Now Anderson is the lead investigator in the case that just charged Stenehjem with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Stenehjem crashed a Maule floatplane into Johnstone Lake with four others aboard. The crash near Seward on July 7, 2005 claimed the life of 17-year-old Mark Schroeder. He drowned in the icy waters.

Investigations by the troopers, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration found the plane lacked required maintenance documentation, and Stenehjem may have overloaded it, prompting the airplane to stall. And that's not all.

“The young man who perished, Mark Schroeder, was in the very back of the aircraft in an area where there were no seats or seat belts, where typically a person wouldn't be,” Anderson said

KTUU-TV spoke with Stenehjem last October while he attended the arraignment of Robert Hale, better known as Papa Pilgrim. “I was one of the pilots that was flying supplies into the Pilgrims two years ago,” he said. In 2003 Stenehjem crashed another plane on the Pilgrim property near McCarthy.

Is it bad luck, or a pattern of sloppy, even negligent behaviour behind the controls?

Now a young man is dead and prosecutors are ready to test their theory of negligence before a jury. Stenehjem turned himself in to authorities yesterday. He is now out on bail. Meanwhile, the FAA has already taken action against Stenehjem and revoked his pilot certificate.

Pilot faulted in Johnstone Lake crash

JULY: Floatplane too slow on landing, panel finds; teenager drowned. By PETER PORCO
Anchorage Daily News : Published: February 4, 2006 

The National Transportation Safety Board ruled this week that the crash of a floatplane into a glacial lake near Seward in July that led to the death of a 17-year-old South African was probably caused by pilot error.
 
The NTSB said the crash occurred because the pilot, tour operator Kurt W. Stenehjem of Anchorage, failed "to maintain minimum airspeed during final approach, which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and impact" with the lake. The NTSB finding comes on top of the revocation last fall by the Federal Aviation Administration of Stenehjem's commercial and private-pilot licenses. The FAA and the NTSB act independently of each other, and their reports are not linked, though both are connected to the crash. The FAA told Stenehjem, in an emergency revocation order issued in late September, that he was not qualified to hold a pilot certificate. The agency cited numerous aviation violations.

Several of them were related to the flight on July 7 that ended in a crash into Big Johnstone Lake, 25 miles east-southeast of Seward. According to the FAA, Stenehjem overloaded the plane, distributed the weight so it exceeded center-of-gravity limits and placed a passenger, Mark Schroeder of Durban, South Africa, in the rear of the plane where there was no seat.

The aircraft, a single-engine Maule M-7-235 operated by Glacier Air Adventures of Anchorage, Stenehjem's company, was coming in for a landing 25 to 50 feet above the surface of the lake when it suddenly lost lift and "pancaked" into the water, collapsing the floats, according to the NTSB report.
Stenehjem and his four passengers climbed out of the mostly submerged plane. One of the passengers, Carolyn O'Neill, 60, of Kansas City, Kan., could not get out initially. But Schroeder worked with his hands beneath the rising water in the cabin and, with the help of others, freed her foot, the FAA reported.

In water of 38-42 degrees, the five swam to an iceberg and tried but failed to climb on top of it. All but Schroeder swam back to the slowly sinking plane and a small iceberg. The boy, who was not wearing a flotation vest, tried to swim back to the plane but went under and never surfaced. The others, all wearing life vests, eventually climbed on other icebergs, one no larger than a mattress, and were rescued about six hours later. They suffered minor injuries.

Other than insufficient airspeed, the NTSB report does not cite any other factor as a cause of the crash and does not address overloading or weight balance.
Larry Lewis of the Anchorage office of the NTSB, the principal investigator of the crash, was unavailable Friday to discuss the agency's report, the NTSB said.
The FAA, in ordering Stenehjem to surrender his pilot's license, cited an "emergency" for the paying public and said Stenehjem had operated an unsafe airplane on July 7 and without proof of an annual inspection in the preceding 12 months.
"You used the aircraft to carry paying clients of a commercial lodge operation but were willing to forgo very basic inspection requirements that all aircraft operators must abide by," the FAA said in the order of revocation, written by Howard Martin, its regional counsel in Anchorage, and one of only three emergency revocations issued in Alaska in 2005. Stenehjem, Martin wrote, did not perform essential calculations and failed to follow a "very basic pre-flight process" for ensuring balance in the aircraft that all pilots must follow.
 
"As a commercial pilot flying a seaplane in remote Alaskan areas with demanding weather and terrain and an absence of readily available emergency services, you were aware or should have been aware that maintaining control of a float-equipped heavily loaded airplane with possible abrupt flight characteristics was imperative," Martin wrote to Stenehjem.

"Ignoring this need, you lost control of the aircraft at a very critical point in flight, where in-flight recovery was impossible. ...Your care and judgment falls short of even a student pilot, and woefully short of the care and judgment a commercial pilot flying paying members of the public should exhibit."

