IN an emotional win for a family that has already lost so much, the late Jack Roberts' memorial chair overlooking 'his spot' at Catherine Hill Bay is here to stay.
"I cried, I had a big cry because it was just overwhelming, we don't have Jack and it's a part of him, so to keep that chair means everything to us," his mother Cheryl Roberts told the Newcastle Herald.
Amid the pouring rain and wild winds on Monday afternoon, she headed straight up to the lookout to tell Jack the good news.
In serendipitous timing, it also happened to be one of his daughter's birthdays.
"I just sat there for a while and said, 'we've got it'," Ms Roberts said.
"Life can be really hard at the moment, people are doing it tough and it's lovely to finally hear some uplifting news.
"Through love and loss we all gained that chair, it shows that community spirit is still there and that people who were passionate about a good cause stepped in to do their bit, that will stay with me forever."
In a true change of heart, against policy and procedure, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) reversed its decision to ask the family to remove the chair.
While its policy doesn't allow memorials to be established in national parks, a NPWS spokeswoman said it recognised that after three years it wasn't reasonable to ask the family to take the chair away.
"NPWS understands that the site has become a special place for Jack Roberts' family and friends," she said.
A petition to save the chair garnered 836 signatures, and it was family friend Rebecca Rigney's pleasure to be able to hit the 'victory' button.
"I don't think I can explain in words what it means," she said.
"They've already lost so much and this might be a small win to some, but for them it's huge, it's such a significant place for them.
"I was shocked, I wasn't expecting it at all."
Ms Rigney said she was incredibly grateful to friends, family and complete strangers who had thrown their support behind the Roberts'.
"I started out with such a small goal, I thought we might get 200 signatures, then we got to 500 and I thought, 'maybe we have a shot at this'.
"I think it's important to realise there is power in numbers, I don't think what we were asking for was unrealistic but common sense prevailed and that's a big thing for us."
Mr Roberts, 28, died as the result of a police pursuit in April, 2020 at Blue Haven.
Former NSW Police officer Matthew James Kelly, 52, was found guilty of negligent driving occasioning death in a Sydney District Court in April and was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order in June.
The memorial chair at Catherine Hill Bay has provided solace and a place to grieve for the family in the difficult years since his death.
Member for Swansea Yasmin Catley had been advocating for the family to keep the chair after they suffered an "immeasurable loss".
"I am thrilled that the chair can remain in-situ, in a place that meant so much to Jack," she said.
"It can remain a place for Jack's family and friends to reflect and commemorate his life for years to come.
"I thank NPWS for listening to the Roberts family and allowing it to stay."
Permanent memorials or plaques in national parks generally aren't approved in line with the agency's policy.
Instead, NPWS encourages alternatives to permanent monuments and plaques, such as memorial donations, events and tree plantings.
