Council Decides Against Removing Vandalized Statue of Colonial Figure
The Mayor of Randwick City Council expressed her support for the removal of statues that ‘stand as a symbol and reminder of colonial oppression.’
Randwick Council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has announced that despite calls for the removal of effigies of colonial figures, it will not remove a statue of Captain James Cook that was vandalised with red graffiti. Instead, the council will undertake repair work on the statue located at the corner of Belmore Road and Avoca Streets in Randwick.
The vandalized statue had its sandstone damaged and was partially covered with red paint on Feb. 15. New South Wales Police are investigating the vandalism, and the council is working with them on the matter. Additionally, heritage stonework specialists have been engaged to repair the monument.
After an Extraordinary Council Meeting on March 11, councillors confirmed that the statue, unveiled in 1874 and presented to the Municipal Council of Randwick in 1910, will be reinstated once the repair work is completed by the end of March.
Despite condemning all acts of vandalism, the Randwick City Council’s Mayor, Philipa Veitch of the Greens Party, advocated for the removal of the statue.
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The Mayor expressed a strong personal view that statues of colonial figures should be taken down from civic spaces as they symbolize and remind of colonial oppression. She suggested donating the statue to a museum for removal.
An Ongoing Battle
The incident in Randwick is the latest in a series of vandalism acts against statues of colonial figures. In the past, statues like that of Lachlan Macquarie in Windsor’s McQuade Park have been defaced.
Hawkesbury Mayor Sarah McMahon emphasized that vandalism is unacceptable and not the right way to express strong views. Instances of vandalism against statues of Captain Cook have taken place, including in Melbourne and Edinburgh Gardens, where statues were vandalized.
The move to remove the statues was rejected, with Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe stating that existing protections were sufficient.