Alaska State Troopers, who investigated the crash and the events afterward in the lake, recently referred the case to the Kenai district attorney, said troopers Lt. Brandon Anderson. 

"Any time there's a fatality, for any type of vehicle accident, we look at what negligence there might be on the part of the operator, and we forward charges that may be appropriate," Anderson said Friday.

The charge forwarded to the district attorney was criminally negligent homicide, he said. Whether the case would be prosecuted was the district attorney's call, Anderson said. Kenai District Attorney June Stein said her office has not yet had the opportunity to review the case.

The 54-year-old Stenehjem, reached Thursday night and again Friday afternoon, said he did not want to be interviewed.He told The Associated Press that he disagreed with some FAA findings but would rather not argue the details. Instead, Stenehjem told the news agency, it was "best to work for a resolution."
Stenehjem could have his private pilot's license reinstated by the FAA by August, but he'd have to be retrained in some flying matters and retested, said Martin, the FAA's regional counsel.

To win back his commercial certificate, he'd have to go through other retraining and more rigorous retesting, Martin said. Stenehjem told the Associated Press he has not decided if he will reapply for his license.

The plane was owned by Chris McLean of Durban, South Africa, a former Alaska resident and the stepfather of Schroeder. McLean and Stenehjem were business partners (sic), according to John Stadum, an Anchorage friend of McLean.
McLean had warned Stenehjem against putting anyone in the rear compartment of the plane "as I felt it was unsafe to transport passengers in that location," he told Stein, the Kenai district attorney in an e-mail message provided by his wife, Lesley Schroeder McLean, Mark Schroeder's mother.

According to an e-mail exchange -- one of several e-mail messages she provided -- Lesley McLean wrote to Stenehjem after the crash and said her son was a strong young man, a rugby player and swimmer, and there seemed to be no reason why he should have perished when passengers Carolyn O'Neill and her husband, Bill O'Neill, who was 59, were middle-aged and lived.
 
Stenehjem responded to Lesley McLean that her son was lean and fit and had the least amount of body fat of those aboard the plane. He was not injured in the crash, Stenehjem wrote, but rather succumbed to the cold water.
The boy's cause of death is listed as drowning, but no autopsy has been performed. Neither his body nor the plane has been recovered from the lake, where depths reach 800 feet.

Lesley McLean blamed Stenehjem's behavior for her son's death.
"We have read the FAA report, spoken to the survivors and received e-mails from them, and we have no doubt that Mark's death was caused by reckless and irresponsible behavior by the pilot," she said in an e-mail message. "It is reprehensible that Kurt did not ensure my son was wearing a life vest and that he overloaded the plane and put Mark in the back in the storage area where there was no approved seat."

Her family will not pursue legal action against Stenehjem, she said.

Stenehjem has had other aircraft accidents. He crashed a plane, a Cessna 180, on a gravel airstrip near McCarthy in October 2003, but was uninjured. He had been flying as a volunteer pilot in an organized charity operation to bring supplies to the controversial Pilgrim family whose overland access to their home within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park was cut off by the National Park Service.

He also crashed an ultralight at Birchwood Airport in August 1997, flying solo ground maneuvers as a student pilot. The crash into a parked plane broke his wrist.

The FAA said Stenehjem's lack of care and judgement justified immediate action:
"Your conduct before and during this flight reveals at best an ineptitude and inability to execute very basic responsibilities of airmanship. At worst it documents an intentional disregard of the Federal Aviation Regulations and very basic safety values of safety that qualified pilots hold," the agency wrote.

After conducting its own investigation, the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) issued a rare emergency revocation of Stenehjem's commercial pilot certificate. Among factors cited, the plane was overloaded and was equipped with only four seats even though there were five people on board. Schroeder had sat in the back where the gear was stored.

These are Extracts from Article by Rachel D'Oro, 3 Feb 2006 Anchorage Daily News: Lax aviation rules led to sons death. See full articles below. 

1 day before the first anniversary of Mark's death, Kurt Stenehjem was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. The story was covered widely in the US and in South Africa where it was the front page story of the Sunday Tribune.

The photograph on the right shows shows Mark on the day before he died with Kurt Stenehjem, the pilot on the left and Mark on the right. In the middle are the Bonville family with whom Mark had a very special time. Claudette Bonville took this photograph.

By Chris Makhaye

Alaskan prosecutors have charged a pilot for the death of a heroic Durban teenager who drowned a year ago in a freezing lake when their light plane crashed. Yesterday, family and friends of former Hillcrest High School rugby captain, Mark Schroeder gathered at his home to celebrate his life at a garden picnic. He was 17 when he died.
They were also discussing the arrest this week of a pilot, Kurt Stenehjem in Anchorage Alaska and charges against him for criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment of life. 

The 55 year old pilot turned himself in after a grand jury indicted him. A Federal Avaition accident report blames Stenehjem for not taking adequate precautions  when taking to the air on July 7 last year when their floatplane plunged into the icy waters of Johnstone Lake on the Kenai Peninsula.

