Our Elders have worked for many years to see their ownership transferred to the traditional owners of Botany Bay. Many of the families within the La Perouse Aboriginal Community are descended from those who were present during the eight days the Endeavour was anchored in Kamay in 1770.
Noeleen Timbery, Chairperson of the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council.
| Number of objects | Return destination | Institution | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 spears |
La Perouse, Sydney |
Trinity College, University of Cambridge |
Return announcement: 2 March 2023 Return celebrations: 23 April 2024 (handover) |
L-R: Dr Ian Coates, Ray Ingres, David Johnson, Noleen Timbery, Quaiden Williams Riley. Photo: O Rubinich, AIATSIS.
L-R: Dr Ian Coates, Ray Ingres, David Johnson, Noleen Timbery, Quaiden Williams Riley. Photo: O Rubinich, AIATSIS.
Announcing the return of the Gweagal spears in March 2023 at Kamay. L-R: Quaiden Williams Riley, Ray Ingres, Noleen Timbery, Ash Walker, David Johnson. Photo: O Rubinich, AIATSIS.
Announcing the return of the Gweagal spears in March 2023 at Kamay. L-R: Quaiden Williams Riley, Ray Ingres, Noleen Timbery, Ash Walker, David Johnson. Photo: O Rubinich, AIATSIS.
I think for us it’s a momentous occasion that where Australia’s history began, in 1770 on the shores of Botany Bay at Kurnell, the spears that were undoubtedly taken without permission are returned to the rightful people.
Ray Ingrey, Gujaga Foundation Director.
At the time of first contact between James Cook and the Gweagal people living at Kamay (Botany Bay) in April 1770, Cook recorded to have taking 40 spears. Of these only four spears remained at Trinity College Cambridge.
For over a decade the La Perouse Aboriginal Community, Trinity College, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) and the National Museum of Australia worked towards the return of the spears including a loan of the spears for museum displays in Australia in 2015 and 2020.
In March 2023 Trinity College and the MAA agreed to return the spears to representatives of the La Perouse Aboriginal Community, including direct descendants of the Gweagal people who crafted the spears more than 250 years ago.
Repatriation is not a loss for collecting institutions. It is an opportunity to build enduring partnerships, to walk beside communities and to share in the stories of First Nations people together.
Leonard Hill, Interim Chief Executive Officer, AIATSIS.
The return of these spears to their cultural owners after 254 years is a milestone in Australia’s shared history.
Ben Maguire, Chair of the National Museum of Australia.
Delegation of La Perouse community members, Dr Iain Coats of the National Museum of Australia, AIATSIS staff and the Hon Australian High Commissioner Stephen Smith at an advocacy event at Australia House in London. Photo: J Magee.
Delegation of La Perouse community members, Dr Iain Coats of the National Museum of Australia, AIATSIS staff and the Hon Australian High Commissioner Stephen Smith at an advocacy event at Australia House in London. Photo: J Magee.
Trinity College and the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Named after the Gweagal clan of the Dharawal Nation, to whom they belong, the spears were presented to Trinity College in 1771 by Lord Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty, and a Trinity alumnus, along with other materials from Cook’s voyage across the Pacific. Since 1914 the four spears have been cared for by MAA.
La Perouse Community representatives and AIATSIS staff travelled to the United Kingdom for a formal handover event on 23 April 2024 at Trinity College, Cambridge University. The Gweagal Spears travelled safely home with the support of the National Museum of Australia and at the request of the La Perouse Aboriginal Community are being cared for on Country by Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney.
Figure 2: Handover event at Wren library, Trinity college Cambridge. L-R Back: Dame Sally Davies, Leonard Hill, Ray Ingrey, Noeleen Timbery, Ash Walker, Stephen Smith, Front L-R: Quaiden Williams Riley, Tristan Simms, David Johnson. Photo: J Magee.
Figure 2: Handover event at Wren library, Trinity college Cambridge. L-R Back: Dame Sally Davies, Leonard Hill, Ray Ingrey, Noeleen Timbery, Ash Walker, Stephen Smith, Front L-R: Quaiden Williams Riley, Tristan Simms, David Johnson. Photo: J Magee.
Exercising Spiritual Care, L-R: Quaiden Williams Riley, David Johnson, Ray Ingrey. Photo: J Magee.
Exercising Spiritual Care, L-R: Quaiden Williams Riley, David Johnson, Ray Ingrey. Photo: J Magee.
They are the first artefacts collected by the British from any part of Australia, that remain extant and documented. They reflect the beginnings of a history of misunderstanding and conflict. Their significance will be powerfully enhanced through return to Country. The artefacts' return opens up new possibilities.
Professor Nicholas Thomas, Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and Trinity Fellow.
