Diver’s memorial feared stolen
4:00AM Monday Feb 02, 2009
By Elizabeth Binning
The Catton memorial plaque in Northern Arch, Poor Knights Islands.
A large bronze plaque which has sat on the ocean floor for nearly 20 years in memory of a missing diver is feared stolen and melted down.
The plaque was placed near the Northern Arch in the popular Poor Knights diving spot, about 25 minutes north of Whangarei, in memory of John Barrie Catton soon after he vanished while diving in August 1979.
The 26-year-old was at a reef north of the Northern Arch with two friends when he failed to return to the surface. His body was never found.
Friend Jaan Voot said Mr Catton was a very experienced diver and his loss was felt strongly throughout the diving community.
About three or four months after he disappeared, a group of divers decided to place a bronze plaque at the Northern Arch in memory of their lost friend.
That plaque has become a popular attraction for divers – until this year when regulars noticed that it was missing.
Read full article from The New Zealand Herald.
Filed under: Ali Perkins, News/Current Affairs
Current members may not be aware that John Catton was an Honorary Life Member of AUUC, for his services to our club, and was well known and respected within the diving community. His disappearance in 1979 shocked all divers in New Zealand, as he was a very skilled diver who was careful about safety. The news that the memorial plaque has gone missing has caused deep shock and great disappointment amongst former club members who were mates with John. For those of us who did not know John, the plaque has been a feature of Northern Arch at the Poor Knights Islands, for divers to visit with due respect. We pray for the plaque’s safe return.