Spears taken by James Cook from Botany Bay to be returned to traditional owners

Spears taken by James Cook from Botany Bay to be returned to traditional owners

More than 250 years after British soldiers took dozens of spears,only four remain and they will soon be permanently returned to the Aboriginal community of La Perouse.

  • byEelemarni Close-Brown

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‘Stuck in the past’:Push to remove statue of ‘racist’ Australian prime minister
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Racism

‘Stuck in the past’:Push to remove statue of ‘racist’ Australian prime minister

A statue erected for the centenary of Federation in 2001 could be removed because of an “explicitly racist” legacy.

  • byCaitlin Fitzsimmons
Statues with limitations:The bronzed figures who stand still while time marches on

Statues with limitations:The bronzed figures who stand still while time marches on

The imminent removal of a statue honouring a despicable 19th century Tasmanian premier is a reminder that we should be careful who,and what,we put on a pedestal.

  • byMalcolm Knox
Seaworms eating away at Captain Cook’s Endeavour,says expert

Seaworms eating away at Captain Cook’s Endeavour,says expert

The termites of the sea are tearing through what is believed to be the wreckage of the explorer’s ship at the murky bottom of Newport Harbour in the United States.

  • byTim Barlass
Leeches,bloodletting,enemas and emetics:The uncomfortable history of medicine

Leeches,bloodletting,enemas and emetics:The uncomfortable history of medicine

A new exhibition at the State Library of NSW uses rare books to detail the gruesome cures of old such as bloodletting,emetics,leeches and enemas.

  • byJulie Power
Time’s up for the Cook Cup,new trophy named in Ella’s honour

Time’s up for the Cook Cup,new trophy named in Ella’s honour

Australia and England will play for a new prize after deciding to retire the trophy with associations to Australia’s colonial history.

  • byGeorgina Robinson
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After 250 years,Indigenous spears taken by Captain Cook finally come home

After 250 years,Indigenous spears taken by Captain Cook finally come home

The first Indigenous artefacts ever taken by Europeans have returned to Sydney thanks to the hard work of the local Aboriginal community.

  • byCameron Gooley
Sydney’s seed bank moves to new premises seemingly from a James Bond movie

Sydney’s seed bank moves to new premises seemingly from a James Bond movie

The temperature-controlled vaults house plants that can be used to solve crimes,track climate change and paint a picture of what Australia looked like decades ago.

  • byLaura Chung andAmelia McGuire
Shipwreck site is new battleground over truth about Captain Cook’s Endeavour
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History

Shipwreck site is new battleground over truth about Captain Cook’s Endeavour

An archaeological report has raised concerns about the Australian National Maritime Museum’s declaration that the final resting place of Captain Cook’s Endeavour has been found.

  • byFarrah Tomazin
Endeavour calling from its murky waters:time for change
Opinion
Opinion

Endeavour calling from its murky waters:time for change

Novelist Thomas Keneally asks if Australia will become a wreck,like the Endeavour,with “HM” emblazoned on it?

  • byThomas Keneally
Endeavour report reveals Australian evidence for identifying ship

Endeavour report reveals Australian evidence for identifying ship

The Australian National Maritime Museum said it confirmed five out of seven criteria to confirm wreckage off Newport Harbour,Rhode Island,in the US is that of the Endeavour.

  • byTim Barlass