Sydney will be reviewing it’s colonial statues following a push by an Aboriginal councilor.
Wiradjuri woman Yvonne Weldon, is Sydney’s first Aboriginal councillor and has led a push to revisit inscriptions on a series of publicly funded statues.
The statues in question include one depicting Governor Lachlan Macquarie.
Ms Weldon, says despite his recorded slaughter of Aboriginal people including women and children, and ordering the Appin Massacre, his inscription describes him as a “perfect gentlemen.”
Ms Weldon told the AAP, “Walking around parts of the city, you’d be forgiven for thinking that no one was here before the British arrived.”
The councillor says analysing Australia’s colonial history will lead to a better understanding of the country’s history.
“By reassessing established narratives, mistruths and one-dimensional accounts of past events, all Australians gain a richer understanding of our shared history and story.”
In April this year Governor Macquarie’s statue was vandalised on Anzac day, calling him a “murderer” who “ordered a genocide.”
The city’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore seconded Ms Weldon’s motion on Monday, conceding Sydney has benefited heavily from colonisation.
“The impact of colonisation is particularly poignant here in Sydney, the first site of invasion.”
The Mayor says following this month’s failed voice referendum, the city will be introducing it’s own Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory body which will send submissions to the council.
NIRS/AAP
