Captain James Cook Print Page

The statue commemorates Captain James Cook (1728 - 1779) who explored, charted and claimed the east coast of Australia for the British Empire in 1770.  It was erected by public subscription supplemented by government grants. In Sydney it was estimated that more than 60,000 people attended the unveiling and 12,000 joined the procession.

Captain James Cook claimed the whole of the east coast of Australia for Great Britain on 22 August 1770, naming eastern Australia, 'New South Wales.'

[From Our Sydney Correspondent]. SYDNEY. 7.30 p.m. The ceremony of unveiling Captain Cook's statue took place today, and was a great success. The procession was composed of marines, volunteers, and friendly societies, and was the largest ever seen in Sydney. The ceremony was witnessed by about 60,000 people. Two hundred children sang the National Anthem. His Excellency the Governor, Sir Hercules Robinson, unveiled the statue; and; in doing so, made a speech, in which he gave a narrative of Cook's life, and characterised him as a humane, just, and God-fearing man. He added that it would be well for the youth of Australia to imitate his nobility of character.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW), 
26 February 1879.

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