In unanimously passing a motion moved by Greens MLC, David Shoebridge, the NSW Parliament has finally signalled its support for the return of the Gweagle Shield and Spears, which were stolen by Captain Cook and his party after they fired on a Gweagle man, Cooman, in 1770 on the shores of what is now known as Botany Bay. The shield and spears have since been housed by the British Museum and the Cambridge Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, who are refusing to return them to their rightful owners.
Rodney Kelly, a descendant of Cooman, has been fighting for the rightful repatriation of these artefacts and will be travelling to the UK in October to demand their release. He and his family were at the NSW Parliament House to witness today's parliamentary motion, the first of its kind in Australia, historical because it acknowledges (intentionally or not) the first European act of aggression that foreshadowed the invasion of Australia by the British.
