CORNWALL, Ontario – Last Friday, May 4, during the fierce windstorm that swept across Ontario, two young arborists, Adam Sura, 28, and Zach Plater, 18, were out in the storm while most people were staying safe inside. They were trying to clear away branches from a road in rural Milton, ON, so that a school bus filled with students could pass when the tree fell on them.
Sura was pronounced dead at the scene, and Plater died later in hospital.
A tragedy to be sure that these two young men died while on the job trying to make their community a little safer during a dangerous storm. For those who might think that Milton is a far away land from here, and that what happens there has little impact on a community like Cornwall, but don’t be so sure.
Bruce Wickham is a resident of Cornwall and is a cousin of Sura’s mother, Debbie Wickham.
“These kids were heroes,” said Wickham. “They were out there trying to do their job.”
Wickham said that he wants people to remember that we are all connected.
“Our world is very small,” he said. “To make it a better place, it takes all of us.”
A tree will be planted in memory of the two young arborists.
“He loved everything to do with trees and was very fortunate to have found his passion,” reads Adam Sura’s obituary on Legacy.com. “Adam was a talented musician, an avid snowboarder and a well rounded athlete. He was a gentle soul with a heart of gold who spread and shared love with everyone whose path he crossed.”
Bruce Wickham will be traveling to Orangeville tomorrow, May 10, for a visitation service for Adam. A funeral service for Adam Sura will be held on Friday, May 11 in Orangeville.
