In 2015, a bench seat was erected in his honour on Riria Kereopa Memorial Drive. The bench will soon receive a “spruce up”.
Wayne and his wife Sian have added a new plaque on the bench, alongside the original from 2015 and another left in remembrance by Peter’s sisters Lynne and Carole.
Peter Morley drowned at Raglan's Ocean Beach in December 1973 and his body was never found.
Wayne said life could change in a heartbeat so it was important to make sure you live life to the full and be a nice person.
“Being here with my wife just makes it even better and shows how life can change so much. Love and miss you Dad.”
Wayne and Sian have said goodbye to Raglan until later this month as they tour New Zealand but to add an extra memory, they both got tattoos in the seaside town.
A silver fern now covers Wayne’s foot with the date his father disappeared and the 50th-anniversary date surrounding it.
Wayne Morley's new foot tattoo commemorates 50 years since the passing of his father Peter at Raglan's Ocean Beach.
Raglan resident Kevin Holmes took to the Facebook Group Raglan Notice Board on Friday to share Wayne’s story with the community.
“Kia Kaha Wayne, most of us would never have known your connection to Raglan/Whaingaroa if we hadn’t met by chance yesterday. You and your whanau are forever a part of our town.”
Sian also shared her sentiments with Kevin after his Facebook post.
“Hi Kevin. Thank you for being so kind and friendly to us, we’ll be forever grateful that you stopped to talk to us, and listened to Wayne’s story. We feel so much comfort knowing you can be here where Wayne’s dad will always be.”
Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZME in 2020.
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