Mark, who was on holiday, died a hero. He helped save fellow passenger Carolyn O'Neill, 55, whose foot was trapped in the plane. Though he had a cut on his head and was wearing heavy waders, he also searched for a way for the other passengers to clamber up an iceberg.

Four passengers, including the pilot, survived. Reports at the time told of how the four were rescued  after a search plane spotted 'small black dots on a small iceberg'. According to Alaskan police spokesman, Greg Wilkinson, Mark eventually succumbed to the frigid water and slipped under. His body has never been recovered.

(Lesley) When you look at this aerial photograph of Lake Johnstone taken by John McElhiney, it seems incredible that anyone was spotted on the icebergs. See John's message and more pics of the lake under tributes and condolences.

HILLCREST TEENAGER DIES HELPING OTHERS
A plane crash in Alaska claimed the life of a 17-year-old Hillcrest High pupil. The Hillcrest community is still in shock over the tragic death of Mark Schroeder who was killed when the light aircraft he was travelling in crashed outside Seward, Alaska last Thursday.
Mark, who was captain of the school's rugby team was helping a family friend, Kurt Stenehjem, with his tourism initiative, Glaciar Air Adventures, during the school holidays.
He and four others were flying in the small floatplane between Seward and Prince William Sound near Anchorage, Alaska when the tragedy struck.
Alaska State Troopers said that when the plane was reported overdue, a trooper helicopter was sent out to search for the missing aircraft. They found the survivors huddled on icebergs in the Johnstone Lake.
Survivors of the crash said Mark died a brave death trying to save the lives of other passengers.
He survived the initial crash, but the freezing water temperatures soon overwhelmed him in his efforts to help the others climb up onto the icebergs.

His body has not been found. No information has been released regarding the cause of the crash. The wreckage of the floatplane reportedly sank into the lake.

Mark was described by some of his closest friends as a young man who touched the lives of everyone he met.
His friends, Emmanuel Zuma and John Wessels, said Mark was like a brother to them and could make anyone feel like they knew him.

"He had the best heart and attitude anyone could ever have. He was in touch with every part of his personality and gave off the most beautiful aura. We will love and miss our brother dearly, Rest in peace, Mark" they said.

Mark's rugby team was on tour in Kimberly on Friday, but coach, Steve du Toit, said the Hillcrest first XV players were too upset to play that day.

Mark is survived by his mom and dad, Lesley and Kevin, older brother Matthew, his step parents; Lesley and Chris, his step brothers Lewis, Ben, Taylor and Tyronne and step-sister, Alhasha.

A memorial service will be held for Mark at 3pm on Friday, 15 July at the family home at 1 Montrose Avenue, Hillcrest. Parking is available at the Moth Hall and Catholic Church in Old Main Road.

The Schroeder and McLean families thanked all old and new friends for their empathy and kindness. They will set up a bursary fund as a tribute to Mark.
Those who knew and loved him are invited to contribute in lieu of flowers.
Picture Caption: Mark Schroeder (right), who was killed in a plane crash in Alaska last week, with his brother, Matthew. (Picture taken at Derby Day 2004) 

Reason for crash remains unknown

FLOATPLANE: A clearer picture of rescue, day leading up to it, emerges. 
By PETER PORCO Anchorage Daily News      Published: July 9th, 2005

Mark Schroeder, the 17-year-old from South Africa who died this week after a floatplane crashed into a glacial lake near Seward, was visiting Alaska this summer to help build a cabin on land his stepfather owns and to experience the state's wonders for the first time.

A friend of his stepfather's described the athletic teenager as a poised, energetic young man beyond his years.

"He'd walk into a room with a group of (strangers) and he'd introduce himself and shake hands," said John Stadum of Anchorage, who's long known Schroeder's stepfather, Chris McLean of Durban, South Africa. "He had a very British accent, very proper."

The single-engine M7 Maule that apparently lost power suddenly and crashed into what's called Johnstone Lake by locals was owned by McLean, according to Stadum.

The pilot was Kurt Stenehjem, 54, of Anchorage, also a friend of McLean's and the owner of tour businesses based in Anchorage and Seward.

All five on the plane initially survived the Thursday morning crash. But why Schroeder died afterward when the four others managed to pull themselves onto icebergs and survive a six-hour wait could not be learned.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash but had nothing to say about it Friday.

Three of the survivors -- Stenehjem and William and Carolyn O'Neal of Overland Park, Kan. -- declined interviews Friday, according to a staff member in the Anchorage office of Stenehjem's Glacier Air Adventures.

The fourth survivor, 28-year-old Ryan Fisher of Seward, would talk only about the gallantry of the Alaska state troopers who rescued them.

Stenehjem and McLean, who lived in Alaska for many years, own property on or in the vicinity of Johnstone Lake, according to Stadum. McLean visited Alaska in June with friends from South Africa. Two days before he returned, his son came up. Schroeder stayed a week with Stadum before Stenehjem took him down to Stenehjem's lodge near Blying Sound outside of Resurrection Bay roughly 10 days ago.

