In the nearby town of Hokitka (half an hour away) is the cemetery with this monument near the entranceway. It commemorates 4 men who lost their lives between 1863 and 1866 ;
- George Dobson - road engineer, murdered in 1866
- Charlton Howitt - explorer, drowned in Lake Brunner 1863
- Charles Townsend - drowned at Greymouth (probably in the Grey River) 1863
- Henry Whitcombe - surveyor, drowned in the Taramakau River in 1863
Construction of the memorial started 1868 and the railings were added in 1869.
9 comments:
Monuments for everyday heroes seem so rare now.
It really captures the hardships and risks faced by those early explorers and settlers of the West Coast
That's a nice monument honouring those four men.
Good to be honoured.
Those early surveyors and engineers performed near miracles with the most basic of equipment. A recent survey on my place turned up an original survey witness mark (we had to dig down about a foot to find the iron rod driven in) and it was precisely where the survey with modern laser equipment said it should be. The old timers put that in using a compass for direction, dragging a brass 'chain' through the bush to measure distance, and siting through a level (theodolyte) to calculate angles of incline. Much respect and they ALL deserve a memorial.
It's nice that those early pioneers are honored with that beautiful monument.
...a tragic time.
A monument that differs from the usual... For war heroes or disaster victims. Thank you for showing it. As Tigger says, there are many more that deserve a memorial
Must have been important members of society to justify such a monument.
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