Remembering Angela: Maritimes a special place for Ethiopia crash victim

"Don't worry my maritime friends you still hold a very special place in my heart."

That was the first line in the last blog entry by AngelaRehhorn, a 24-year-old conservationist killed in the Ethiopian Airlinescrashon Sunday.

Rehhornwasoneof 18 Canadiansaboard the flight that crashed after takeoff from Addis Ababa, taking the livesof all 157on board.

InOctoberthe Dalhousie University graduate left her job atthe Huntsman Marine ScienceCentre in Saint Andrews, where she did salmon research, totrain with the Canadian Conservation Corps.

Remembering Angela: Maritimes a special place for Ethiopia crash victim

6 years ago

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"Don't worry my maritime friends you still hold a very special place in my heart." That was the first line in the last blog entry by Angela Rehhorn, a 24-year-old conservationist killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.

"I've always have had this feeling that I am meant tobeon the East Coast and that's where I'll settle," Rehhorn, who was from Orillia, Ont., wrote in her blog "Angieon the Run"on Dec. 16.

"The CCC has provided me with theopportunity tochallenge this idea as I hop across the country toVancouver Island B.C. for a3-monthinternship at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve!"

WhileRehhornwas experiencing Canada living and working in its wildlands, she left behind close friends and colleagues in Saint Andrews. They are now grieving her death and sharing theirfavouritememoriesof her.

"It's very heartwarming and very saddening at the same time," said Jamey Smith, the executive directorof theHuntsman centre.

"Oneofour team here whowas very close with Angela, at work as well as personally, described Angela as the typeof friend that would put their friendship aheadof themselves," said Smith, while sitting at the lab station and microscope thatRehhornused towork at.

"There's not many people that would dothat. That'sa genuinethought and genuine affection created in people, and that will really be missed.

"We're doing the best we can, but I know that the staff is having a challenging time."

Some Huntsman staff and close friendsofRehhornplan tovisit her parents in Ontario and will bring along a salmon madeoutof blue flowers tohonourher memory. They've already been sharing memories of Rehhorn with members of her family tohelp ease their loss.

"We had a great conversation, we shared a few laughs and there were tearson the phone too," Smith said. "The sense I got is they were soaking in somany memories about Angela's life that they weren't maybe involved with.

"They're just trying topiece things together."

'Angie on the run'

In her blog,Rehhorndescribed leaving herwell-paying, permanent job as "bold," but also wrote that she wanted "to see as much, and learn as much as possible!"

She said, "I try to live by taking the roads that aren't clear and safe, for those are the paths that will lead to new adventures."

That led her to the Canadian Wildlife Federation, where she began working and training as aconservationists.

"It's a tragic loss," said JohnWiersma, the manager of the program. WiersmaoversawRehhorn duringa14-day leadership retreat in Canadian wilderness.

"It was actually hiking in the Rockies," saidWiersma, who trained her in CPR and first aid before the group spent two weeks living in the wild.

"She was very down to earth, very sort of 'get her hands dirty and jump right in.' She was looking for those experiences."

Rehhorn's bloggave some insight into her feelings during that expedition that left her in awe of the mountains.

"It's snowing. It's cold. It's wet. This is not what I had expected or planned for," she wrote in a post titled "Snowtember," publishedNov.10, 2018.

"It's fine; I'll be fine," I kept reassuring myself. I left my life in New Brunswick and arrived in Alberta expecting yet another hike and camping trip; no bigdealright?"

It was during thatexcursion that Rehhornmet a fellow conservationistwho would become her roommate and one of her best friends.

"We did everything together," saidSilvana Botros, who admiredRehhorn'sdry sense ofhumour. "We shared a car. It was a full-on sister relationship."

In addition to sharing tents, the two also movedin together when they movedtoUcluelet, on Vancouver Island, as part of the Canadian Wildlife Federation's program placement.

"We had a really good arrangement," Botrossaid with a laugh. "I got to cook and she cleaned.

"She was hilarious to be aroundand such a joy to be around.

"We were both pretty spontaneous in the things that we wanted to do.Sowe'd be like, after work, thinking that we were just going to stay home. But then we'd be, like, 'You know, never mind, we're going to go to the beach at 10 o'clock and it will be fine and it will be fun.'"

At the program's end,Botrosmoved to Ottawa but said she still spoke withRehhorndaily.

WhenRehhornleft Canada for Ethiopia as part of a UN youth delegation of environmentalists, she flew out of Ottawa, giving the friends two days together before the fatal crash three days later.

"She was such alivelyperson," saidBotros. "She lived her life exactly how she wanted to."