An Indigenous leader is calling on a university to tear down a giant statue of British explorer James Cook in Cairns with the remains to be “crushed up and used for road fill.”
Key points:
- A controversial statue of James Cook had until recently been owned by a nearby pub
- James Cook University says it plans to use the surrounding land to build a teaching hospital, but won’t reveal its plans for the statue
- Some Indigenous leaders have called for the statue to be torn down
James Cook University will build a teaching hospital in the city’s CBD on a parcel of land acquired earlier this year.
The eight-metre-tall monument has stood alongside the highway in Cairns for almost 50 years but has long been subject to criticism.
A petition launched in 2020 to take down the figure garnered more than 19,000 signatures while Australia Day protesters placed a banner with the word “sorry” across the famous navigator in 2017.
Former North Queensland Land Council chair Terry O’Shane says it would be a “smack in the face” to First Nations peoples if the monument is left standing.
“Captain Cook was a great mariner; I’ve got a lot of respect for his skill as a mariner,” he said.
“But the symbol of Captain Cook, the statue there is that he discovered Australia, which is not true.”
Mr O’Shane said removing the statue would be an important step toward reconciliation in Australia.
“Having a symbol of discovery which is not true is a sort of smack in the face for First Nations people of this country,” he said.
“Captain Cook, it’s time to say goodbye and go back to Cornwall or wherever you come from.”
‘Not a pretty statue’
Originally erected as part of a motel in 1972, the statue has become a much-loved landmark among some residents despite its controversial subject.
Cairns historian Jan Wegner says the Cook statue has long prompted debate including classrooms and lecture theatres.
“I taught a cultural heritage class where we’d discuss the social value attached to landmarks,” Ms Wegner said.
“I asked the class for a number of years if they liked the statue or would prefer it to go.
“In most cases, about half said they liked it and wanted it to stay, and the others would cheerfully help the bulldozer driver [knock it down].”
“Obviously, it’s got a nasty history for Indigenous people because of colonialism.
Mr O’Shane says JCU should seek the input of Cairns’ traditional owners, the Gimuy Walubarra Yidinji and Yirrganydji peoples, on what should replace the monument.
“They’ll get all the landmarks they need to get from them people, and they’re historical, they’re traditional and they’re cultural,” he said.
As for the statue itself, the Western Yalanji man had a simple solution.
A James Cook University spokesperson said there was “no update” on the fate of the Cook statue but an announcement is expected in the coming weeks.
