<< Personal recollections (contd.)
I celebrated my 70th birthday on Friday 8th September 2017. The following day we had a biggish party with some relatives and lots of friends. I’ve been showing this blog to my family and friends. Most of my friends have said that, although they knew I’d been in an air crash, they were not all aware of the extent of what had happened. The response from everyone has been amazing: so very positive. The most common comments I have had are:
- How wonderful it was for you to have met up with the two doctors, Igor and Metka, after all this time.
- We love the pictures, especially of you at the memorial and of you with Igor and Metka.
- How kind it was of Brigita to help set all of this up for you.
One friend, who is at least 5 years younger than me, has emailed me to say that she remembers hearing about the crash on the news as she was getting ready to go to school. I am gradually collecting other reminiscences from friends and relatives. These will be found starting on the page Other people’s memories.
The party was wonderful. After we cut my birthday cake – a sponge cake iced with a sudoku puzzle that my wife Audrey had secretly arranged for the daughter of a friend of ours to bake and decorate – I was asked to say something. All I could manage to say was something the lines of:
“I’d like to thank you all for coming. I’d also like to say happy birthday to Janette.”
Janette was my twin sister who died in the air crash.
I found this very, very hard to do without crying but my wife, my daughter Emily and my cousin Teri really helped me. For the first time in over 50 years, because of the blog, almost everyone in the room understood what I was feeling.
Since writing the above my cousins Teri and Bill, together with their spouses, have visited Ljubljana (25th September 2017) to visit the memorial. This is described on the page Anne, Bill, Teri and Eric’s visit to Ljubljana.
After returning from Ljubljana this year I went to see the therapist I had seen in 2010/2011 wondering if I might be able to gain something from meeting up with her again. However, after a couple of sessions, I have realised that, although a few years ago the help she gave me was considerable, it is not her I need to talk to now; it is my friends, family and anyone else who might contact me through this blog.
The 1966 Ljubljana Air Crash. 
Hello, I worked with a young man who died in this plane crash. He was with his wife , they were on honeymoon. His name was Geoff. Although I don’t remember his surname, I remember them every year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Margaret
Thank you for taking to the time to make a comment to my blog. Writing this has been a long time coming but it has been extremely beneficial for me. It has also taken me a long time to realise that many others, besides my mother and myself, were deeply affected by the crash.
Some time ago I came across the following which I found particularly poignant.
http://yorkdailypicture.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/four-graves-one-memorial.html
Many thanks,
Michael Gatford
LikeLike
I believe I worked with a lady whose cousin that young man was. They married the Saturday before the crash. My best friend was killed along with another friend they were just 19.
LikeLike
Hi, Margaret did you work at Head Wrightson Middlesbrough? Geoff my brother married Audrey our name is Brown. Hope this helps, would be good to hear more from you.. Regards Vic
LikeLike
Geoff and Audrey Brown.
I also worked with Geoff at Head Wrightson and he was a very dear friend. Broke my heart when he died .
He was 24 and Audrey my age at the time 19.
Never be forgotten.
June Hadfield
LikeLike
Margaret. Hi!
I also worked with Geoff Brown at Head Wrightson’s . He was a dear friend ..
Are you Kerry Collins Aunt? I think I worked at the council offices with you.,Regards June
LikeLike