William Crowther: A severed statue divides an Australian city

Hobart is grappling with the legacy of a surgeon who allegedly mutilated an Aboriginal man's remains.

The state is grappling with the legacy of a surgeon who allegedly mutilated an Aboriginal man's remains.

4 comments

I don't know much about australian history but I think they should replace the statue of this crowther guy with one of Lanne, from sound of the article he had a much more interesting life than that of his posthumous mutilator
- They should leave the status where they are. If you replace it you are just encouraging more vandalism. If you want to honor other less recognized historical figures you should build new statues.
  
  I don't like the school of thought of some of these people. They advocate burying out history instead of addressing the past. Just because your past is dark doesn't mean it should be forgotten. If it is dark you should address it more as it needs to be talked about.
  
  As far a statue go you could add an additional plaque explaining the history and then build a newer status nearby that honors a hero who was on the side of the victims. Statues are a part of the history and they deserve to be left alone. Destroying art because it doesn't align with the current politics creates long term regret.
Not to condone an act of vandalism, but the kerning and character size choice was quite skilful for the text to fit so neatly like that, especially given the time constraints.
They really should find and arrest the perpetrator. This is a serious offense and should not be tolerated.