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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: MarieC on Saturday 27 October 07 10:24 BST (UK)
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There's been interest on these boards from a number of people about the good Captain - even if, like me, you have found that regretfully you are not related to his family!
For Aussie Rootschatters, a series about Captain Cook will start on ABC TV tomorrow night. I'll be watching avidly! I imagine it is a British production, so Rootschatters in the Old Dart may well have seen it. Opinions, please?
MarieC
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I'm going to be watching it too, Marie - didn't realise it was a series, though! I'm going over to the UK next Saturday for three weeks, so it sounds like I'm going to miss most of it :'(
Cook was a man ahead of his time. His thoughts about the treatment of natives of the lands he visited, his objective observations of peoples and places, his insistence on the good health of his crew - he was truly a child of the Enlightenment! He and Mathew Flinders are very high up in my estimation :)
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Yes, it is a series, Prue, or so I believe. Pity that you'll miss most of it! But I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time in the UK!
I concur with your views of Cook. An outstanding man! I'm very sorry that unfortunately the family story about being descended from his family is wrong! :'( :'(
MarieC
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http://southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/g02/hhistory.html
Benjamin Drawater of Mansfield who was a surgeon on at least one of Captain Cook's voyages.
sylvia
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I can claim a tenuous link with this heroic man in that I have found my Adamson branch of the family were prominent in every facet of life in the Staithes ,Whitby area , during his residence, in the formative period of his life & must have been in contact with him at some point . I have some excellent books on his life ,which as an old sea-dog myself I can appreciate the hard-ships & exceptional character of this individual , & I'm looking forward to seeing the series on our screen here in New Zealand . Ron Hamilton
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I also have a tenuous link. The shipyard in Whitby where the Endeavour (Cooks ship) was built was owned by my 2nd cousin 7 times removed.
Strangely, I live in Whitby as well but am a Southerner by birth!
Regards
Andy
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Well, the first episode was excellent! I discovered that Film Australia had a major role in its production, and although it had an English presenter, people from England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand were interviewed where they had some knowledge of the Captain's activities in their area! I will be glued to my set this coming Sunday.
Ron, you should contact the NZBC and tell them to buy it soon! If you are an old sea dog, you'd enjoy it even more than I am!
My ggrandfather was a seafaring captain of a sailing ship, quite late in the nineteenth century, trading around the world, and his mother's maiden name was Cook. This probably led to the family story (regrettably wrong) about our descent from his family! I wish - how I wish!
MarieC
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I agree with you Marie, the first episode was excellent, looking forward to the next one.
Makes you realise what an amazing man he was.
Who nowadays would walk 2 miles to the Admiralty for a meeting??
wini
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I don't think it has been on in the UK... but I might be wrong
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You might be right, too, since Film Australia seems to have been a principal player in the production! The presenter is English, and it is based on a book she wrote. I do hope it IS screened in England - it is so good!
MarieC
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I agree with you Marie, the first episode was excellent, looking forward to the next one.
Makes you realise what an amazing man he was.
Who nowadays would walk 2 miles to the Admiralty for a meeting??
wini
Not 2 miles, wini - 2 HOURS! :o About 5 miles as the crow flies, I think.
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I would like to recommend a really good book by Tony Horwitz
It's called :
Into the Blue
or
Blue Latitudes
This man has researched Cook for most of his life and the book is full of detail and of humour .
One of my best reads last year
Linden
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There was a series called The Ship on BBC Prime last year, which was a documentary of the voyage of a replica of Cook's ship.
The story of the present day crew's efforts to sail an 18th century vessel was intercut with scenes from Cook's voyage
I didn't realise that Captain Bligh of Mutiny of the Bounty fame was there when Cook was killed by islanders.
Another Bounty connection-
Cook's botanist on board the Endeavor was Joseph Banks, who, as Sir Joseph Banks of Kew commissioned the Bounty voyage to take breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies
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Thanks for book recommendation, linden! I will keep my eyes peeled for it.
I think that Elizabeth Cook was a remarkable woman. She hardly saw her husband, she raised and buried six children, and she lived on for 54 years after Cook was killed. Just before she died, she burned all his letters to her so we will never know what they contained. The story of women has been neglected, and needs to be told!
MarieC
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I saw a couple of programmes in this series.
Marie's comments about Cook are similar to what I was thinking - he left his poor wife and children to go adventuring. I thought he seemed quite selfish and neglectful.
Of course this series depicted his commendable qualities as well ;D
Although extremely knowledgable, I found the presenter slightly irritating .... probably just me ...
Generally a very good series though.
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Yes, Ruskie, I agree it was an excellent series. The last episode brought out the "darker side" of Cook. I didn't have a problem with the presenter - thought she was very good.
I tended to think as you did about Cook, and then I thought - don't judge him through the lens of our era! Men did things like that all the time in the eighteenth century - leaving their wives and families to fight in wars or go adventuring in other ways. It was kind of accepted, back then. I still feel sympathy for Elizabeth! Since the letters are gone, we cannot get a glimpse of Cook's feelings for his wife - unfortunately!
Marie
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Of course you are right Marie - they were different times.
and we can only magine what those letters contained ...