The descendant of a Gweagal warrior shot by soldiers under Captain James Cook’s command when he first landed in Botany Bay has blasted government plans to create a new memorial to the British explorer.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The $50million redevelopment on the shores of Kurnell is the site where on April 29, 1770, two Gweagal warriors were fired upon as they attempted to warn off the Europeans from reaching their shores.
Speaking on Wednesday, Bermagui’s Rodney “Murrum” Kelly said it was disrespectful that the focus was on Cook and not the local people.
“My first thoughts were how can they talk about spending millions on Cook memorials when the most important thing is to educate people about the events that occurred that day in 1770?” he said.
“To me its disrespectful the true story is confined to a small plaque while they glorify Cook as a great man without thinking about the First Peoples and the impact he had on our lives.”
Mr Kelly is a descendant of Cooman, the warrior shot in the leg by Cook’s soldiers, and has been campaigning for the return of a Gweagal shield and spears taken by the British that day which are now retained by museums in England.
He said there were better uses of the $50million going towards the redevelopment of the Meeting Place Precinct and the construction of a new aquatic monument that will utilise the original mooring site of the HMS Endeavour and the foreshore.
Instead, there should be a monument of the two warriors who stood on the shoreline on that day in 1770 as well as a museum where the main attraction was the Gweagal artifacts.
“It would be all about educating people about the true history of 1770,” Mr Kelly said.
“We need a memorial statue of the two warriors who defended the beach that day and to get the [Gweagal] spears and shield returned.
“This is the time for true history to be told, and from our view not the government’s.”
While the name of the second Gweagal warrior is so far unknown, Mr Kelly believed it was Cooman’s son.
The memorial is intended to commemorate the the 250th anniversary of Cook's landing in 2020. Jointly funded by state and federal governments, the redevelopment will include a panel of Indigenous representatives to oversee the commissioning, consultation and installation of the new monument.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council was "excited" the two governments were investing in infrastructure in the area.
Albert McKnight
Journalist at Bega District News.
Journalist at Bega District News.
