Why a sawed off Captain Cook statue may never return after it was vandalised by Australia Day protesters

A councilor says the community must decide whether a vandalized Captain Cook statue should be permanently removed, amid intensifying debate over its future.

The 115-year-old statue at Catani Gardens in St Kilda, south-east Melbourne, was sawed off at the legs by vandals on the eve of Australia Day.

The words ‘The Colony Will Fall’ were also spray-painted in red on the marble base, while on the same morning a monument of Queen Victoria was splashed with red paint.

A second Captain James Cook monument was vandalized at the Rowe Street entrance to Edinburgh Garden in Fitzroy North two days later on January 27.

Port Phillip City Labor councilor Robbie Nyaguy said he personally wanted the statue in Catani Gardens removed but says it is up to the community.

He plans to call for public consultation on the statue’s fate in a proposed motion at Wednesday’s council meeting.

“Once we know the cost of returning the statue and maintaining the ongoing security around it, I think it’s time for a conversation to be had with our community about whether or not we should keep the statue here.” , the Lake Ward Labor councilor explained on a Facebook page. video on Saturday.

‘I don’t think we should do that. Personally, I think this statue is symbolic of the colonial myth that Captain Cook discovered Australia and it was empty.

‘A myth we know now is a lie. But ultimately, I want to hear it from our community.

“I think it’s time for us to have a meaningful conversation about our history and what parts we choose to elevate.

“It’s not about erasing history, the history books won’t change, but when we put a statue in a public place it sends a symbol to our community about whether that person is important or not and whether that’s a central is a figure we should celebrate. ‘

But not everyone agrees.

Fellow councilor Marcus Pearl believed the proposed council motion “neglects the importance of historical context and the need for a balanced understanding of our heritage.”

“Councilor Nyaguy’s motion to reassess the future of the Captain Cook statue is a veiled attempt to undermine the cultural heritage of our community,” Pearl told news.com.au.

“The motions are designed to unnecessarily divide our community and ignore the broader historical significance.”

Meanwhile, debate is growing over the fate of a second Captain James Cook monument that has been vandalized at the Rowe Street entrance to Edinburgh Garden in Fitzroy North on January 27.

Yarra City Council is now considering the next steps.

Adam Promnitz, founder of the Yarra Residents Collective, said not returning Captain Cook to the park would “give in” to the vandals.

“If you’re going to let vandals and criminals win, you might as well give up altogether,” Promnitz said.

The community spokesperson admitted there was a wide range of opinions on Australia Day.

‘This is not the right way to do things. You can’t just get your way by being destructive and antisocial and causing criminal damage,” Promnitz said.

“How can it be a good outcome for any body when it’s essentially a green light for vandals and criminals all over the world that we let you get away with what you want and you get what you want when you behave like this?”

Yarra City councilor Stephen Jolly said replacing the statue would be a “waste of money” and it would almost certainly be taken down again.

“Even people who love Captain Cook, who love Australia Day, will see that fixing a statue that costs thousands of pounds to fix is ​​not the most important thing to spend money on,” Cr Jolly told the Herald Sun.

‘Residents want better waste processing, more childcare, cheaper swimming pools. All of these things are a better way to spend the money than on a statue that we know for sure will be taken down again.”

Mr Promnitz said Yarra City Council has a “major spending problem” and needs to focus on delivering better services.

“Unfortunately, it’s a council that’s focused on the wrong things,” he said.

‘It would be nice to see if the council and Stephen himself were as passionate about spending money on good things and not about spending money on four flagpoles outside the recycling center that hardly anyone visits.

“They spent $200,000 on a series of statues instead of building a playground. We have a park without a playground and as a result the playground has been removed.

“If they want to talk about spending money wisely, maybe they should take a look at themselves and what they’re doing right.”

As part of a $2 million facelift, Yarra City Council has removed a popular children’s playground at the Cambridge Street Reserve, in Inland Collingwood.

A petition calling on the council to reverse the changes and reinstate the old playground quickly collected more than 600 signatures.

The council was also criticized for installing four flagpoles near the factory depot in Clifton Hill at a cost of almost $8,000.