The names of the 6 men lost when the FV Dianne sank off the Town of 1770 figure prominently in a new, permanent memorial at the Joseph Banks Conservation Park.
I had the honour of speaking at a ceremony to mark the opening of the new memorial, which was attended by the families and friends of the crew, local marine rescue volunteers, traditional landowners, the local community and the Queensland Police Service.
MSQ led the project to design and construct the permanent memorial to replace the makeshift one established at the site immediately after the incident.
Constructed over 4 months, the memorial is a tribute not only to the victims of the FV Dianne, but also to the local community and all who have perished at sea.
The site looks out over the area of the Coral Sea where the vessel overturned in rough weather during a voyage to harvest sea cucumber.
Granite stones bearing the names of skipper Benjamin Patrick Leahy, 45, Adam Hoffman, 30, Eli Tonks, 39, Adam Jeffrey Bidner, 33, Zachary Feeney, 28, and Chris Sammut, 34 are embedded in the rock wall behind the memorial’s seating area.
The seats are joined to the central plaque by brass rods that symbolise the hookah lines used by the crew in harvesting their catch.
The families of those who lost their lives were integrally involved in the design of the memorial.
We also liaised extensively with other stakeholders, including the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Environment and Science (which manages the park) and traditional landowners, who approved an Indigenous Land Use agreement to permit the memorial to be built.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service will manage the memorial going forward.
I trust the memorial will be a fitting place for the families to pay their respect to their loved ones, and for other visitors to pause for quiet reflection, for many years.
For more information visit www.msq.qld.gov.au
