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The Final Farewell
21 years on, mum sees murdered daughter 'at peace'

By Claire Regan

19 July 2006
The mother of an Ulster woman brutally murdered in Amsterdam has finally been able to say a fitting farewell to her at an emotional remembrance service in the Dutch capital.

Joanne Wilson, from Portadown, was just 22 when she disappeared while on a working holiday in Amsterdam in September 1985.

While parts of her mutilated body were pulled from a canal six weeks after the disappearance, her mother Ann has never received the remains and has therefore never been able to hold a funeral for her.

Almost 21 years after the killing, Ann was finally able to "make her peace" when she travelled to the Dutch city this week to attend a memorial service.

Authorities at De Nieuwe Ooster (The New Easter) cemetery in Amsterdam have planted a silver birch tree in the young woman's memory and erected a plaque which was officially unveiled at an intimate service yesterday afternoon.

There were emotional scenes when Ann and her sister-in-law Marian Donaghy were brought to the quiet and leafy spot in the graveyard for the first time.

They were joined by a handful of cemetery staff and The Belfast Telegraph.

Joanne's mother wept as the poignant religious service got under way, conducted by Reverend Jan Willem Cowie from the English Reformed Church Presbyterian in Amsterdam.

Local mezzo-soprano Merel Huizinga sang an uplifting classical version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Joanne's favourite song, before the plaque was officially unveiled.

The plaque is dedicated by Ann and Joanne's 47-year-old brother Robin who lives in South Africa.

Ann and Marian both placed single roses across the memorial before spending a few quiet moments alone there.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph after the service, Ann said she felt it was the final step she needed "to end the tears".

"I always had a feeling that because I had no grave to go to that Joanne didn't exist. Now I know that she did exist and I will be at peace because I know that she is at peace now," she said.

"Twenty one years is a long time to wait for this sense of finality.

"I would like to thank the cemetery staff for arranging such a beautiful service for me.

"I feel I can stop crying and thinking of sad things and focus instead on lovely memories of Joanne and this day.

"There was a time that even hearing the word Amsterdam made me feel ill. I'm glad I have finally felt able to come to this city to say goodbye."

Authorities at De Nieuwe Ooster cemetery arranged the memorial and invited Ann to Amsterdam as a way of making up for the decades she has been unable to say goodbye to her daughter properly.

Cemetery manager Marie- Louise Meuris explained that although police were sure that the remains found in the canal belonged to Joanne, they could not be 100% sure as DNA testing was not in general practice then.

Ann was therefore not allowed to bring the remains back to Northern Ireland and so they were buried in a general unmarked grave in the cemetery.

By the time DNA testing became commonplace, the grave had been cleared, by law, and the remains moved to a large collection grave making them impossible to find.

Ms Meuris, who attended yesterday's ceremony, said it was important to cemetery staff to do something in Joanne's memory and for Ann.

"A cemetery is not simply a place where people are buried. It should also be a place where people can, in their own way, grieve and say goodbye to loved ones," she said.

"For a certain Northern Ireland lady that was for many years an impossibility. It was an honour to do this for Joanne and Ann.

"We hope this can ease Ann's pain. We hope this will let her know her daughter is not forgotten in Holland."

Addressing the service, Rev Cowie said he hoped Joanne could now rest in peace.

"We did not know Joanne but, Ann, you have come here to remember her life and your memories of her laughing and smiling," he said.

"We ask for peace for Joanne and everyone who has mourned her. We will not remember her for the brutal and unfair ending to her life but for her beauty and vitality."

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