I recently returned from a trip to Australia. Before I went I had heard of another statue of Captain Cook in Melbourne. I forget now how I heard of it, but on arrival in Melbourne I went to the City Information office to find out where it was. They had not heard of anything other than Cook's House.
My cousin with whom I was staying rang up the Chairman of the local Historical Society, but he had not heard of it. However he put out enquiries and shortly came back with the news that it was in Endeavour Hills. I find that suburb referred to on page 351 of Cook's Log, but no mention of any statue.
My cousin took me out to Endeavour Hills, a new suburb not far out of town. At the local shopping centre we found a check out girl who told us where to find the statue.
It was in the garden of a Doctor Sylvia Smith, an English medical practitioner who was very pleased to tell us what she knew of the history of the statue.
The Developers of the estate evidently had an interest in Captain Cook, hence the name Endeavour Hills. When they built the first show house they had a statue of Cook made to stand outside. When this house was sold they moved the statue to another show house garden, and when that was sold to Dr Smith it was decided that it was too expensive to move it again and it remains in her garden. She was very helpful and hospitable and did a lot of telephoning while we were there. She discovered that the Developers concerned have now moved to Queensland.
James Dunkley
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 445, volume 9, number 2 (1986).