Seaward Downs war memorial, 2008.
The foundation stone of Seaward Downs Memorial Church was laid by the Rt Rev. S.W. Currie, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, on 16 August 1921. The completed concrete church was dedicated on 4 December 1921. On that day, a marble tablet was also unveiled in front of the church, listing the names of 13 men from the district who had given their lives during the First World War and 27 who had also served.
After the Second World War another tablet was unveiled listing four men who had died and 32 who had also served. Later a small tablet was added listing four men who had served in Korea.
The church was closed in 1997 with the last service being held on 14 December 1997. Most of the building was demolished soon afterwards, but the church porch and the memorial tables were preserved as the community's war memorial.
See: 'Mataura Presbytery', Mataura Ensign, 5/2/1919, p. 5; 'Topics of the times', Southland Times, 17/5/1919, p. 4; 'Local notes: memorial church at Seaward Downs', Southern Cross, 24/5/1919, p. 10; [note], Southland Times, 20/8/1921, p. 4; 'War Memorials', Southland Times, 5/12/1921, p. 5. A photograph of the church while still in use is held by the Wyndham and Districts Historical Museum and can be found on the NZ Museums database.
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