Aboriginal man 'tore the plaque off a Captain Cook statue and used it to barbecue a steak on Australia Day before cleaning it and putting it back'
- Man accused of taking plaque from Captain Cook statue to use as BBQ hotplate
- Allegedly taken from Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island on Australia Day
- Facebook photos allegedly show plaque used as hotplate to cook steak
- David Stevens claims he did it for his Aboriginal ancestors
- He will reappear in court this month charged with wilful damage and stealing
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 large stone blocks, the plaque was placed by North Stradbroke residents in 1970 to commemorate the bicentenary of the naming of Point Lookout by the British explorer on May 17, 1770.
'They've glorified him (Cook), made him a hero,' Stevens told The Australian outside court on Thursday.
'He's a rapist, murderer and genocider of the crown. I did it for my ancestors.'
The plaque allegedly stolen and used for the barbecue will be returned to the the Captain Cook statue at Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island
Stevens claims he cleaned the plaque (pictured) and handed it back to police in mint condition
Stevens will reappear in court later this month.
Redland Council is in process of reinstalling the plaque to the statue at Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the council for comment regarding the estimated cost of reinstalment and current condition of the plaque.
The recent incident follows a spate of vandalism attacks on Captain Cook monuments across Australia, including statues in Sydney's Hyde Park and in the Melbourne bayside suburb of St Kilda.
The existing Hyde Park statue in Sydney saying Australia was 'discovered' was the target of vandalism leading up to Australia Day last year, sparking calls for its removal.
David Stevens posted the infringement notice on Facebook after he charged by police
Graffiti reading 'No pride in genocide' was scrawled on the base of the statue, as well as the words 'change the date' in relation to Australia Day.
The statue at St Kilda was splattered with pink paint and spray painted with the Aboriginal flag and the words 'no pride' prior to Australia Day last year.
The statue was vandalised again recently on the anniversary of Captain Cook's death.
'Good riddance' was scrawled at the base and yellow paint plastered on the leg of the First Fleet captain.
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