Wednesday 27 May 2009

Cookie gets a make over

Good ol Captain Cook, a landmark of Sheridan Street, Cairns for years, has had a maroon make-over.

The 43 meter tall statue was left to die, until in August 2007, local maintenance company Programmed Maintenance Services co-ordinated a city-wide effort to restore and spruce up the old fella.

Two years ago, the monument was going to be demolished if a new home couldn't be found. Suggestion for a relocation to Cooktown, the Esplanade, JCU University, and even Kier Shorey's garden came up, but no one wanted him.

This week PMS gave him a good State of Origin colouring.

"We just wanted to give him a bit of love," Mark of PMS said at the time.

"Whoever the new owners of the property are, they may think about keeping him if he looks more presentably."

Regardless of what people think about this statue, after 40 years, he's an iconic landmark in Cairns.

2 comments:

Edgehill Tom said...

It is rumoured that a literate black fella once scrawled "Fuck off you white cunt" on Capt Cook's plinth!

S. Northy said...

There were several lots of graffiti written over Cook's plinth...however I can't recall seeing what they said. However, the statue is an icon of Cairns, and I'm quite impressed with the new paint job. Go, maroons!