Seamen's Memorial Wall
This memorial is located in Rotary Park near Lookout Point at the end of Imlay Street, Eden.
It was erected by the people of Eden following the loss of the trawler 'Shiralee' with all hands on 10th August, 1978, as a memorial to all seamen who have sailed from the Port of Eden and have been lost to the sea with their bodies never recovered.
The names of 24 unfortunate souls are displayed on plaques on the wall and within the nearby circular garden.
The earliest name commemorated is that of Peter Lia, a Norwegian lad of 22, who was the only whaler to have ever been killed during the 100 year history of shore-based whaling from Twofold Bay.
On the night of 28th September, 1881 two of the Davidson whaling boats had harpooned a large Right Whale and were being towed by it when it suddenly turned, came up beneath one of the boats and smashed it in halves with its tail flukes.
Peter Lia was the unfortunate oarsman directly beneath the path of the tail.
All other crew members were rescued by the surviving boat and the search for Peter then proved fruitless and his body was never recovered.
Two of the plaques tragically bear two names, both fathers and sons, who were lost to the sea on separate occasions.