captaincook

In 1899, in order to commemorate the landing of Cook, an area of 100.86 hectares was set apart and dedicated as a Public Recreation Reserve. I wonder if that is what they are celebrating.

It is the dedication of Captain Cook Reserve at the landing place in Kurnell.

The ceremony happened on Saturday 6 May 1899. The officials and guests arrived by steamers and were brought to the jetty "by the steam punt from Tom Ugly's Point, above which was carried a framework from which floated a variety of colours." (See link below)

A very full description including the speeches is in the Sydney Morning Herald the following Monday 8 May 1899 (page 4). It is an interesting read and really brings this photo to life - trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/14213166

If this is a photo of the people attending the dedication party then somewhere amongst them is Joseph H. Carruthers, a great Australian who probably did more for Captain Cook than any other. It was thanks to his work that Kurnell was set aside for the public to enjoy. He likened it to Australia's "Plymouth Rock". Amongst his other work, he prompted the erection of the statue to Cook in London, near Admiralty Arch, and the 1928 Cook celebrations in Hawai'i.

Captain Cook Society There is another photo of the Monument, misnamed by the photographer Charles Kerry as La Perouse, at the same time -

Captain Cook Society J.H. Carruthers (as Minister for Lands) is listed as attending, and his full speech is quoted in the Trove link above.

" As the Plymouth Rock is the most sacred ground
to the Americans, so may this historic place, rich in
its traditions, be the one place in our island continent
more consecrated than another to the great man who
here first set foot upon our shores, and in his foresight
secured for the empire and its people a territory
unsurpassed in the whole universe. "

Fabulous. Maybe the most graceful pilot vessel I have laid my eyes on! Thanks Colin. Alex.

Launched in 1892 - see full details etc - This photo seems to be 1930s from all the suburban sprawl behind. And the superstructure has been altered since this Samuel J. Hood photo (ANMM) -

There were three Captain Cook Pilot vessels The one built in 1892 was No 2 . The photo above is Number 3 . Built in 1939 A bit of history>>>> Captain Cook III The third of three pilot vessels of the same name, Captain Cook was built 1939 by Morts Dock & Engineering Co., of Balmain, N.S.W., Australia, for the N.S.W. Maritime Services Board. Morts Dock won a tender in 1936 with the price of �75,000 Cook III was to become Morts' ship no. 46, engine no. 447, and boiler no. 811. She was registered in the Port of Sydney and had a tonnage of 524 gross and 214 net. She had a length of 165.7 feet, a width of 26.6 feet, and a depth of 15.2 feet. She was built with 1 deck, and had a 3 cylinder engine capable of 165hp which could attain some 12 knots. She carried two boarding boats 18.8 feet x 6.0 feet x 2.1 feet, and a motor dinghy of 15 feet x 5.3 feet x 1.2 feet with a 3hp engine. Cook III went into service in 1939 and was retired in 1959. She was sold originally as a tourist ship for the Mediterranean, but when this plan failed, she was scrapped and broken up in 1960.

nugget1958 Aha, my bad. Thanks. imho 'Captain Cook (III)' looks rather old-fashioned for 1939.

Looks like Polynesians had dogs, never thought about that before.