An area of land overlooking Plemont Bay has been set aside as the site of the memorial seat, which is being designed by craftsman Andrew Garton.
Mr Miller’s parents Ian and Sue and his brother Michael today described the Leeds University student, who was found dead on Sairee Beach alongside fellow backpacker Hannah Witheridge (23) from Norfolk, as a ‘unique and wonderful man’.
In a statement they said: ‘One year ago today our son David Miller was cruelly murdered on a beach in Thailand. Our lives were destroyed on that tragic day.
‘Today, a full year on, our daily thoughts are still with David, a unique and wonderful man.
Dozens of the 24-year-old’s friends have come together to help commission the memorial which is also being supported by Transport and Technical Services.
Mr Garton, who has designed and will build the seat, will make it out of a plank of oak from a tree that fell during a storm that struck the Island in 1987.
The family said: ‘This tree was another tower of Jersey strength brought crashing down before its time.’
‘We hope Dave’s bench, which you will soon be able to find between Plemont and Grosnez on the coastal path, will become a popular and uplifting place to sit and remember how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place as Jersey and to find room in our hearts to forgive the thoughtless fools who perpetrate crime.
‘A place to sit and remember that life is best enjoyed by having consideration for others. A place where Dave’s spirit and love of life may be with you.’
The trial of two Burmese men, Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, who are accused of killing Mr Miller and Miss Witheridge continues next week.
They deny charge of murder, rape and robbery. Defence lawyers are expected to call on more witnesses including pathologists and other experts on issues of torture, crime scene investigation, migrant worker policy and exploitation.
In June this year, David Miller was posthumously awarded a first-class master’s degree.
The former Victoria College student’s mother Sue and his long-term girlfriend Jessy Howorth collected his degree amid rapturous applause and a standing ovation from hundreds of graduates at the ceremony for the University of Leeds.
The pair turned to the crowd and raised their arms in jubilation when they collected Mr Miller’s civil and structural engineering degree.outh of Koh Tao, where Mr Miller died.
In a brief statement, the Miller family said they were proud of their son’s award and added that his loss was ‘unendurable’, adding: ‘We wish to thank Leeds University for their considerate and thoughtful gift in conferring this degree posthumously to David.’
