A Tragic Loss

It was with great sadness that the school received news of Laura Gainey's disappearance at sea. She was swept off the deck of the tallship, Picton Castle on Friday, December 9.

Though Laura herself was not a student at LCS, she was definitely a friend of the school. Her sisters Anna '96 and Colleen '02 are LCS alumnae. Laura was a free-spirited individual, especially sensitive to the needs of others, and passionate about the outdoors.

In a recent family memorial service at the A.W Mackenzie Chapel, she was honoured as a vibrant young woman who inspired others to be true to their own loves and passions. At the service, Laura's art work was on display with some family photos and each piece revealed Laura's many talents and beauty. She will be missed by all of those who were touched by her loving spirit.

The following poem was read at the memorial service:
Gone From My Sight
I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails
to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength
I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come
to mingle with each other

Then someone at my side says;
"There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar
as she was when she left my side
and she is just as able to bear her load
of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone
at my side says, "There, she is gone!"
There are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout,
"Here she comes!"

Henry Van Dyke