Matthew Flinders and Flinders' Cat

MATHEW FLINDERS:

The statue commemorates Matthew Flinders, a Captain in the Royal Navy who explored and charted a large portion of the Australian coast.

In 1922 the grandson of Flinders, Sir Flinders Petrie, made an offer to all the States of Australia, the first State to erect a statue in Flinders' honour would receive all his grandfather's papers. In 1925 Sydney won the honour and now Flinders papers reside in the Mitchell Library.

Matthew Flinders was among the most accomplished navigators and chart-makers of any age. In 1798 he sailed south from Sydney in the sloop Norfolk, passed through Bass Strait and circumnavigated Van Diemens Land (Tasmania), thus proving it to be an island. From 1801 to 1803 he circumnavigated mainland Australia in HMS Investigator.

TRIM:

The statue commemorates Matthew Flinders cat, "Trim". The plaque was originally unveiled at the base of the Matthew Flinders Statue in 1985.

Trim was born at sea on a ship called Reliance somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The ship was on a voyage in 1799 between the Cape of Good Hope and Botany Bay. Flinders noticed that he was a gentle and kind-hearted kitten and gave him the name of Trim, after a kind-hearted and humble cat owned by his Uncle. Trim grew up to be Matthew Flinders adored and faithful friend.

In 1801 Trim and Flinders began the circumnavigation of Australia. In 1803, Trim embarked on his last voyage with Matthew Flinders aboard the ship Cumberland. They were on their way back to England but never arrived, as Cumberland became shipwrecked on a coral reef in the Indian Ocean. Matthew Flinders and Trim were both rescued but became imprisoned on the French island of Mauritius. Trim did not survive; he went missing and after two weeks was presumed dead.

Source: Monument Australia.