A memorial to unsung hero Admiral Arthur Philip RN, Commander of First Fleet and Founder of modern Australia, has been unveiled in the grounds of the Assembly Rooms.
The sundial was installed on Saturday 13th July in the grounds of the Assembly Rooms, almost opposite the house where Phillip spent the last eight years of his life.
Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, Lady Elizabeth Gass and Chairman of the Britain-Australia Society Trustees, Sir Christopher Benson, unveiled the memorial, in the presence of New South Wales Governor Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO.
The memorial sculpture came about after years of lobbying for more recognition for Arthur Phillip by the Britain-Australia Society Education Trust.
The sculpture, made by sundial expert David Harber in collaboration with Somerset stone carver Nigel Fenwick, who created the inspiring plinth, brings the story of the forgotten Phillip to life:
- A rotatable internal globe tracks the historic path of the First Fleet;
- A compass rose and a topograph indicate the distance in nautical miles to key points on the journey;
- Engravings on the sundial and base plate bear memorable quotations of the great man’s words, list his achievements and the ships of the first fleet and also describe his qualities.
The unveiling of the memorial was part of a week of events organised by the Britain-Australia Society to commemorate Admiral Arthur Phillip two hundred years after his death which included a ceremony to unveil a memorial stone to Phillip in Westminster Abbey attended by the Duke of Edinburgh and Bashir.
David Harber said: “I was honoured to be involved in the commemoration of this brave and important man and to help to tell his story.”
The memorials in Bath and London are intended to formally recognise the tremendous challenges presented to, and overcome by Phillip on his epic voyage.
The crew and convicts who sailed on the difficult First Fleet voyage were treated unusually well. When the ships arrived in Australia it was testament to Phillip’s care and foresight that most passengers and crew were healthy – something that was not always the case on future voyages.
Phillip had been instructed to settle at Botany Bay. On arrival, however, he decided the marshy terrain was far from healthy and Phillip commanded his fleet to move on to the smaller and unexplored Port Jackson, naming his landing place Sydney Cove after Lord Sydney, the then foreign secretary, which has since become Sydney Harbour.
Phillip’s greatest sympathy was with the anti-slavery movement. He insisted on fair treatment for the indigenous population, despite being badly injured by a spear-wielding aboriginal protecting his own land. In his time in Australia his relationship with the local indigenous population was respectful and friendly.
