Melbourne Council to Repair Heavily Damaged Statue of Colonial Explorer

The remnants of a Captain Cook statue in St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 25, 2024. A Captain Cook statue in Melbourne has been hacked off at the ankles the day before Australia Day. AAP Image/Diego Fedele

A council in Melbourne, Victoria will reinstate a Captain James Cook statue vandalised in St Kilda ahead of Australia Day.

The Port Phillip Council, which covers the Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda, is keen to send a clear message to vandals by repairing the century-old statue.

On Jan. 25, a Captain Cook statue was cut at the ankles and defaced ahead of Australia Day. The monument was sprayed with the words “the colony will fall” in bright red paint.

Captain Cook is a renowned explorer who charted and claimed the eastern coast of Australia for Britain on his first voyage between 1768 and 1771.

State leaders including Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and Opposition Leader John Pesutto both condemned the vandalism after the incident.

Following a meeting of the council on Feb. 7, independent Port Phillip Council Mayor Heather Cunsolo issued a statement.

“Last night our Council reaffirmed its commitment to continuing with the repair and reinstatement of the Captain Cook statue vandalised in St Kilda on 25 January,” the council said on Feb. 8.

“We are united as a Council in sending a very clear message to vandals that they do not dictate which cultural public assets are allowed to stand in our city,” Ms. Cunsolo said.

The council voted down a motion from Labor-affiliated Cr. Robbie Nyaguy to consult with the community on “reinstatement or removal of the statue.”

This motion was amended to “support the repairs and for a community consultation to be held on the location and context of the statue.”

“Council Officers are continuing their work for the reinstatement including engagement with Heritage Victoria. We anticipate having a plan for the reinstatement in the next couple of weeks,”  Mayor Cunsolo said.

The mayor said conversations to understand the views of traditional owner groups will continue. This will include a discussion on how the council could “recognise the perspectives, experiences, and history of First Nations people.”

“Officers will also look at options to reduce the chances of future vandalism including the provision of contextual information,” Mayor Cunsolo said.

After the statue was destroyed, Victorian Premier Allen said this “sort of vandalism has no place in our society.”

Opposition Leader Pesutto said, “There’s no place for acts of vandalism, or any other violent acts against people or property in our community.”

Separate Captain Cook Statue in Melbourne May Not Be Repaired

Meanwhile, a separate Captain Cook statue in Edinburgh Gardens, Fitzroy North, was found broken on the ground and covered in red graffiti two days after Australia Day.

The words “cook the colony” were discovered on this statue by visitors to the park on Jan. 28. However, the Yarra City Council in Melbourne is considering removing this statue permanently.

“Due to the seriousness of the new damage, officers strongly recommend that the memorial be removed from location and that the object be deaccessioned from the collection in line with policy processes. Deaccessioning is the formal process of removing objects from a collection,” a councillor officer said.