By Hamish Clark
One-hundred-and-four relatives of those killed in New Zealand’s worst air disaster are preparing for a commemorative flight to Antarctica on Wednesday.
One of them is Andrew Bond who lost both his parents on the slopes of Mt Erebus on his 16th birthday, 31 years ago.
It’s three decades since Mr Bond’s parents took off on the trip of a lifetime that ultimately claimed their lives.
Now, their son is about to complete their journey on a commemorative flight to Antarctica.
He was given a ticket by his brother, only to win another ticket in the lottery when Air New Zealand increased seat numbers.
“I gave a seat back to him, which I think as a family it is really important for two of us to get to experience it,” he says.
It was on Mr Bond’s 16th birthday when his parents Marilyn and Robbie flew down to the ice.
“My parents left very early in the morning. I remember them coming into my room and saying, ‘See you later’ – that would have been four or five in the morning,” Mr Bond says.
They were among 257 passengers and crew tragically killed when the scenic flight slammed into Mt Erebus.
Wednesday’s remembrance flight put on by Air NZ is a chance for all the families to honour the memories of their loved ones.
“It’s the same reason people put flowers on a grave of on the side of the road where there has been an accident. It is the same impulse, to get a feel for the place, to get a feel for what happened,” says Mr Bond.
On Wednesday Mr Bond and his brother will capture a glimpse of what his parents had dreamed of experiencing.
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