Memories of Erebus: A monstrous, brutalist memorial is unlikely to heal anyone

Saturday, 23 November 2019

The final moments aboard Air New Zealand flight TE901 before it crashed into Mount Erebus. Warning: the content of this video may be upsetting to some people.

OPINION: Our daughter will never meet her grandfather.

That is true of many people, but as we approach the 40th anniversary of Erebus, it is a painful reminder for many families just what they lost on that terrible day and the events that followed.

My father-in-law, Alan Stokes, was on board TE901 return flight to Antarctica in 1979. He never made it home.

For our family, it has proven to be particularly hard this time round. Not only is there the added media hype and the attention on what unfolded both on the ice and after, but a battle rages in our backyard regarding the proposed National Erebus Memorial in Auckland's Parnell Rose Gardens.

* 'Nimbys' oppose Erebus park memorial: 'You don't drink a glass of wine next to a grave'

* National Erebus Memorial: Some families 'will love it', others have 'got on with it'

* Memories of the Erebus crash: A first plane trip, lost friends, absolute disbelief

Our wish is that those families who want a memorial are given one, but on a site that makes sense.

* White Silence: Film captures last images of passengers before Erebus crash

* White Silence: Erebus flight victim dreamed of waking up in snow

* White Silence: Former Deputy PM's biggest regret after Air NZ Erebus crash

* White Silence: Paul Dykzeul's brothers died on the Air New Zealand Mt Erebus crash he was meant to be on**

The twisted wreckage from the crashed Air New Zealand DC-10 plane litters the slopes of Mount Erebus.

We have chosen to stand by the community we live in and oppose the placement of the memorial in a park loved for its natural world beauty, the joy and uplift it brings and the incredible pohutukawa tree it is home to.

It is a magical space and we understand why someone might, at a quick glance, think it would be a good place to mourn those they lost.

But if you listen to the experts it is very clear the site is the wrong one. It has no links to the accident. It faces North East. It turns its back on Erebus. The memorial is not embraced by the people who use and love the park.

The chosen design detracts from the space and introduces tonnes of concrete and stainless steel into a tiny pocket of green space that is increasingly at risk as the city expands outwards. It is noisy. The structure severs the lawn and steals natural vistas.

The place itself is full of laughter, music, children and joy. It is a place of weddings, celebrations and family picnics. It is not an appropriate place for sadness, grief and loss.

We originally welcomed a memorial, but now we do not.

The Ministry of Culture and Heritage and Auckland Council have got it wrong. Worse still they knew all this, because experts told them the site was the wrong one and they ignored their advice. They pushed something through, without taking the time or the care that the families deserved. We waited 40 years, why not wait just a little bit longer so that we could finally get it right?

When you are a family that lived through the lies and the cover up, to have more lies and to experience more upset by the delivery of a memorial, right on the eve of the 40th anniversary is completely unacceptable. And it was completely avoidable. All it took was time, transparency and genuine consultation.

The truth is most families have moved on. It is 40 years later and the delivery of a monstrous, brutalist memorial many may only visit once or twice - if al all - is unlikely to heal anyone. Planting 257 trees, creating an education fund for pilots, or grandchildren’s education, taking the remaining family members to the site who have not yet been might. But families were not given those options.

What started out as a something positive looks set to end in anger, pain and hurt - for either the families or the community. Forty years later, lessons around transparency and the truth may not have been learned after all.

Our wish is that those families who want a memorial are given one, but on a site that makes sense. One that faces the mountain, that has its own identity and has a chance to provide healing, not on a site that delivers to a few at the expense of many.

We will not find any peace visiting a memorial where the community in which it resides are so angry at its presence. No one will.

Let the legacy of those we lost be about healing, hope and love, not division, disappointment and concrete.

This story is part of White Silence, a six-part podcast series from Stuff and RNZ to mark the 40th anniversary of the Erebus disaster. You can listen to White Silence on Stuff, or via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or any other app using the RSS feed. The episodes will be released daily from Friday, November 8.