This relatively recent memorial commemorates those who lost their lives following the 1929 Murchison earthquake. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the area on the morning of 17 June 1929. The violent shaking triggered dozens of landslides in the surrounding hills, which were waterlogged from the winter rain. Of the 17 people who died in the earthquake, 14 were killed by landslides, and 2 in coal mine collapses.
Read more about the 1929 Murchison earthquake on Te Ara.
The text on the memorial's plaque is transcribed below:
Muchison earthquake 17-June-1929
This memorial is a gift to the people of the Murchison district, and marks the transition to the new millenium. Presented by the Murchison District Historical & Museum Society. Nelson and the West Coast are included as they too were affected by this event of nature. Most of the people who lost their lives in Murchison were all engulfed by rock falls and slips, and a rock from the actual slip that took their lives has been used as their memorial. Those who died in the wider area share other plaques mounted here.
Francis Vallance, 2014