Little Johnstone Lake Lodge is part of the Glacier Air Adventures tourist package, according to the company's Web site. Little Johnstone Lake is about three miles east of the larger lake. Both are just north of Johnstone Bay.

Earlier this week, Schroeder was staying at the lodge, according to Claudette Bonville of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who also was at the lodge with her husband and two teenage children. They got to know Schroeder.

"He was a doll," Bonville said Friday from a cruise ship. "He was an amazing kid."

She said that on Thursday, their last day at the cabin, Stenehjem was to fly the family to Bear Lake, located beside the Seward Highway about six miles north of Seward. Here Stenehjem keeps McLean's plane and the vehicle used to drive tourists back and forth from the city, Bonville said.

Stenehjem flew Bonville, her husband and Schroeder to Bear Lake at 9:30 a.m. The Bonvilles got out, and the O'Neals and Fisher got on. Stenehjem was to drop them off at the bigger Johnstone Lake. He would then return to Little Johnstone Lake for the Bonvilles' children, ages 17 and 19, and fly them at 11 a.m. to Bear Lake for their return to Seward, Claudette Bonville said.

Fisher and the O'Neals, who did not know each other, were going to Johnstone Lake for a day of kayaking and fun on the lake, according to Fisher. They were due back in Seward on Thursday evening.

Over the lake, however, the plane suddenly lost power, according to troopers.

Fisher said: "I don't know what happened. The plane just kind of went straight down. It pancaked."

Troopers reported that the plane lost its floats and the wings collapsed. It was evidently sinking. But no one was badly hurt in the crash, and all had plenty of time to climb out into the water. They swam for an iceberg but could not climb on top of it because it had steep sides, troopers spokesman Greg Wilkinson said.

So they swam back to the sinking plane -- all but Schroeder, who stayed with the iceberg. Stenehjem returned to Schroeder, Wilkinson said, but the boy was overcome and unable to stay above the water. His body has not been recovered.

When Stenehjem did not return on time, Bonville called the Glacier Air office, which initiated the search. It would be hours, however, before the crash site was found.

About 5:30 p.m., or about 20 minutes after taking off from Seward, Helo 1, the troopers helicopter, with pilot Mel Nading and Sgt. Brandon Anderson aboard, reached Johnstone Lake. After 10 minutes of search patterns, Anderson spotted two of the victims.

"We just saw two people standing on a very, very tiny piece of ice, the size of a mattress," Nading said Friday.

He briefed Anderson on how they would get the two aboard. Nading flew down, instructed the victims -- it was Stenehjem and William O'Neal, age 59 -- on how they were to be rescued, and set the helo into a low hover.

Anderson unbuckled from the aircraft, held on and stepped onto the skids. He was to exert maximum control.

"Those people were either severely hypothermic or in between," Nading said. "They can crash the helicopter by suddenly jumping on it."

Anderson reached out and gingerly took one at a time onto the skid and into the helicopter. They were soaked.

"They had been standing in the freezing water on an ice cube," Nading said. "It just goes to show you how close these folks were to moving on to the next world. It looked for a moment there that they were just standing on the water."

The two victims pointed in the direction of Fisher and Carolyn O'Neal, 60, who were on a larger iceberg, about the size of three or four parking spaces, according to Nading. He was able to touch the helo down beside them, withholding the helicopter's full weight, and the two climbed in.

They identified where the plane went down and did a 10-minute search of the area for Schroeder. He was nowhere to be found. Nading flew the four to the hospital, where they were treated and released.

The O'Neals had the only injuries, which were minor, troopers said.

Parents: Lax aviation rules led to son's death

By RACHEL D'ORO, Associated Press Writer

Published: February 3, 2006
Last Modified: February 3, 2006 at 04:48 PM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Like scores of visitors to Alaska, Mark Schroeder trusted his life to the pilot of an outdoor adventure company's small transport plane. And for that, his parents say, the South African teen met his death in an icy lake.

"Tourists are enamored with the idea of seeing Alaska and they put their safety in the hands of small-time operators who are not under close scrutiny," said his mother, Lesley Schroeder McLean.

Federal Aviation Administration rules are far more lenient on lodge owners, hunting guides and others who provide flights as part of an excursion package than they are on commercial carriers, said McLean and her husband, Chris, a former Alaska bush pilot and registered owner of the Maule M7-235 involved in the July 2005 crash.

Stricter oversight on the pilot entrusted to watch their aircraft, the McLeans said, would have revealed routine maintenance was overdue and imposed greater penalties for carrying too many passengers and exceeding weight limitations.

Compounding the dilemma, according to the McLeans, the state is reluctant to pursue criminal charges against pilots whose negligence results in fatal crashes.

As a result, pilots know they can "get away with murder" in a state noted for its remote wilderness destinations, said the couple, who live in Durban, South Africa.

