Seafarers Memorial in Wick hailed as 'a tremendous achievement'

Wick's statue commemorating lost seafarers has been hailed as "a tremendous achievement" by the new chairman of the local community council.

The bronze statue, created by sculptor Alan Beattie Herriot, stands at the Braehead as a symbol of how "the sea gives with one hand and takes away with the other".

The unveiling ceremony on May 20 marked the culmination of a five-year campaign to raise more than £100,000 for the first major memorial in Wick for 100 years.

Allan Farquhar, who was elected as the new chairman of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council at its annual general meeting this week, praised the efforts of the Seafarers Memorial Group and in particular its chairman Willie Watt.

"It's just a tremendous achievement," Mr Farquhar said. "Well done to Willie Watt and his team. He has put in an awful lot of work.

"It was a fantastic day. The crowd was good and the weather just held. We can only pass on our thanks to the committee. It shows you what can be done."

The statue commemorates those lost at sea from or in the WK registration area.

It rises to a height of five metres on a stainless-steel base plinth surrounded by five lecterns. The male figure has one arm outstretched, holding a representation of a haddock, while the other hand gestures towards a panel at the base of the column containing figures of sea users from past and present in bas-relief in bronze.

The memorial also has four Caithness stone benches, two with backs detailing all the harbours and fishing stations in the WK area.

Last month's unveiling was attended by more than 700 people. The event featured speeches, seafaring songs, a specially composed pipe tune and a poem.

Mr Watt has described the monument as "our Angel of the Far North".

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.