By Kylie Stevens For Daily Mail Australia
Published: 04:42 GMT, 1 March 2019 | Updated: 04:42 GMT, 1 March 2019
A man accused of ripping a plaque from a Captain James Cook statue to use it as a hotplate for an Australia Day barbecue says he did it for his Aboriginal ancestors.
David Stevens appeared in Brisbane's Cleveland Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with wilful damage and stealing the historic plaque from North Stradbroke Island's Point Lookout.
He allegedly used the plaque to cook a T-bone steak on it and later shared photos and boasted about his barbecue on Facebook.
A North Stradbroke man has appeared in court in relation to his alleged Australia Day barbecue (pictured), which he allegedly boasted about afterwards on social media
'Lookout, forgot to put the photo up, shame,' one post states.
Stevens told The Australian he cleaned the plaque before handing it back to police and claimed it was in better condition than when it was taken.
Mounted on a structure built from