"If somebody operated a tour bus with knowingly overloaded conditions and bad brakes, and killed one of the passengers, they'd be charged," said Chris McLean, Schroeder's stepfather. "The problem with aviation is that it's Alaska's golden child. No one wants to mess with aviation and they leave it to the FAA."

Mark Morones, a spokesman for the state Department of Law, said the same standards are applied to both vehicle and aviation crashes, although officials couldn't recall any criminal prosecutions involving a fatal plane crash. Prosecutors are evaluating the Schroeder case.

"Our state prosecutors seriously evaluate all criminal investigations referred to their offices, particularly when a death has occurred," Morones said. However, decisions to prosecute "ultimately comes down to whether there is enough admissible evidence that, at trial, we can prove to a jury, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the individual charged committed a crime."

FAA officials say state prosecutions in plane crashes are uncommon nationwide. There's little the federal agency itself can do against pilots operating under the most lenient of three regulatory categories. Pilots operating under Part 91 - or general aviation - rules can lose their operators license, but they can apply to get them back a year later.

That was the only punitive action the FAA could apply to Anchorage pilot Kurt Stenehjem. A longtime associate of the McLeans, Stenehjem was using their plane to carry clients of his business, Glacier Air Adventures. Schroeder was helping Stenehjem out for the summer and planned to return to Durban for his last year of high school, where he was captain of the rugby team.

The two were among five people on board the Maule when it crashed in clear, calm weather into Johnstone Lake on the Kenai Peninsula. The single-engine floatplane belly flopped as it began landing near Stenehjem's commercial lodge.

Stenehjem, 54, and three passengers survived with minor injuries after they swam to icebergs as the plane sank. But Schroeder, who was not wearing a life vest, slipped into the glacier-fed lake. His body has not been recovered.

The probable cause of the crash was "the pilot's failure to maintain minimum airspeed during final approach, which resulted in an inadvertent stall," the National Transportation Safety Board concluded in a Jan. 31 report.

After conducting its own investigation, the FAA issued a rare emergency revocation of Stenehjem's commercial pilot certificate. Among factors cited, the plane was overloaded, had not undergone an annual inspection and was equipped with only four seats even though there were five people on board. Schroeder had sat in the back where gear was stored.

Chris McLean said he repeatedly warned Stenehjem against putting four passengers in the plane because it would disrupt the plane's balance. McLean also said he was led to believe the plane was being maintained on schedule.

The FAA said Stenehjem's lack of care and judgment justified immediate action."Your conduct before and during this flight reveals at best an ineptitude and inability to execute very basic responsibilities of airmanship. At worst it documents an intentional disregard of the Federal Aviation Regulations and very basic values of safety qualified pilots hold," the agency wrote.

Emergency revocations, which shortcut the usual due process, are rare: Stenehjem's was one of three issued last year, according to John Duncan, manager of the flight standards division in the FAA's Alaska region.

"Thankfully, not many events reach the threshold that could cause that to happen," he said.

Stenehjem said Friday he disagreed with some of the FAA's findings, but decided "it was best to work for a resolution and not argue about the details." He hasn't decided whether he will reapply for his license.

"This has been the most profound and tragic event in my life." he said. "You can't go through something like this without having it turn your entire world upside down."

Troopers, meanwhile, have forwarded their case to the Kenai district attorney for consideration of charges that potentially could include criminally negligent homicide.

The FAA lacks authority to issue criminal penalties, although it works with authorities whenever possible, Duncan said. Its role is limited to enforcing regulations only.

Large commercial carriers and smaller airlines with paying passengers are held to stringent standards, Duncan said. Up to 80 FAA inspectors are assigned to monitor operators and aircraft maintenance. Serious violations can result in hefty fines and loss of an air carrier certificate.

There are no similar measures for lodge operators and other businesses operating under Part 91 regulations - a situation more prevalent in wide-open states like Alaska and Montana, Duncan said. Although yearly aircraft inspections are required, violations go largely undetected unless the agency happens upon them following an accident or complaint.

The FAA does target pilots in other ways, including spot checks at maintenance sites and voluntary safety programs. But the agency doesn't have the resources to keep an eye on everyone, Duncan said.

"In general the rules that apply, particularly with general aviation, are based on voluntary compliance and the aviation community does a great job," Duncan said.
Link: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/ap_alaska/story/7414751p-7326460c.html

Link: http://alaska.dns4me.com/archives/week_of_07-04-05/juneau_news_07-08-05.html

Me and the rugby boys and Steve and Mr Wright took Mark's no 8 jersey and put into a picture frame to give to Lesley at the Rugby Awards dinner for all her  running up and down the touchline  at every game and for having such a great son - our captain and our friend. 

Lesley and Kevin also received Marks trophies for Players player of the year and Player of the year. And I got the sportmanship trophy which is quite funny if you watch the rugby video and see me in all the fights sticking up for everyone else! Even Karl Webb when he was announcing the award said "and the sportsmanship trophy goes to...hang on, this must be wrong" 
Markie never used to fight, he never used to chirp he just smoked them. He never tackled normally, he dived into them. You should have seen him on tour against Kuswag - he was amazing, tackling the biggest okes. Markie and me first played rugby on the same team when we were under 15 because at primary school I was an age group lower than him. 

