“In Loving Memory of Pop, Old Nan & Katie Hunt missed by your family every day xxx”
Across all peoples, places and times, communities distinguish themselves by how they care for their dead.
The rituals and customs they adopt for their dearly departed provide a valuable insight into what really matters to them, and how much the desire that their family members and friends are not forgotten, but remain remembered within their landscape, close to them and their community.
The Stockton Breakwater (or Breakwall) is a modern manifestation of this fundamental human need to create some kind of remembrance through a series of memorials that have been installed all along the Breakwater, by the local Stockton people, who have found a new way to remember their departed loved ones, through a local funerary folk custom of decorating selected rocks that make up the Breakwater, so that visitors and locals alike can learn about the people that once lived in their community.
Using a chosen rock, the memorials have been crafted and decorated through paintings, shells, stones, motifs and adorned with flowers. Some are rudimentary, others more stylistic; some professionally created on permanent materials, others makeshift and temporary. All carry heartfelt messages and information relating to people that are no longer with us, but were once a feature of the Stockton landscape.
The Stockton Breakwater was always known as a graveyard for vessels, a maritime hazard due to the presence of the infamous Stockton Oyster Bank, which, throughout the nineteenth century, brought many a ship to its watery grave. With these uniquely crafted memorials it has now become something much more.
In Loving memory of Gordon Bruce Crouch “Grumpy” 3.3.1947 – 20.8.2014 Gone fishing with [illegible]Frank Mason “Poppy” 7.5.29 – 9.7.08 RIP. Matilda Mason
In Loving Memory of a Special Couple. Marie (Grandma) Watt 3/7/1932 – 15/5/2013 – Age 80 Years & Jack (Pop) Watt 19/9/1929 – 21/5/2013 – Age 83 Years. Real Love Stories Never Have Endings. They Lived Together in Their Love and Happiness, They Rest Together in Peace. Your Love Will Light Our Way. You Memory Will Be With Us Forever.
Gerald Laverty 24.01.1941 – 19.10.1994 Swimming With The Fishies… “Stand By Me” Love you to Moon and Back Sis, Marcus, Oliver, Alec, Therese, Dominic. I Am Sailing. 19.10.07
Doreen Gray 1935 to 2007 “Fly High” Ernie Gray 1929 to 1998 “Fly High”
John Richards 14 Jul 1943 – 16 Dec 2017 Dearly Missed By His Friends Who ‘Walked the Wall’.
Wayne Colin Ford 17-6-64 – 11-1-95. Loving Memories Never Die. As Years Roll On and days Pass By. In Our Hearts A Memory is Kept of Ones We Loved and Will Never Forget Loving Family
Tezza 03-01-1953 – 26-08-2018
Katie Hunt missed greatly. Loved So Much.
Our Baby Girl Chloe Elizabeth Holt. A Moment In Our Arms, Forever in Our Hearts. 20.4.2018
In loving memory of Sormammah Karthigesu 5.02.1930 – 20.01.2018
Amy Florence Erskine. 6th Sept 1915 – 18 Jan 2009 With the Help, Love & Support of the Stockton People & Others, Brought Up Her 4 Children by Herself. Dell, Geoff, John & Jill. We Dedicate This Memorial To Amy. May You Rest In Peace 23rd Jan 2010.
In Loving Memory Of Jill Florence Visser, (nee Erskine) Born 07/12/1944 – Passed 21/01/2015. In Our Hearts You’ll Always Stay, Loved and Missed Everyday. Rest Now Beautiful Lady.
On Loving Memory of Our Dad RAD OBRADOVIC Who Spent many Nights Here Between 1973 and 1998. Biggest catch – 34 KG Jewfish (1985) Proudest catch – 25KG Jewfish Caught on No 1 Bream Hook (1978) You Will Forever Be In Our Hearts.
Benji Adams. 2 Young 2 Die. 2 fast 2 Live. 23.11.81 – 18.08 Love You.
Jillian Skinner “NANA Jilly” 1940-2006 Rip
RIP Cecil Richard Perkins 1937-2016 Forever In Our Hearts
Golden Eagle Motif on Black Background
MONIQUE EVA
ANNA HERMANS 1918-1985 PIETER HERMANS 1916-1987 Missed Everyday
In Loving Memory of CAPT. LEN SANDS 1930-2016 Forever At Sea But Never Forgotten
Keith Brady. 4th July 1933 – 3rd June 2016. A Stockton Boy.
In Loving Memory. Betty Frona Ross 30.04.1915 – 15.01.1977 John Barrie Ross 8.12.1913 – 3.10.1996 Gone Fishing…Catch you later.
Bob Hancock, Gloria Hancock, Chris Hancock. Together Forever. May You Rest In Peace. Love, Us.
RIP [Illegible] 8 Years Young. We All Miss You.
I Always Thought I Would See You Again One More Time.
Keep Fishing Da! XXX Love You Dad
One of the Pussy Cat Guardians of the Stockton Breakwater Memorials
