MH370 memorial in Perth on hold until missing plane located

PLANS for a MH370 memorial at Perth’s Elizabeth Quay have been put on hold following a backlash from some families of the 239 missing passengers and crew.

The national memorial won’t go ahead until the missing plane is located and families are consulted on the right time to proceed.

Families of the missing in Australia and China were furious that the landmark was being proposed before their loved ones had been found.

The $126,000 memorial was to be jointly funded by the WA and Federal governments, with a design competition launched at the start of the year.

Danica Weeks, wife of Perth father Paul Weeks, who was onboard MH370, was strongly against the proposal and only learnt it had been shelved after she was contacted by The Sunday Times on Friday.

“When they find the plane, then we at least know where they are and we can make a decision about where to build a memorial that we can visit,” Ms Weeks said.

“We should not have wasted energy on this — that energy should have been spent on finding the plane.”

The permanent memorial was first flagged for Perth by former prime minister Tony Abbott in 2014, six months after MH370 vanished with 227 passengers and 12 crew.

Premier Mark McGowan and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack will today announce that “after careful consideration”, it would be “inappropriate to proceed with the memorial at this point in time”.

“This is a complex and highly sensitive matter, and the wellbeing of the relatives of those missing has always been our number one priority,” Mr McGowan said.

“While some relatives were supportive of the memorial, others had concerns.

“It was decided in the best interests of all concerned not to proceed with the memorial at this point in time.

“We are very confident, after consulting with the Australian relatives, that we have made the right call.

“I cannot imagine the grief experienced by the relatives of the 239 people on board, including the seven people who called Australia home, and I hold out hope that the plane will, one day, be found.”

A spokesman for Mr McCormack said: “Any plans for a memorial have been deferred and we will continue to consult with families on the right time to proceed in the future.”

The tender process for the artwork for the memorial has been stopped.

The Boeing 777 aircraft disappeared shortly after taking off from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing, on March 8, 2014. A search of the southern Indian Ocean ended last month with no sign of the plane.