Cpt Cook logo deemed 'offensive' to aborigines
Captain Cook - revered by many as the man who ‘‘discovered’’ Australia - may be muscled off a Sydney municipality’s logo by a dolphin because he is deemed dated and offensive to Aborigines.
Members of Sutherland Shire Council, which covers Botany Bay, where Cook arrived in 1770 and claimed the territory for Britain, will vote on the planned new logo next week, a local newspaper reported today.
If approved, the dolphin logo will be displayed on council publications, vehicles and signs, while Cook’s bust will be relegated to the council seal, the ceremonial chain of office worn by the mayor, documents and building plaques.
Images of Cook currently adorn everything from street signs to garbage bins in the municipality.
Mayor Tracie Sonda said the current label could appear dated and Cook’s arrival was regarded as an invasion by some Aborigines.
‘‘I’ve been at conferences where Aboriginal people talk about the invasion and we have got Cook’s head on our garbage bins,’’ she said.
‘‘A point has been raised that the logo could be seen as outdated, it could make the organisation look tired and make us look like we lack enthusiasm,’’ Sonda said.
In an editorial, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph attacked the proposal.
‘‘The truth of the matter is that it (Cook’s image) is offensive only to the politically correct with no sense of pride in their nation or its achievements,’’ it said.
‘‘This view is a nonsense that should be stopped at Sutherland Council, or anywhere else in Australia.’’
