Erebus memorials

Some readers seem mistaken about the Erebus memorials. The November 1979 tragedy is New Zealand’s worst peacetime accident and still the worst air accident in the Southern Hemisphere.

The memorial at Waikumete Cemetery is for the 16 people who were unidentified and the 28 people who were never found. The memorial at Auckland International Airport is for the 20 crew members.

There has never been any significant public place where all 257 names are displayed, where families can gather to remember and have times of prayer and reflection — and where our nation can commemorate the accident.

For this reason several of us took the initiative in 2016 to advocate for a Erebus National Memorial. Feedback from families quickly coalesced around three convictions; the national memorial should be accessible, attractive and not in a cemetery.

Many New Zealanders consider the Erebus National Memorial long overdue. The Dove-Myer Robinson Park in Parnell is ideal for the attractive winning design as it fulfils the family requirements, the park is already a well-known remembering place (and Sir Dove-Myer was Auckland mayor at the time of the accident), there are nearby historical aviation links, and the steep site has an excellent outlook toward the open sea.

Rev. Dr Richard Waugh, Howick.