The phone would not stop ringing. The email inbox filled up. People kept dropping by the Peak office to find out if we were doing an article. It was a week filled with talking to people who had nothing but good things to say about and remorse over the loss of Colin Dionne.
For those who never knew Dionne, they were obviously missing out. Dionne’s friends, family and coworkers are devastated by the loss of a man who, by the age of 40, had made an enormous impact in the lives of others. He had earned the respect and admiration of a community, all with an immense amount of kindness and humbleness.
The fact that Dionne made such an impact says something about the community he lived in too. Powell River, through its relative isolation, its history of strong community and its wide range of opportunities, is just the kind of place where a person like Dionne can make an impact. Whereas a person can easily be lost in the shuffle in a larger city, in Powell River there is still room to grow, to initiate change, to spread one’s wings.
Among the climbing circles here, Dionne will forever be remembered as a pioneer of the activity in the area and as the man who almost singlehandedly established the routes in the Eldred Valley, perhaps his proudest achievement by some accounts. Anywhere else, especially in a climbing community like Squamish, for instance, this would not have been possible. Those routes would already have been there and Dionne would have been just another climber.
But in Powell River there is still the opportunity for trail blazers to show their talents and do their thing and in return the community gives respect, appreciation and love.
The tragic loss of a life is always devastating. Two other men died in the helicopter crash with Dionne and surely their family and friends are going through the same grief. Here in Powell River, we have lost someone who was important to both the people who knew him and the community as a whole.
While Dionne’s death is overwhelmingly sad, witnessing the impact on the community and the way people have come forward to celebrate the life of this man is inspirational. It says a lot not only about the man, but also the community he lived in.
