Isle of Wight, UK
Detail from Botany Bay; Sirius & Convoy going in ... 21 January 1788. From 'A Voyage to New South Wales' by William Bradley, December 1786 - May 1792
The historical link is that HMS Sirius, the principal naval escort to the First Fleet, set off from the Isle of Wight, was careened in Mosman Bay in 1789, and later sank at Norfolk Island.
Since the Friendship Agreement was signed in 1990 there have been a number of informal delegations from Mosman visit the community. In 1991 a bas relief of the Sirius was installed there, the same as the one at Mosman Bay and on Norfolk Island. In addition, Council organised and presented a special Friendship Agreement display about the Isle of Wight in the Mosman Library in 2004. The display provided information about the community and its natural and built environment, and promoted it as a tourist destination for residents of Mosman.
Despite a number of attempts to involve the Isle of Wight in the recent Art of Friendship exhibition there was no interest expressed. The original agreement was with the Medina Borough Council whose headquarters are in Ryde, but in view of the local government amalgamations in the UK, this borough has been absorbed by the Isle of Wight Regional Council.
