Cooktown Captain Cook Symposium
Join us at the Cooktown Events Centre from 4 - 6 November 2011 for a full weekend of animated debate, discussion and thought provoking questions at the Cooktown Captain Cook Symposium
Captain James Cook
WELCOME TO THE ENDEAVOUR RIVER –
WHERE CAPTAIN JAMES COOK REPAIRED HIS SHIP ENDEAVOUR AFTER SHE WAS HOLED ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF IN 1770.
DURING THIS SYMPOSIUM, WE HOPE TO PRESENT SOME OF THE HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE HERE DURING COOK’S FOURTY EIGHT DAY STAY.
FACTUAL EVIDENCE WILL BE PRESENTED, BASED UPON ENTRIES IN THE 1770 JOURNALS OF JAMES COOK, JOSEPH BANKS AND SYDNEY PARKINSON, BY A SERIES OF SPEAKERS, THAT MAY ALTER FOREVER, AUSTRALIA’S HISTORY AS WE KNOW IT.
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONSIDER THESE THOUGHT PROVOKING PRESENTATIONS AND PARTICIPATE IN THE PLANNING WORKSHOPS, HOPEFULLY DEPARTING WITH A VERY DIFFERENT OPINION OF COOK AND THE 86 MEN WHO ARRIVED HERE UNINVITED AND DEPARTED FOURTY EIGHT DAY LATER.
THEY TOOK WITH THEM A SHIPLOAD OF EXCITING NEW KNOWLEDGE AND BOTANICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY FINDS .
THIS “FIRST SETTLEMENT ON THE EAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA” ENABLED COOK TO RETURN TO ENGLAND TO REPORT THE DISCOVERY OF THIS NEW LAND TO THE BRITISH ADMIRALTY, THEREFORE PAVING THE WAY FOR WHAT WAS TO BECOME KNOWN AS THE “FIRST FLEET” TO SET UP AUSTRALIA’S “SECOND SETTLEMENT”, EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER.
PLANNING TOWARDS 2020 -
THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LANDING OF CAPTAIN COOK
HM BARK ENDEAVOUR’S EPIC VOYAGE ALONG
THE EAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA IN 1770
DISCOVERING ENDEAVOUR RIVER
ENDEAVOUR REPAIRED
FIRST MEANINGFUL CONTACT - THE GUUGU YIMITHIRR
KANGAROO DISCOVERED
THE LANGUAGE RECORDED
BOTANISING AT ENDEAVOUR RIVER
FIRST RECONCILIATION
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN - CONTACT:
Loretta Sullivan – T: 07 4069 5139, E: vanmart@bigpond.com
Programme of Events: (Final Programme to be confirmed)
DAY 1
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4th Welcome Function and Registrations
6pm Venue and Entertainment – TBC
DAY 2
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5th 2011 – Focus on Endeavour River
8:00 am Registration: Cooktown Events Centre
9:00am Welcome to Country by Guugu Yimithirr Bama
Official Opening – Mayor Peter Scott
9:15am Key Note Speaker: Emeritus Professor John Moloney – Faculty of History ANU
A comparison of Cook’s landings at Botany Bay, Bustard Bay and Endeavour River in 1770.
10.00am Question time
10:15am Morning Tea - Sponsored by Sue and Dave Scott Earthmoving
10:30am Keynote Speaker: Guugu Yimithirr Community Representatives
Through Our Eyes
11.15am Question Time
11:30am Google Earth Project – Cook’s Voyage up the East Coast of Australia
Cameron Male - Humanities Teacher and students from Cooktown State School
12:00pm Question Time
12:15pm Lunch - Sponsored by Cornett’s IGA
1:30pm A Botanical Wonderland – Keynote Speaker: Professor Darren Crayn
Director of the Australian Tropical Herbarium - Cairns.
[Sir] Joseph Banks – Botanising at the Endeavour River and other places of interest.
2:15pm Question Time
2:30pm Keynote Speaker: Alberta Hornsby Guugu Yimithirr Language – Kangaroo or Gunguuru ?
Focus on selected words recorded by Cook, Banks and Parkinson at Endeavour River in 1770.
3:15pm Question Time
3:30pm Afternoon Tea – Sponsored by
4:00pm Tour the Historic Cooktown Botanic Gardens – Second oldest in Queensland
Curator Sandy Lloyd – Will lead a tour of the Cooktown Botanic Gardens - with particular emphasis on the plants collected by Banks and Solander at the Endeavour River in 1770.
Viewing of the Vera Scarth-Johnson Botanical Collection – Plants of the Endeavour River
5:00pm Day 1 Conference Close
6:30pm for 7pm Dinner with Guest Speaker: Venue and speaker to be decided
DAY 3
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6TH 2011
8.30am Meet at Endeavour’s Careening Site – Bicentennial Park.
Captain Cook Walking Tour led by Bama and Wangaar Guides
Landing Site, Careening Site, Water Site, Reconciliation Rocks
10:00am Official Unveiling of Reconciliation Rocks TBC
10:30am Morning Tea – Sponsored by
At James Cook Museum
11.30am TOWARD 2020 – CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES - Events Centre
Panel Discussion/Q & A - Where to from here ? Facilitator: To be confirmed
Possible Panel Members: To be confirmed
Possible Topics:
•What benefit our history to the community?
•Social, education, culture & reconciliation?
•Tourism potential – economic & employment plus intrinsic value?
1:00pm Luncheon- Sponsored by
1:45pm Conference Workshops - Where to from here?
Workshop 1: Cook on Trial – The Legitimacy of Cook’s possession of Eastern Australia
(Understanding & Appreciating Aboriginal Culture; Reconciliation)
Facilitator: To be confirmed
Workshop 2: Cook’s Enduring Economic Benefit - 2020 - Tourism Potential
(Mooloolaba-Whitsunday/Whitsunday-Cairns Yacht Races; Captain Cook Highway)
Facilitator: To be confirmed
3:00pm Afternoon Tea – Sponsored by
3.30pm Workshop reports
Is there a need for more Symposia.
4.30pm Grassy Hill Tour – Farewell to the Endeavour River
The Labyrinth faced by Cook upon his departure from Endeavour River.
Sunset Drinks subject to wind factor.
Conference Close
The opportunity will exist for those interested in participating in taskforces to implement Workshop suggestions to do so after the Conference Close.
6.30pm Casual Dinner - Venue TBC
Explanation: Bama - Aboriginal people - pronounced bumma
Wangaar - European people - pronounced wong arr
Tours
Take the opportunity to spend some extra time in Cooktown and surrounds with a number of tours which are available prior to and after the conference for those wishing to extend their visit.
Town Bus Tours
Endeavour River Croc Spotting
River and Reef Fishing Trips
Guurrbi Rock Art Tours
Bookings can be made through Nature’s Powerhouse Visitor Information Centre
Please advise that you are visiting for the Cooktown Symposium.
There are also a number of other quality attractions to visit on foot such as;
Cooktown School of Art Society Exhibition
Cooktown Historical Society Exhibition and Archive Centre
Cooktown Creative Arts and Crafts Shop.
