Clock Tower (Suva)
The clock tower with the accompanying bandstand is located in the Thurston Gardens in Suva , the capital of Fiji . Both are recognized and protected as category A monuments (of national importance). In addition to recognizing the entire garden ensemble as Fiji's cultural heritage.
history
The building commemorates Gabriel J. Marks, the city's first mayor. He was killed in the sinking of the Empress of Ireland on May 23, 1914 in the St. Lawrence River ( Canada ) at the age of 43. His wife also drowned in the accident. Both were buried in Melbourne . In memory of Gabriel J. Marks, his brother Henry had the clock tower with an attached octagonal bandstand built in the city's botanical garden . On June 7, 1918, the governor of the Fiji Islands and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific region , Sir Bickham Sweet-Escott, opened the building complex. From then on there were concerts in the music pavilion on Sundays, at which the governor was often a guest.
A plaque on the tower explains the background of the monument with the wrong date: "Erected by Henry Marks and Company Limited in memory of their late director GJ Marks: First mayor of Suva who was drowned in the St Lawrence River, Canada through the sinking of the SS Empress of Ireland, 23rd May 1914. ”(“ Erected by Henry Marks and Company Limited in memory of its late director GJ Marks: First Mayor of Suva, who died in the sinking of the SS Empress of Ireland on May 23, 1914 in St. Lawrence -Electricity drowned. ").
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Ernest Heatley: Thurston Gardens and the Empress of Ireland tragedy ( Memento of the original from September 16, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Fiji Times Online March 1, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
Coordinates: 18 ° 8 ′ 57.6 ″ S , 178 ° 25 ′ 32 ″ E