❓ Question regarding the recovery of relics from William Dampier's Roebuck expedition, their conservation in England, and the possibility of their return to Western Australia for display in Denham.
⏳ Awaiting AnswerQoN 1729Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the Premier to the historic expedition to Ascension Island in March – April 2001, by the WA Maritime Museum in search of relics from William Dampier’s
Roebuck
and ask -
(a) is it correct that amongst other recovered items, the bell from the
Roebuck
and a giant clam were recovered;
(b) is it correct that all relics were transferred to the Mary Rose Laboratories in Portsmouth in England, for conservation and preservation work;
(c) given that the clam may have come from Shark Bay and that the bell certainly did come from the
Roebuck
, does the Premier acknowledge the immense importance of these artefacts in Western Australia’s 17
th
and 18
th
century maritime history;
(d) has the Premier written to his friend, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Mr Blair, with the aim of having the objects returned permanently to Western Australia as part of this State’s heritage;
(e) if so, has any reply been received;
(f) is the Premier aware that officials at the Mary Rose Laboratories acknowledge that Western Australia has a strong claim to the artefacts;
(g) does the Premier acknowledge that, against the background of the report of the Select Committee on Ancient Shipwrecks of this House and relating to other ships’ relics, that the artefacts of the
Roebuck
would best be displayed
in situ
in Denham as part of the World Heritage Centre; and
(h) if so, will the Premier consider making a Ministerial Statement to the House on the state of any negotiations with the U.K Government and the likelihood of the relics coming back to Western Australia for the first time in 300 years?
Answered on
Roebuck
and ask -
(a) is it correct that amongst other recovered items, the bell from the
Roebuck
and a giant clam were recovered;
(b) is it correct that all relics were transferred to the Mary Rose Laboratories in Portsmouth in England, for conservation and preservation work;
(c) given that the clam may have come from Shark Bay and that the bell certainly did come from the
Roebuck
, does the Premier acknowledge the immense importance of these artefacts in Western Australia’s 17
th
and 18
th
century maritime history;
(d) has the Premier written to his friend, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Mr Blair, with the aim of having the objects returned permanently to Western Australia as part of this State’s heritage;
(e) if so, has any reply been received;
(f) is the Premier aware that officials at the Mary Rose Laboratories acknowledge that Western Australia has a strong claim to the artefacts;
(g) does the Premier acknowledge that, against the background of the report of the Select Committee on Ancient Shipwrecks of this House and relating to other ships’ relics, that the artefacts of the
Roebuck
would best be displayed
in situ
in Denham as part of the World Heritage Centre; and
(h) if so, will the Premier consider making a Ministerial Statement to the House on the state of any negotiations with the U.K Government and the likelihood of the relics coming back to Western Australia for the first time in 300 years?
Answered on
AnswerView source ↗
⏳
This question is awaiting a response from the Minister.
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