Wish 'to show the lost souls home'

Leon Harrison stands at Stirling Point, where he would like a  memorial  erected  to those killed...
Leon Harrison stands at Stirling Point, where he would like a memorial erected to those killed in Foveaux Strait tragedies. Photo by Allison Rudd.
As the grieving family read the Easy Rider inquiry report, a close friend of one of the victims continues to raise funds for a memorial ''to show the lost souls home''.

Marama Karetai-Bloxham, widow of Peter Pekamu-Bloxham, said last night she received the Easy Rider inquiry report on Wednesday and had not finished reading it.

She would have liked to have been supplied a copy earlier.

Her cousin's wife, Gloria Davis, the widow of Easy Rider skipper Rewai Karetai, met the ''accident people'' in Invercargill yesterday, she said. She had considered going to the meeting to provide support but had not, she said.

Leon Harrison (36), of Invercargill, was a close friend of Shane Topi (29), whose body was recovered after Easy Rider sank on March 15 last year. Mr Harrison and Mr Topi had worked in security together at an Invercargill bar, he said.

Mr Topi was a hard-working and happy-go-lucky man, he said.

''He was a big, gentle giant.''

So far, Mr Harrison has collected $22,700 to have a memorial built at Stirling Point in Bluff.

There were many ideas for the proposed memorial but he imagined a miniature ''glowing'' lighthouse, he said.

''To show the lost souls home.''

Friends and family were still grieving for those lost in the tragedy and there was ''still a lot of sadness'' in the community.

Mr Topi's mother, Helen, was still grieving, he said.

''Shane was her baby.''

The memorial could be a place for those grieving to reflect, he said.

All the families who had lost someone in the tragedy had approved of him fundraising for the memorial.

When sufficient funds had been collected and the memorial was built, he planned to invite family and friends to a ''get-together'' in Invercargill to publicly thank those involved in its creation, he said.

The Easy Rider inquiry would not bring closure for the grieving families, he said.

''Lives were lost and that's it. Those grieving have to get on with it and finger-pointing doesn't solve anything.''

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt said he had not seen the report but hoped ''lessons had been learned'' that would make such trips safer in the future.

 

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