The worst was when we were on tour and heard Markie died. I went outside the stadium so I didn't break down in front of the team. The game against Posmasburg, the one we dedicated to Mark - you should have been there! they were huge! Their wing looked like our prop. We were singing 'oh flower of Hillcrest' in the change room and every single one of us was crying then we walked out onto the field and Jus, if we had played like that against Campbell we would have thrashed them - these were big boys from Kimberley! Tony was wearing Mark's jersey and he played out of his skin that day and I scored my first ever hat trick! 
Dyl and me and Sean and Terrence talk about Mark all the time - we have drinks for him and we think about the happy memories.  

Mark has inspired me to be brave in a situation like this because he was brave and true. He is still here and he can see that we are all hurting. Before Mark died, I didn't know the true depth of pain. He lit up all our lives
Tammy

Carolyn and Bill did not know Mark until just before they all boarded the plane - it crashed some 15 or 20 minutes later and it is only since Markie died that we have become friends and they have been able to find out more about who Mark was and share in our grief. You have been such a comfort to our family and we thank you. Bill's tribute appears on the home page. In e-mail to us Bill said:

"He never yelled for help, he was brave to the last"
"Even though he was here such a brief while, perhaps Mark’s spirit will inspire and inhabit more people than any of us can realize now.  All of his friends and classmates have long life in front of them and, if their hearts hold a part of Mark, they are bound to do untold good for all those years"

From: Mark Schroeder [mailto:chronickrew@thepub.co.za]
Sent: 01 July 2005 10:28 AM
To: prafrica@saol.com
Subject: Word From Alaska

Hey everybody how are you all doing?

Im doing great Just really missing home! Its really hard being away like this with no one to really talk to, but itsbeen an amazing experience so Far and also a lot of hard work!

 Im now an official Glacier Air Guide and I Took my first group out for a Kayak trip in the Lake 4 days ago!!! The countryside is really beautiful here!  Kurt is a cool guy and so is John  im probably gunna be back at Johns place around the 17th so I’ll give you a call when I do! Im down

to my last 3 bottles of wine and I have hardly spent anything –that’s amazing for me!!!

Hows matt doing I haven’t heard from him in a while!!!! But im sure he’s doing great as usuall! Well I just thought I’d let you know that im still alive and that I love and Miss You all…. Hope you are having a cool holiday!

Peace…Love…Happiness

Mark

Hey ma please print the above message for everyone and give the below message to Penny!!!  I Just wanted to also so Thank You to both you and Chris!!! No words can express how gratefull I truly am to you!! I really miss you guys! Sometimes I just wana cry cuz im so lonely…But I just gota stay strong!!! I Love you guys and cant wait to c u!!! Take Care Ma

Love Marky!!!

Hey My Love

How are you? Im doing great just really missing you! When I

get back expect the biggest hug and kiss of your life!!!!!

I hope your party went well, and I hope you liked the

flowers I sent you!!!! IM having a great time here In Alaska!!!! Its really wild! Hows that book going that I gave you? I expect it to be finished by the time I get back!!! Ive already finished 2 books! Well tell everyone I

say WASUUUP….and I miss them! Im thinking about you everyday!!!  Take care my beautiful Penny!!!

Love your Marky

LOVE YOU SO MUCH – Mwaaaaaaaaa XXX OOO XXX OOO

From: Mark Schroeder [mailto:chronickrew@thepub.co.za]
Sent: 03 July 2005 02:22 AM
To: Lesley Schroeder McLean
Subject: Yo Yo Yo

Hey Mullie 

Thanks for replying so fast! Its such a good feeling to open your inbox and see an email from you! Penny also sent me an e-mail. Yeah thanks so much for remembering about the flowers. Wow, what would i do without you?  Sounds like the renavations are coming along nicley! Is the fire place ready yet?

Well right now im at an internet cafe in dowtown Seward!And because its the 4th of July weekend there's hardley space to walk, and theres cool little hawker shops all over town selling food,clothes and gifts. I also went and checked out the Sea Life Centre, its really awesome!
 
Its so funny when im with Kurt and i introduce myself to people here they think im saying that my name is Mok and not Mark the way They say it!!! LOL! and Kurt wont stop ripping me off about my accent! Like, yesterday i Was telling Sherry that i went to the "Guide shop", and she thought i said the  "God shop" lol...she was getting worried - that really cracked me up! But Iv'e kinda started to add an American accent to my talk, just so that i can communicate with people otherwise it can really be hard to have a conversation, so I might come back sounding like a Yankee!

