Statement on the Captain Cook statue

We are disappointed by the vandalism of the Captain Cook statue in Catani Gardens, St Kilda.

Tomorrow we are proudly supporting a dawn Mourning Reflection ceremony, held by Traditional Owners, which promotes unity and reconciliation.

We understand and acknowledge the complex and diverse views surrounding Australia Day.

We can’t condone, however, the vandalism of a public asset where costs will be ultimately borne by ratepayers.

Council officers have collected the statue for assessment and the graffiti has been removed.

The plinth was damaged by the statue being pulled over so we are arranging for the stonework to be repaired.

As the statue had previously been vandalised, we had arranged for security to attend as a precaution from later today. The vandalism was reported at 3.30 am before a security guard had arrived as planned.

Background

The Captain Cook statue in Catani Gardens is a Port Phillip Council asset. It was gifted to the then St Kilda Council by local philanthropist Andrew Stenhouse in 1914.

The statue is a replica of one in England which commemorates Cook’s voyage from 1768-71 to explore the South Pacific Ocean (Cook did not visit Port Phillip).