Tributes are pouring in for André Bergeron and his wife Blandine Daux for their contributions to Quebec archaeology following the couple’s death in this week’s funicular crash in Lisbon.
The pair worked at the archaeology and ethnology laboratory of the Centre de conservation du Québec in Quebec City.
A founding member of the lab, Bergeron had worked at the conservation centre for his entire career, spanning four decades, while Daux, a French citizen with permanent residency in Canada, had been there since 2001.
“They were married for 20 something years [and] my brother just retired and it was his birthday present to go to Portugal,” said Eric Bergeron who is currently in Lisbon with the couple’s two daughters.
“Of course, they are devastated,” he said.
Bergeron and Daux were among 16 people killed when a popular funicular derailed on Wednesday. Another 21 were injured during the incident.
In a post to Facebook, the Association of Archeologists of Quebec said Bergeron and Daux were well-known and close to the community, highlighting their contribution to Quebec’s vade mecum — a consultation guide — on archeology and restoration.
“All archaeologists are familiar with the vade mecum they authored,” the association wrote. “André was the conservator every archeologist thought of when a question arose about a sensitive field sample. How many times have we said or heard, ‘You should call André’?”
Eric Bergeron describes the conservation centre where they worked as “one of the best kept secrets in the country” — and his brother as his idol.
“They were finding wrecks of ships of the 1600s or he even worked on Roman galleys at the British Museum at the start of his career. So, he was an expert in that field. He loved it, it was a passion for him,” he said.
Eric Bergeron says he learned about the crash on the news, and immediately worried for the safety of his brother André Bergeron and André’s wife Blandine Daux, who were visiting Portugal to celebrate André’s 70th birthday.
In 2016, Bergeron won the Ruggles Award which recognizes outstanding contribution in the field of conservation in Canada.
Daux, for her part, was a restoration expert working with heritage objects, according to her LinkedIn. Before moving to Canada, she worked at the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP).
Quebec’s Museum of Civilization in the province’s capital said it worked with the couple often.
“Passionate about their work, they had an unconditional love of heritage and took its preservation to heart,” it wrote in a post to Facebook.
The investigation into the cause of the funicular crash is being lead by Portuguese authorities and is ongoing.
