In August 2024, my wife and I travelled to Estonia and found ourselves present for the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Mass Flight of 1944. Among the events we attended was the unveiling of the Mass Flight memorial in Pärnu — a moving experience I will never forget.
That week coincided with several major commemorations. On Tuesday 17 August, we attended a solemn ceremony in Tallinn Freedom Square at the foot of the Statue of Liberty. Various dignitaries and organisations were present, along with members of the general public. Wreaths were laid and speeches given, including one by Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. After this ceremony, many of the crowd crossed Freedom Square for a memorial service at St. John’s Church that followed.
On Saturday 21 August we were in Pärnu for the ceremonies and unveiling of the memorial. This memorial was funded through fundraising by the Estonian diaspora, in particular with contributions from Australia and Canada. Again, many dignitaries and organisations were present, including former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Our own Maie Barrow attended and helped with the formal unveiling of the memorial. Other Australian Estonians present included Kristi Barrow, Dr Helen Reinthal, Johanna Rivers and myself (Grahame Reinthal).
The memorial itself is quite remarkable: two hands reaching to hold together, yet being pulled apart by circumstances beyond control.
Close up, the aluminium strips that form the hands create their contours and fingerprints. At the same time, the deep curves of the hands represent the turbulent waves of the ocean — and riding upon those waves are the little boats and ships attempting their escape. Overall, I found the symbolism of the memorial very moving.
