Norfolk Island
Mosman and Norfolk Island share a strand of Australia’s early history through their association with His Majesty’s Ship Sirius, the principal naval escort to the First Fleet. The HMS Sirius set off from the Isle of Wight in 1787, was careened in Mosman Bay in 1789 and later ran aground on a reef in Sydney Bay, Norfolk Island, where it was wrecked in March 1790. A bas relief of the Sirius was installed at Mosman Bay in 1989, a second one installed on Norfolk Island in 1990 and a third on the Isle of Wight in 1991.
This Friendship Agreement was formalised in 1989 and since then there have been a number of visiting delegations between the two communities.
In 2003 Council organised and presented a special Friendship Agreement display about the Norfolk Island in the Mosman Library. The display provided information about the community and its natural and built environment, and promoted it as a tourist destination for residents of Mosman.
Norfolk Island participated in The Art of Friendship exhibition at the Mosman Art Gallery in 2008. 12 artists were selected to represent the community and the artworks included paintings, drawings, printmaking, photography, ceramics, jewellery and fibre work.
Mosman has been able to assist the Norfolk Island administration at the operational level particularly with recruitment.
