Climbing wall 'fitting tribute' to canyoning victims

Olivia Bray, sister of Mangatepopo canyoning tragedy victim Natasha Bray, on the climbing wall unveiled at Elim College. Photo / NZPA

Siblings of the Mangatepopo Gorge canyoning victims say a memorial climbing wall unveiled at their Auckland school today, the third anniversary of the tragedy, is a fitting tribute.

Teacher Antony McClean and students Natasha Bray, Portia McPhail, Huan (Tom) Hsu, Anthony Mulder, Floyd Fernandes and Tara Gregory from Auckland's Elim Christian College were swept away and drowned during a flash flood in the central North Island gorge on April 15, 2008.

Their deaths, while away on an outdoor education trip to the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuit Centre in the Tongariro National Park, prompted an outpouring of grief and donations to a fund to remember the victims.

The climbing wall and a plaque to the victims were unveiled in the school gymnasium today. The climbing wall has seven individual strips for each of the victims and includes affirmations and a Biblical quote on each strip.

As part of the events, seven children with close links to the victims climbed the wall. Five of the victims had siblings climb their section, while the sections for Tom Hsu and Tara Gregory - both only children - were climbed by friends.

Ben Bray, the brother of victim Natasha Bray but who climbed Tom Hsu's section while his sister, Olivia, climbed for Natasha, said the fact the wall could be used and not just observed was fitting.

"It's a really positive way to keep their memories alive," he said.

"What's also good is that it's not just something to look at. Everyone can climb it."

Mr McClean's sister, Hannah, agreed.

"It's also a way for students who weren't here during the tragedy to learn and remember."

A separate plaque to the victims, Seven In Heaven, was unveiled in a different part of the gymnasium.

Elim principal Murray Burton, whose birthday was today, said there was a mixture of feelings at the school on the third anniversary of the tragedy.

"The families are doing incredibly well. We've just finished a whole school Easter assembly and there's a mixture of hope and reality that life goes on.

"There will be a mixture of sadness this afternoon, with a degree of positiveness about the climbing wall, which will hopefully be a great reminder for generations to come."

The wall would be used all day, every day at school, and he hoped it would also be available to the public.

"We do want it to be a community thing and we think there's a way of continuing to maintain it by generating a bit of revenue at the same time. We want it to go on and on."

The opening would be a positive way to commemorate the third anniversary, Mr Burton said.

"It's nice that the unveiling has fitted in with the third-year anniversary. We realised it was all possible to be ready in time, which adds a degree of positiveness to the day," he said.

In February last year, coroner Christopher Devonport said the deaths should never have happened.

He found all seven drowned, and made more than 20 recommendations "with a view to preventing deaths occurring in similar situations in future".

- NZPA