Over 100 people gathered at Quesnel’s iconic Gold Pan City sign on Highway 97 at 4 p.m. this afternoon (April 12) to show solidarity with the Humboldt Broncos victims.
People from many generations pulled their hockey jerseys over their head this morning and remembered their first games, camaraderie with their teammates or that shot that just missed the net.
They thought about how gut-wrenching the tragedy would have been if it had happened here, and how heartbroken the parents and uncles and aunts and siblings and cousins and classmates would be, from South Hills to the Uplands.
Eric Wickham thought it might be a good idea to gather all the jersey-donning residents together at a noticeable Quesnel landmark, so began shopping the idea around on Facebook this morning.
“I thought it was something that we could do from our community to let them know we’re thinking of them,” he says.
Wickham was taken aback as the crowd grew, jersey by jersey, often eliciting honks from trucks and cars alike that passed them.
“I was really surprised,” he says.
“We’ve got a great sense of community here in Quesnel.”
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