Walter Hood

The final resting place

In a previous post about the Walter Hood I mentioned the stone memorial that was built over the remains of the poor souls that drowned during this tragic event.  It had been many years since I last saw the memorial,  A few days ago i took the opportunity to revisit the site.   Not much has changed,  the track is still a little rough and overgrown,  recent rain had left areas muddy and damp,  signage is limited and the memorial would be easy to miss if you didn’t take the time to investigate properly,  the only real change was the wire fence erected around the grave to protect the memorial.

You get mixed feelings standing in front of the grave site reading the names engraved on the white marble plaque,  it’s in a beautiful setting,  surrounded by forest, adjacent to a long sweeping beach and rocky headland,   the only sounds coming from the ocean and the birds flitting about the bush. Do you think they lay in peace?, so close to the place that took their lives,  does the relentless sound of the sea make them restless,  a constant reminder of that life changing event. Who will ever know?,  It’s a sad sort of memorial, -  dark stone, covered in lichen and moss, slowly amalgamating into the elements from which it was made,  standing just a few hundred yards away from the small bay where the decaying remains of the beautiful ship that carried them on their last journey rests. Continue Reading: