The Endeavour Replica re-enacted the landing of Cook at Botany Bay on 29th April 1770/1995. Our newspapers did not give it the coverage we thought it deserved, especially the "Sydney Morning Herald", which really only reported the comments by Genevieve Ranking, the Mayor of Sutherland Shire, comprising an apology to the Aboriginal people for events that happened 200 years ago. Even the caption to their photo transposed Peter Sinclair, the NSW State Governor, and Rear-Admiral Anthony Hunt. The "Sydney Telegraph" has a better picture of the Endeavour and other craft and people at the landing spot. There was a brief report on the TV news on the Saturday night showing the crew actually landing on the rocks just off the beach, and some close-up views of the Endeavour firing a salute.

The "Sydney Telegraph" also had a cartoon about where to land. It relates to the Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport which is across Botany Bay at Mascot. A new second north-south runway running out into Botany Bay has recently been opened, so we have two parallel north-south and an east-west runway. The use of the new runway has caused a lot of anger by the local residents because of the increased aircraft noise on landings and take-offs, and there have been blockades and demonstrations at the airport demanding that it be closed. So in the cartoon Mr Banks is suggesting that the Endeavour land on the new runway!

I rang the HM Bark Endeavour Foundation today [8th May] and was advised that the Endeavour was at Newcastle (about 100 miles north of Sydney). It will proceed north to Cairns and Cooktown, and then return to Sydney sometime in October. It is supposed to sail north again around the top of Australia back to Fremantle. After a refit it is to proceed to England via the Cape of Good Hope, and is due to arrive late next year.

Arthur Cant

Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1169, volume 18, number 3 (1995).