Well most of the people I've met so far are interested that im from South Africa...its funny because they all think theres lions and giraffes roaming the streets! But i guess most South Africans' think that Alaska is just Snow, Ice and Eskimos! We had a family the other day and we took them out on the kayaks, Im not joking they must've taken a picture every 5 seconds and they would count to three every time when taking pictures of each other! I dont think iv'e ever experienced something so iritating! They cant just stop and take it all in and appreciate the scenery! But it was pretty funny at first! 

Yes, I did get to fly a few times! Its so much fun and I've been learning alot about Flying!  I havent learnt how to use the rifle yet, but im sure I will!

Well I found out that the Camera that i brought doesn't work but i bought a disposable and Im sure kurt can always e-mail you some pics, cuz he has a digi! Kurt said that he would like me to come back next summer! so that could be a possability! Right now I've just been cleaning up all the brush on our land and burning it up, not sure what else Chris wants me to do? But i'll do what i can! Its a great spot and Im sure one day we'll all be spending the summer there!

Well i gota run my times almost up here! Write back soon!

Love you

Spark...


Photo of downtown Seward where Mark was when he wrote this

Mark's sister, Alhasha took this picture which captured the energy and aura Markie had. He read as much as he could about energy, starting off with the Celestine Prophecy and then progressing to more complex ideas in other books. Here are some of the writings he had saved in his personal folder:

"We now experience that we live not in a material universe, but in a universe of dynamic energy. Everything extant is a field of sacred energy that we can sense and intuit. Our awakening to life's coincidences is opening us up to the real purpose of human life on this planet, and the real nature of our universe. Insecurity and violence ends when we experience an inner connection with divine energy within, a connection described by mystics of all traditions. A sense of lightness - buoyancy - along with the constant sensation of love are measures of this connection. When our connection becomes more constant and we can discover our own growth path in life, and our spiritual mission - the personal way we can contribute to the world. Knowing our personal mission further enhances the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided toward our destinies.

As we all evolve toward the best completion of our spiritual missions, the technological means of survival will be fully automated as humans focus instead on synchronistic growth. Such growth will move humans into higher energy states, ultimately transforming our bodies into spiritual form and uniting this dimension of existence with the after-life dimension, ending the cycle of birth and death. Each of us comes to earth on assignment, and as we pull this understanding into consciousness, we can remember a fuller birth vision of what we wanted to accomplish with our lives.

For centuries, religious scriptures, poems, and philosophies have pointed to a latent power of mind within all of us that mysteriously helps to affect what occurs in the future. It has been called faith power, positive thinking, and the power of prayer. We are now taking this power seriously enough to bring a fuller knowledge of it into public awareness. We are finding that this prayer power is a field of intention, which moves out from us and can be extended and strengthened, especially when we connect with others in a common vision. This is the power through which we hold the vision of a spiritual world and build the energy in ourselves and in others to make this vision a reality."

I’m missing you my son

I’m missing you

You’re in my mind I’m missing you

It’s all too bad I’m missing you

My promise is to you 

My mind is crazed inside

My spirit wants to run

And leave this world behind

I wonder where you are right now

My mind just can’t connect

Your spirit far too strong

I’m trying to do my best

I wish I knew just how

To make some sense of this

Nobody knows my awful pain

It’s you I’m going to miss

Your presence always strong

Your life just touching all

You made us all so proud

My backs against the wall

The fear keeps rushing in

My mind keeps playing games

Perhaps a glimmer of some hope

Reality all the same

It is so hard to sleep at night

Thoughts fill up my head

Racing though the corridors

I can’t believe you’re dead

And when I seem to drift away

And fall into a dream

My body wakens in the morn

My heart emits a scream

Another sun rises in the east

To ram the message home

And then I realise once more

Your time on earth had come

I enter to another day

Not knowing where to now

My friends all gather round

To try to show me how

I know we dwell on earthly things

It’s really all we have

Your soul is in another place

Left from the lake of the brave

You were in the land of the last frontier 

Reaching for your dream

I sit and wonder why it came

So dreadfully fast it seems

And now I’m left to gather in

Some new enlightened peace

Continue on our road to where

My time will meet your face

I want to ask you one more thing

That you will do I know

Please help me understand

Your leaving home will show

I need your hand to take up mine

And guide me through the fire

The pain is just too great to bear

Your spirits in the sky

I know I’ll walk with you

Though each and every day

Your being here makes me strong

Helps me along the way

And now I know you never will

Let go your grip on me

It’s easy for me to comprehend

Cos you’re my son you see

I’m missing you my son

I’m missing you

You’re in my mind I’m missing you

It’s all too bad I’m missing you

Kev and I planted a fever tree at the school remembrance garden for Markie. On one of our visits to Hluhluwe Game Reserve when Mark was about 14, he loved the story that our guide, Livingstone, told us: When a fever tree absorbs too much salt, one branch takes all the salt into itself, blackens and withers and dies so that the rest of the tree can continue to flourish. The branches that die are called the sacrifice branches.

It will soon be 3 months since we lost Mark's physical presence in our lives. Matt and Mark had this stuck up in their rooms as children and later in the cabin: "We are spiritual beings having a human experience" And so yes, we understand that Mark's soul completed what it needed to do on earth, we know that he is in a beautiful place,  but we still struggle with overwhelming pain. We don't know when we will feel normal again.

