Sydney to get new Captain Cook memorial as part of $50m revamp

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Sydney to get new Captain Cook memorial as part of $50m revamp

By Lisa Visentin

A new memorial to Captain Cook will be built at Botany Bay as part of a $50 million redevelopment of the site where the British explorer and his crew first set foot on Australian soil.

The memorial will commemorate Cook's encounter with Indigenous Australians on the Kurnell shores, in what was the first collision of British and Aboriginal cultures in April 29, 1770.

The $50 million redevelopment of the Meeting Place Precinct, designed to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Cook's landing in 2020, will feature a new aquatic monument, that takes in the original mooring site of Cook's ship HMS Endeavour and the foreshore.

Artist impression of the cafe to built at the meeting place precinct at Kurnell to commemorate Captain Cook's landing in Australia.

Artist impression of the cafe to built at the meeting place precinct at Kurnell to commemorate Captain Cook's landing in Australia.

Treasurer Scott Morrison, in comments to The Weekend Australian, said the memorial would be a "a place of commemoration, and recognition and understanding of two cultures, and the incredible Captain Cook".

The funding announcement comes amid a broader public debate - both in Australia and overseas - around the value of historical monuments that commemorate contested histories and controversial figures.

The debate resurfaced domestically in August, after statues of Captain Cook and NSW governor Lachlan Macquarie, both located in Sydney’s Hyde Park, were graffitied with the words "change the date”. The Captain Cook statue was also spray-painted with the words “no pride in genocide”.

A statue of Captain Cook in Hyde Park was painted with the words "Change the date" and "No pride in genocide" last year.

A statue of Captain Cook in Hyde Park was painted with the words "Change the date" and "No pride in genocide" last year. Credit: Cole Bennetts

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull likened the act to the historical revision undertaken by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, describing it as a "deeply disturbing and totalitarian campaign to not just challenge our history but to deny it and obliterate it".

However, the graffiti prompted a debate about the historical accuracy of the statues' inscriptions, which stated that Captain Cook "discovered this territory in 1770" and referred to Governor Macquarie as "a perfect gentleman".

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Historian Dr Lisa Murray, earlier this month, questioned whether the graffiti should have been kept as a "legitimate part of the monument’s heritage".

Mr Morrison said the Kurnell Precinct redevelopment would be implemented in a "sensitive way but one that in no way stepped back from acknowledging the national significance of that day ­almost 250 years ago".

The redevelopment will also include improvement works to the existing Cook monument built in the 19th century, a new visitors centre, cafe and exhibition space, and ferry wharves at La Perouse and Kurnell. It will be jointly funded by the federal and NSW governments, with both chipping in $25 million each.

Artist impression of the exhibition pavilion to built at the meeting place precinct at Kurnell to commemorate Captain Cook's landing in Australia.

Artist impression of the exhibition pavilion to built at the meeting place precinct at Kurnell to commemorate Captain Cook's landing in Australia.

"This is the place where our ancient Australian story began a new chapter that has led us to the free, peaceful and prosperous nation we are today," a joint statement from the two governments said.

The redevelopment will be guided by a master planning process, as well as panel comprised of community and indigenous representatives to oversee the commissioning, consultation and installation of the new monument.

La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council Noeleen Timbery told The Weekend Australian the council was "excited" the two governments were investing in infrastructure in the area.

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