Irish family offers tearful thanks to Calgary-based canine search team that recovered son's body

The family of an Irish football player who drowned in a B.C. lake last year returned to Canada this week to express thanks to the organization that helped them finally bring their loved one home.

David Gavin, 26, was swimming with friends on June 30, 2017 when he jumped off a bridge near theKinbasketLake Resort,northwest of Golden, and disappeared.

His family immediately flew to Canada to help in the search but were unsuccessful. They returned twice more to searchbefore a volunteer and his dogrecovered Gavin's body nearly a year after Gavin went missing.

The dog, Koda, is one of only a handful of so-called cadaver dogs in Canada. He and his handler are members of theCalgary-area volunteergroup, theCanadian Canine Search Corps.

Gavin's partner, Caira O'Malley, said bringing him home to Ireland provided peace of mind for her and Gavin's family. Now, they want to give back in the hopes of helping other families faced with a similar tragedy.

"If it wasn't for them we would never had got closure," said O'Malley who was flanked by Gavin's father, motherand sister. Theyflew to Calgary to meet with the search team and donate an undisclosed amount to further their efforts.

"It would have been very hard even to go back to work or just do normal things because it would be in our head, we need to, we should be looking for David," she said. "I suppose if they can help other people with the money we give them, that's amazing and that's what David would want."

Gavin's father said the family received generous donations through a GoFundMe account that went toward paying for dive teams and other costs involved in the search.

The remainder is being split between a search team in Ireland and the Canadian Canine Search Corps, which wasstarted by Calgary firefighter Karen Somerville.

Somerville said since forming the organizationtwo years ago, it's conducted five searches and made two finds.

"This one was pretty special," she said. "The Gavin family are so wonderful and supportive of our organization and of each other, and that is so important to see. Itreally helps inspire us to continue doing what we do."

Somervilleformed the search team, whichtrains and certifies dogs to detect human remains, because she saw an unmet need among desperate families.

"It's a feeling of accomplishment and at the same time it's heartbreak," she said.

"When you talk to the family and you are giving them this news,and you know that it's what they want to hear, but at the same time it's pretty devastating."

And she said the money will go toward buying equipment and providing further training.

"We get to pay it forward, we get to take this money and we get to help others," said Somerville.

"I always think it's like David sent them to usfor a tiny bit of healing'- CairaO'Malley, David Gavin's partner

The family plans tovisit the spot where Gavin drowned. The groupwill also meetwith others who volunteered their time in the searchwhile they are in Canada for the next few weeks.

"I always think it's like David sent them to usfor a tiny bit of healing nearly because people were so giving and caring and loving toward us. Itwas nearly like they were trying to help us along the way," said O'Malley.

The family is also hoping thisdonation will encourage others to give, too,to the Canadian Canine Search Corps.

"They put an enormous amount of volunteer time into search and rescue to help families like ourselves, to find their loved ones, and I think they need all the funding they can get," said Gavin's father, Michael Gavin.

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