What a difference 16 months makes. When Bermudian sculptor Bill (Mussey) Ming returned to Bermuda in November, 2005, it was to attend the unveiling by HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York, of a temporary plaque relating to his magnificent bronze sculpture, 'Figurehead', which had been erected to the memory of Bermudians who had perished at sea over several centuries.

On hand were the families, friends and descendants of the deceased, and local dignitaries led by then-Premier Alex Scott, and it was a deeply moving occasion.

Commissioned by the Government to design and create the towering, 16-foot, 12-ton commemorative sculpture, Mr. Ming had put his heart and soul into producing, for all time, something which would be the focal point of a setting in Great Head Park, St. David's, and provide a place where the loved ones of the missing men and women could come in reverence to remember and reflect.

It took the form of a wrecked open boat, in which symbolic artefacts were placed.

Mr. Ming was indeed a proud man that November day, for here at last was the culmination of all the months of meticulous planning, and the working non-stop day and night, to create his masterpiece — something which also involved frequent trips to Bermuda to consult with the Government officials.

Certainly the Royal visitor was impressed with the sculpture, and commended Mr. Ming not only for his concept but also for the choice of such a perfect setting overlooking the sea.

The surrounding area had been nicely groomed to set the sculpture off. From the entrance gate, a long, red-brick style pathway led between natural vegetation on one side and an attractively planted bank on the other.

Temporarily placed near the sculpture was a pristine white boulder on which was set an equally temporary wooden commemorative plaque with gold lettering.

As befits a Royal occasion, everything was neat and tidy. Even the nearby cannons had been somewhat spruced up for the occasion.

It had been 35 years since Mr. Ming had left his homeland to work on the Furness, Withy vessel, Queen of Bermuda, and ultimately make his home in England. Going through his mind as he reflected on the symbolism of the boat was the fact that he had made a journey back because of one.

"My journey on the Queen of Bermuda>had taken me away from the Island, and finally a boat had brought me back again all these years later."

This week, Mr. Ming has again returned home, this time to attend the Bermuda International Film Festival screening of his friend Andrew McKay's 'Bill Ming: Stories of Wood, Wind and Fire', a documentary about his life and work as an artist.

Naturally, he also took time to revisit Great Head Park, and has been left shocked and angry at the current state of what is supposed to be a memorial park.

The weed-dotted grass needs mowing, and it is also encroaching on the pathway. The once-pretty garden on the bank bordering one side of it is overgrown with weeds which are virtually choking the few remaining plants.

Near the memorial the sculptor found broken glass, bottles, and the detritus of take-away food packaging.

Golf tees and gouges in the ground were clues that the area is being used as a driving range to hit golf balls into the sea.

The promised, permanent bronze commemorative plaque is nowhere to be seen, and neither is the temporary wooden one installed for the Prince's visit, which Mr. Ming assumes probably blew away.

"I am really teed off (no pun intended)," he said, surveying the scene. "When you think of those people who were never found, and the fact that this is where their loved ones can come to sit and contemplate, this is sacrilege, and so disrespectful.

"In 2006, the seafarers' chaplin, Rev. David Addington, poured holy water on this sculpture and blessed it, so this is like a sacred place now.

"This sculpture is not mine anymore, it belongs to the people of Bermuda, and Government should be taking care of it and the site.

"I don't mind the park being a little bit wild, but at least it should be tidy and respectful, and the grass should be mowed regularly."

Mr. Ming is also upset that the permanent, commemorative bronze plaque, which he understood was being made in the US, and which he wants sited at the entrance gate to alert people to the sculpture's location, is still not installed after all this time, and said that his inquiries to Government have led nowhere.

He notes, however, that a bronze plaque marking the site as part of the Diaspora trail is on a boulder at the entrance gate, and he has no quarrel with that.

"I think because the sculpture is in St. David's nobody gives a damn — a case of 'Job done, we can move on to something else,'" he fumed. "It is as if this is a remote part of the Island and nobody cares. But I do. This is ours — the Bermudian people's."

When the sculpture was officially dedicated and blessed last November, Premier Ewart Brown said he was particularly pleased that the memorial had been created by a Bermudian for Bermuda.

He praised those who had made the memorial a reality, and commended the grounds' workers who had created a place which allowed families to experience calm reflection.