Council Votes Not to Remove Vandalised Statue of Colonial Figure

Randwick Council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has announced it will not remove a statue of Captain James Cook that was vandalised with red graffiti, and will instead, undertake repair work despite calls in some quarters for the eradication of effigies of colonial figures. New South Wales Police received a report of vandalism on Feb. 15, in which part of the Cook statue located at the corner of Belmore Road and Avoca Streets in Randwick had its sandstone damaged and was found partially covered with red paint. No arrests have been made, but the Randwick City Council said on Feb. 18, “We are currently working with local police who are investigating the matter and we have also engaged heritage stonework specialists to repair the monument.”...