There are 25 publicly funded statues of colonial figures in Sydney but none ... trends now
Indigenous artists and activists are furious at a lack of representation in Sydney's public art landscape with the 25 statues honouring British colonists but not one celebrating First Nations historical figures.
Among the publicly-funded statues of colonial figures celebrated across the city are Captain Cook, Governor Arthur Philip, Queen Victoria and her dog, Lachlan Macquarie and explorer Matthew Flinders with his pet cat Trim.
Yet there is not a single statue on public land commemorating a First Nations person.
Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council deputy chair and Wiradjuri woman Yvonne Weldon said tourists would be forgiven for thinking there was nobody in Australia before the British.
There are 25 publicly funded statues of colonial figures in Sydney's CBD including Captain Cook (left), in Hyde Park, and Matthew Flinders with his cat Trim (right), on Macquarie St
Cr Weldon, who is also an independent City of Sydney councillor, has campaigned for a statue to commemorate Indigenous historical figure Patyegarang for her role in preserving the Gadigal language - a proposal the council has rejected twice.
The 15-year-old Gamaraigal woman formed a strong bond with First Fleet naval officer Lieutenant William Dawes, sharing with him cultural knowledge and the language of her people.
Lieutenant Dawes wrote down their conversations in a notebook, which is recognised as the earliest recorded first-hand account of the Gadigal language.
Cr Weldon told Daily Mail Australia she was 'shocked and heartbroken' the proposed statue of Patyegarang was opposed and claimed the city wants to hide First Nations history instead of promote it.
'You have so much of history being represented in in a non-First Nation sense and it's disappointing,' Cr Weldon said.
'To have Patyegarang represented, what she gave was a gift of the Sydney language, and it's used today. It's practised on lots of sites, and often in speeches.
'Dawes Point is named after him [Lieutenant Dawes] and he's referred to in history. Whereas Patyegarang is more of an afterthought. As a young Gadigal woman that risked so much of her people's lives, her life should be represented.
'She should be standing in a statue because her story is important, it was back then and it's important now and it should be important into the future.'
Despite the role played by Indigenous historical figures in the first decades of European settlement, there are no statues commemorating First Nations people on public land in Sydney (pictured are statues of Queen Victoria, left, and her dog, right, at the Queen Victoria Building)
Cr Weldon, who was the first Aboriginal councillor in the city's 180-year history, claimed the City of Sydney 'cherry-picked' answers before rejecting her proposal.
'They shopped around to get the answers that they wanted to hear rather than what they've been told,' she said.
'I put it up to have a statue commemorating Patyegarang and Mayor Clover Moore used her casting vote to vote her down. She feels that was her right.
'The city's her domain as Lord Mayor and my views are probably not as valid as hers, I think probably in her eyes.'
The City of Sydney instead erected Waanyi artist Judy Watson's sculpture 'bara' - a traditional fish hook crafted and used by Gadigal women for thousands of years.
This statue of Indigenous rights campaigner Mum Shirl is located at the St Vincent de Paul Church in Redfern - however, it was privately commissioned and sits on church land
Cr Weldon said the installation, although beautiful, does not have the same effect as a statue.
'It might not inspire a young
