A story in last Tuesday’s Times began this way: “The drowning deaths of two Langley boys, Brendan Wilson, 17, and Austin Kingsborough, 18, in April put this community in a state of shock.”
That puts it perfectly. For several weeks, the community, and particularly family members and fellow students at Langley Secondary School, were in a state of suspended animation, as the two boys had gone missing on Nicola Lake, and yet police had called off the search for them.
The tragedy came at a particularly difficult time. Both boys were set to graduate from LSS, and graduation ceremonies were nearing.
Eventually, Gene and Sandy Ralston of Idaho, who voluntarily search for drowning victims using a unique type of sonar technology after official searches are called off, came to Nicola Lake. Within 30 minutes of arriving and beginning their search, the bodies of the two boys were recovered. It was a tragedy, but it was also a relief to know what had happened.
Scott Lebus and Jim Ward have taken this event to heart. They want to start a society that will enable searches like those offered by the Ralstons to take place in B.C. more easily.
The Ralstons are in demand. They have conducted hundreds of searches, and they can only do so much. In the case of the two boys, they needed a week after they were first called to get to Nicola Lake, due to other demands on their time.
They have done a great job for many B.C. families, but it’s obvious that there is a need for more of what they do. That’s where Legacy Water Search and Recovery Society comes in.
Ward, Brendan Wilson’s uncle, and Lebus, a family friend, have set up the society and are seeking to raise funds to obtain the type of equipment the Ralstons use. They want to do what the Ralstons do so well — offer searches to families to provide closure, do so in a timely fashion, and do so without an exorbitant cost to families.
They know firsthand the enormous pressure that is caused when something bad has happened. It is a cause that many Langley residents will feel is important, given the sense of shock that fell over this community in April.
They are holding a golf tournament at Newlands on Sept. 12 and are seeking donations. Those who are interested can get more information at www.legacywatersearch.com.
