Embarking on a final voyage
SHIPPING DATE SET FOR COOK STATUE
AFTER two false starts, the giant effigy of Captain James Cook is ready to set sail from its Cairns home where it has stood for half a century.
The seven-metre replica of the famous British explorer will be removed on Tuesday and transported under heavy police guard to a holding facility in Mount Molloy.
Owner Martin Anton said he was “nervous and excited” about the prospect of the operation after having to cancel arrangements twice due to inclement weather.
He said it was a “historical moment” for the city.
“Wednesday morning it will be his last tour of Cairns and the regions,” he said.
“It just hangs over your head until it gets done, the phone calls haven’t stopped,” he said.
“It’s an historical moment for anyone that is from Cairns, contrary to what a lot of critics say about the artistic value of the statue.
“I think it’s a pretty good effigy of him and we’re excited to get him down.”
Mr Anton, who purchased the monument from James
Cook University for $1, said the delay in its removal had allowed his team to finetune plans for its safe handling.
It will be carefully removed by machinery in one giant piece and placed on a semi trailer.
It has towered over Sheridan Street for 50 years.
“We’re as confident as we possibly can be, and the delay has actually been good as it has allowed us to change a little bit of tact in terms of the style of lifting,” he said.
“It’s allowed us to put new checks and balances in with contingency plans.
“I can assure you we haven’t stopped planning and are very much thinking about the task at hand.
“JCU will be hyper ventilating at the moment hoping that we don’t cancel another one.”
Cairns Division 9 councillor Brett Olds said despite the controversial nature of the statue, which petitioners had tried to remove on several occasions, he felt “it’s a bit sad” the city would lose a part of its history.
“It’s a bit sad, it has been a part of the history of Cairns for a long, long time, longer than most people have lived here,” he said. “I’d say there are more people that want to see it there than those who want it to go, but at least it is going to live on.
“It’s a sad moment, but I understand the university hospital needs to be built but at the same time, it is always a bit sad when a piece of history moves on.”
James Cook University’s Cairns Campus director David Craig said the university’s focus was firmly on the clearance of the site in preparations for the Cairns Tropical Enterprise Centre.