Spears taken by Captain James Cook returned to indigenous community

At a museum in the UK has returned 4 Spears to their traditional owners after they were taken from Australia by Captain Cook more than two centuries ago. 9 Europe correspondent Brett McLeod was there. This is the historic Cambridge University and history has been made in that building. Behind me it’s the Wren Library at Trinity College. The return of Spears have been on a journey they covered more than 250 years. The Gugel Spears were returned symbolically to ancestors of those that were taken from back at the time of Captain Cook’s journey to Australia on the Endeavour. The journey starts in April 1770. The Spears are taken by Captain Cook’s crew and Joseph Banks, The botanist recorded that in his diary. The four Spears the only ones that known to have survived from the 30 to 40 that were taken. When the first English people encountered the Guighle community and what is now called Botany Bay, the objects represent that moment of first contact between the British Empire and Indigenous Australians. It’s taken about 3 decades to get to this point where these artifacts, which have been in the care of Trinity for more than two centuries, were agreed to have them returned to be repatriated to Australia. For those members of the La Peruse community who’ve been involved in this, it’s more than a symbolic moment, it’s very personal one. A defining moment in Australia’s history. A defining moment for Australia’s Indigenous people in which our culture, our history and our way of life was was changed forever. After 254 years, it was time for this beers to come home. From here the space will be taken back very carefully to Australia. They’ll be kept at Sydney University while a purpose built place is made for them at Kernel.