Dear Paul,

I've just read another interesting article on
a related topic where the question was asked -

"Isn't it time we stopped spending hundreds of
millions of
dollars on new memorials and monuments on
those who are no longer living and instead focused
on the living?"

Apparently it seems that we have spent the monetary
cost of commemoration over the past 4 years of
ANZAC 100 - approximately $552m of federal, state and
territory money.

We're spending millions on monuments which catalogue every
death in World War I, yet until last year - no one was
tracking the number of returning modern veterans taking
their own lives.

We don't focus on the plight of modern veterans - about
the many suicides, addictions, bureaucratic nightmares.
What about helping people doing it tough - like our
farmers, people with disabilities, people on "struggle
street?"

Just a few thoughts.

Well said HenryL. The whiners don't know how well they are, and how badly off they and the rest of us will be if politicians listen to them.

From prehistory to today people have crossed through areas of other
peoples. You can only judge by the longtime result. To do anything
else is just an indulgence in blame.
Are the aborigines of NSW better off now ?
If not then go bush if it was so much better then.
Most if not all the killings were not malicious but
were the result of misunderstandings.
Imagine the reaction of the sailors when first confronted with a Haka !

The people of New Zealand and NSW were unknown to the rest of the world
and they did not know of the world.
As the Roman Empire expanded the people they conquered opposed the
Roman army, but after they settled the locals adopted Roman ways
because they were better than their previous customs.
The world has always been thus ! Celebrate it. Its your history.

Hi Foxy,

In total agreement, the wasting of $50 million to celebrate a non-event. I have acknowledged Cook was a great mariner, navigator, "discoverer" among many other worthy attributes. I use "discoverer" in this fashion as he actually discovered nothing, people thousands of years before Cook had made those very discoveries. Just as valid as in 1988 when Burnum Burnum "discovered" England and claimed it for the Aboriginal people of Australia.

By the European standards of the day, Cook was considered more enlightened when it came to humanity than most of his contemporaries, but only by degree. Although by his third voyage Cook had become somewhat unhinged, even to the point of being extremely disliked by those he had contact with on that voyage. It resulted in disaster for Cook, killed and eaten by the locals in the Sandwich Islands.

Having come from a poor background, Cook was very much self serving, an ambitious social climber. It was in his interest to claim lands for Britain, it did him no harm with the elite of British society.

Maybe Cook was a bit of a Ned Kelly character, seen by some as someone who could do no wrong, by others, a murderer and illegal land grabber.
.

Dear Paul,

Just a bit of trivia for you.

Captain James Cook's naturalist - Johann Georg Adam
Forster was the author of a celebrated book
about Captain James Cook's 2nd voyage to the
South Pacific "A Voyage Round The World."
As a traveller and naturalist Forster made major
contributions to the natural sciences and travel
literature of his time.

The renowed scientist was a Professor at Vilnius
University in Lithuania - 1784-1787.

We MUST learn from history
But remove it?
Foxy I am a Republican, but our history, while needing some say sorry , is fact
I think every one must be treated equally, that includes those first Australians who both think it is ok to remember and those who do not want to
May I ask if we, because first nation represents about two percent of our population, change such days/celebrations
Is that being fair to the very much bigger number who want it left alone?
There are votes to be won or lost on this issue, marginalizing the majority is unwise