Thank you to all of you who have just been there and listened to us, his family and to Penny and to Markie's closest friends. Understand that we don't want advice and we don't know how long the healing will take.

There have been a few people who have made  insensitive comments that leave us speechless (but they are few and far between - most of our community have been incredibly supportive) Some of the weird comments:

To Tammy: "Didn't you once go out with that dead guy?"
To Karen: "Well, why are you so upset, Matt was much closer to Mark than you were"
To Penny: "You need to start thinking about dating again"
To me: "Jesus wanted him and you must accept it!" and  "Well, at least you must feel happy that Mark died saving others"

No I don't feel happy about any part of Markie's death. No, we can't just get over it, we didnt just lose a boy, we lost an exceptional human being, a wonderful friend  with an amazing capacity to love and bring calm to us all.  We feel panic that blinds us, we fall into a big black hole at night, we live in a fog. So when you see us looking normal, functioning and smiling, please remember that we hurt all the time and we don't know when it will stop.

Yes, we know that people die every day and that we don't have the monopoly on grief but we wake up every day and our first waking thought is of Mark. Losing a young boy/man on the brink of adulthood is not in the natural order of things. It is like having the door to the future slammed in your face. It is being forced to give up on a beautiful dream.

 If I could give any advice to help you help us and others who grieve, please just listen to us, walk up to us and give us a hug and say "I'm so sorry". Don't ignore us when you see us or gawk at us, don't talk amongst yourselves about how you think we should handle it differently. Just  walk up and say something kind. Every time you are kind, we receive a little more love back from Markie because ultimately love is all there is and we are all connected.  

We are so grateful when you share your memories of Mark with us, when you send pics and videos of him, when you share your dreams where he visited you, when you help us to remember funny incidents and times when he reached out to you.

We have been reading many books about the soul world and about grief - I highly recommend Messages from the Masters by Dr Brian Weiss and any of his other books. In many of the books on grief, I read about parents who have regrets and I can't relate to that because not a single person who Mark loved has regrets, he treated me like a queen, he treated Penny like a princess and none of us have unresolved issues with Mark or things we would have done differently or wished he had done differently. I guess the challenge is to live our lives like that so that there will only be joy and beautiful memories when we cross over one day.

We thank all of you who are our compassionate friends, really, for just being there as we try to find our way forward and honour Mark's life and the beautiful person he was.

I had a vivid dream about a boy on a purple bench and when I typed those words into yahoo search, the pic above is the one that came up - quite uncanny?
Lesley 

From: KEVIN [mailto:kevin@valvecraft.co.za]
Sent: 04 November 2005 11:50 AM
To: Lesley Schroeder McLean
Hey Les, 

I must tell you this cos I know you wont think i'm being weird. My Les was pretty blown away by this! 

Travelling by car from Hermanus to Cape town Via Betties Bay on the scenic route last week I just pulled over to the side of the road into a lay by to stretch legs and look over the sea. Then looking down the krans towards the sea at the bottom I saw a memorial cross amonst the rocks below and we  speculated what it might be there for: probably Bartholomew Diaz or some other explorer so i climbed over the wall and walked down the pretty steep decline to it. It turned out it was erected by some folks from Pongola  who lost their son James Richard Read aged 20 on 16 Sept 1956. Like Markie, he was also born in November and the inscription on the cross quoted John 15:13 " Greater love hath no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends" 
An amazing feeling came over me that felt like Mark had led me to it and i just stood there and looked in awe. I took a photo of it and we thought it was rather uncanny that we should stop and see this out of of all the places we could have stopped and why did i feel compelled to walk to it to have a look, after all it was just a simple cross!

Then a few days later Les and I saw a beautiful rainbow in Swakopmund (rainbows are never ever seen there as the average rainfall is just 15mm per year) Took a picture of it as well. I think Markies just sending us signs to say he's cool and happy!

This one is so typical of Mark - he mentions how beautiful Les looked in her wedding dress and how surprised his Dad must have been because as we all know, Lesley rarely wears a dress. Then he goes on to plan his Christmas Shopping trip with her. Penny and I were laughing just yesterday about what fastidious shoppers both she and Mark are (were). It took steppie Les more than five shopping expeditions with Mark to choose his shoes for the matric dance. Most shopping expeditions with Mark lasted at least five hours as he would carefully walk from shop to shop and look at everything before making his choice. He was the same at restaurants - would ask the waiter to explain every item on the menu and then usually ended up ordering a toasted chicken and mayonaise or a burger and chips. We used to find him so amusing always. Love you Markie!! 

Mark with his cousin Vicky at Kev and Les' wedding

Markie did the cartoon and the plane was part of the dream he shared to follow in Chris' footsteps and become a pilot

He spent a long time at Exclusive books choosing the right card for Penny before he left for Alaska