we sit here today, it still brings memories of the shock we felt when we first received the news in 1987.

It took us a long time to get over it but we are thankful to the museum to invite us to the memorial,” said Beverly Lawrence, a sister to Heather McNeill, a passenger on the flight.

“My sister was 32 years old. She was taken early in life and left behind two children – a boy of over a year old and a 12-year-old girl. They both live in Australia and two of the wreaths we put here today came from them,” said Lawrence.

“When I saw the invite, I couldn’t miss it for the world. I loved the speeches they delivered today and would like to see this continue every year.

“There are many ways we can contribute to keep the museum going and have this memorial service every year,” said Lawrence.