Dympna Kerr blinked away tears as wooden crosses were placed on bogland in Co Monaghan, where a search continues for her brother, murdered by the IRA 50 years ago.
In the distance she pointed to two orange diggers on Bragan bog carrying out a fresh dig in a search for Columba McVeigh.
Mr McVeigh (19) from Donaghmore, Co Tyrone, was abducted on October 31st, 1975, and secretly buried by the IRA.
He is one of 17 people known as the Disappeared.
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At an event held on Friday to mark International Day of the Disappeared on Saturday, Ms Kerr gathered with families on the vast mountain site to remember their loved ones.
Under showers and sunshine, they wept, prayed and hugged each other as five white crosses appeared on the freshly turned ground.
The crosses represented Mr McVeigh, Cistercian monk Joe Lynskey from Belfast, British army captain Robert Nairac, Seamus Maguire from Co Armagh and Lisa Dorrian from Co Down, who are all still missing.
“This place is so bleak but the image of those white crosses on the bog, it’s stark. It hits the spot, doesn’t it?” said Ms Kerr, who travelled from her home in St Helens on Merseyside to Co Monaghan.
[ New search in Co Monaghan bog for Disappeared victim Columba McVeighOpens in new window ]
“It’s hard but I feel well supported when I come here; I don’t let myself think back to when Columba was taken away.
“Most of my adult life, Columba has been missing. I hope this is the last time we have to look for him.
“All we want is to bring him home to rest beside his mum and dad in Donaghmore.”
The event was organised by the Wave Trauma Centre, the largest cross-community victim and survivors’ support group in Northern Ireland, which has supported the families of the Disappeared since 1995.
Among those present were Maria Lynskey, niece of Joe Lynskey; Michael McConville, son of Jean McConville; and Anne Morgan, sister of Seamus Ruddy.
Ms Lynskey said she felt compelled to come to support the other families, who she regarded as friends.
“I have nightmares about Bragan. Coming up the road, it frightened me again,” she said.
“This is one of those places where you look around, and think, ‘who thought of here?’
“When you’re a 19-year-old young man coming up here in the dead of night, it must have been terrifying.
“I cried on the way up today. But we’re not always crying, we enjoy each other’s company.”
Wave’s chief executive Sandra Peake described the families as “remarkable people” while former police ombudsman for Northern Ireland Nuala O’Loan paid tribute to their “great grace”.
“It is particularly poignant that we are marking International Day of the Disappeared here at Bragan bog with those who have endured and continue to endure the indescribable pain of not knowing where their loved ones lie,” said Ms Peake.
“Wherever you are in the world, where your loved one has been secretly buried, the unifying factor is the need to lay them to rest: a coffin to carry and a grave to tend.”
Prayers were led during a short ceremony by Fr Joe Gormley from Derry, who appealed for information to locate those still missing.
“Terrible things were done during the Troubles, and people, as they get older in life may look back and realise they can help. Any information at all can help. It is also a moment of redemption for them as well,” he said.
“It’s the last human right that anyone should have, a place of burial, where they can be remembered and where their loved ones can visit.
“The families of the disappeared are such an inspiring group of people because they have waited for years; they see themselves as a group and they won’t all be happy until they’re all home. They stand with each other.”
