Twenty-two years after this photo was taken, Brophy sits on a bench next to Mara Wienke, that same little girl — now a young woman. There is an empty space between them big enough for this officer, Brophy’s daughter, Const. Heidi Stevenson. “It’s just special,” Brophy said. “I’m sure Heidi is here with us right now.” Stevenson was among the 22 people killed in the mass shooting in Nova Scotia on April 18-19, 2020, when a gunman traveled across the province in a mock RCMP car. Brophy and Wienke are now building a unique friendship after the loss of Stevenson, who was killed by the gunman in Shubenacadie after he wounded him in a fight. Just days after the tragedy, Wienke shared a photo of herself and Stevenson taken in 2000 and wrote a letter to Stevenson’s family that was widely shared on Facebook. Mara Wienke, right, and Const. Heidi Stevenson poses for a photo in Apeldoorn during a 2000 event commemorating the liberation of the Dutch city by Canadian troops during World War II. (Mara Wienke) Wienke was five years old when she and Stevenson met at a commemoration event to mark the liberation of Apledoorn by Canadian troops in the Second World War. She told her story to CBC News and talked about how Stevenson seemed like a hero to her. Wienke said Stevenson gave her so much time and attention, even though they didn’t speak the same language. Brophy, who lives in Cole Harbour, NS, said amid the condolences and stories about Stevenson from around the world, Wienke’s photo and story have stuck with her. “It’s just one of the most beautiful pictures I’ve ever seen. And, you know, one of my very favorite pictures,” Brophy said with Wienke recently at the Cole Harbor Heritage Farm Museum, a favorite place of Brophy’s. “I don’t think anyone can look at it without being moved. You know, this shy, beautiful little girl and Heidi on her knee, you know, at eye level, talking to her…it was very special.”
Const. Stevenson “was a superhero” for the Dutch woman 20 years ago
Mara Wienke met Const. Heidi Stevenson during an RCMP trip to Apeldoorn in 2000 to commemorate the liberation of the Dutch town by Canadian troops during WWII. After seeing the photo, Brophy said she decided Wienke should be at Stevenson’s regimental memorial service whenever it happened. Brophy looked Wienke up online and the two connected. At the time, Wienke said she was glad her fond memories of Stevenson had reached the officer’s family, and she expected nothing more. But a few months ago, Brophy texted Wienke again and asked her to attend the memorial service. It took place on June 29, after a nearly two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the RCMP escort the hearse to a regimental memorial service for Const. Heidi Stevenson on June 29, 2022. Stevenson was killed in the line of duty during the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press) When Wienke explained to her friends why she was heading to Canada, there was no short cut. He said it always took a few minutes to explain who Stevenson was and how he died. “By the time I was done, people would just look at me and blink a few times to say, ‘Wow, I’ve never heard of that,’ or ‘So, now you’re just going to leave?’ ” Wienke said. “And I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I’m just about to leave.’ One of Brophy’s friends went the extra mile with the flight plan to bring Wienke over Holland, and a two-week plan was designed to give the 27-year-old plenty of time to get to know Nova Scotia and meet Stevenson’s friends and family. . Wienke, right, hugs Brophy in Cole Harbour, NS, on July 4, 2022. Brophy says she now considers the 27-year-old Dutch an honorary granddaughter. (Robert Short/CBC) Wienke arrived in Halifax early one morning around 4 a.m. local time after several flight delays, and Brophy was waiting with homemade chocolate chip cookies. Despite the international nature of their connection, Wienke said the most important thing is their shared base of Stevenson. She added that they didn’t feel like strangers when they met because they had already talked so much about her. “We just hugged, it was just great. It was like meeting a family member for me … I consider her an honorary granddaughter. You know, she’s part of my family forever,” Brophy said, smiling at Wienke. Wienke said she feels the same way. “I feel part of the family,” he said. After the visit and memorial service where some of Stevenson’s friends shared their favorite memories of her over the years, Wienke said she learned a lot about the woman she spent much of her life searching for. Wienke, bottom center, sits on a sidewalk watching a parade in Apledoorn in 2000. (Harjo Wienke) Wienke, center, was five years old when she met Stevenson, far right. (Harjo Wienke) Stevenson, center left, stands to greet Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, center right, during a 2000 event in Apledoorn. (Harjo Wienke) Stevenson grew up in Antigonish, NS, and graduated from Acadia University in Wolfville, NS. He served 23 years in the RCMP and was 49 when he died. During her memorial service, friends spoke of how devoted Stevenson was to her husband and two children and was always involved in sports or other community activities around Cole Harbour. Despite having a serious job, Stevenson never took herself too seriously and lived life happily, a friend said. Stevenson also taught Wienke the power of taking time for a child and making them feel seen “in a way that’s eternal,” Wienke said, something she tries to do now in her own life. “I think she affected a lot more people in such beautiful, but often seemingly small ways. And I don’t think I was wrong to admire her. I think I do even more now,” Wienke said. Brophy said she’s already seen that lesson in action, since Wienke has made a big impression on the two young daughters of one of Stevenson’s RCMP colleagues. “They were in tears saying goodbye to her. And I think she probably had a lifelong effect on them in a few days this week. So it’s not over,” Brophy said. Reflecting on her own experience, Wienke said she hopes her story inspires more people to take a moment to let someone special know how they’ve affected them — even if they’re strangers. Brophy agreed that living life to the fullest and embodying kindness is the best way to honor Stevenson’s memory and said she feels a part of her daughter lives on in Wienke. Brophy says she tries to honor her daughter by living each day with joy. (Robert Short/CBC) It’s a connection he thinks would make Stevenson smile, he said. “We can’t undo the things that happened. And so my job is to learn and accept and continue to move forward and spread the joy that Heidi was to so many people and work to live that joy.” Wienke returned to the Netherlands this week, but said she and Brophy will stay in touch. He is already planning when Brophy can go to Europe for a visit.
