Students call for return of Parthenon sculptures
Students at Brisbane Water Secondary College Woy Woy Campus have begun a petition to return the Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum to their place of origin in Greece.
Ancient history students from the college have joined 17 countries from around the world in support of the cause.
Woy Woy Campus heard a lecture by Mr David Hill, a delegate of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures.
Mr Hill spoke of the current issues surrounding the Parthenon sculptures to senior students from the college as well as students from Erina High School, Kincumber High School and Narara High School.
Five Year 12 Ancient History students including Emma Somogyi, Lauren Thorpe, Chelsea Walker, Tegan Miller and Shannon Ryan ran a petition at Erina Fair as part of Hellenic Week last month.
The petition will be sent to the British Museum with the hope that the Parthenon sculptures return home, according to Lauren.
"The British Museum is refusing to return the sculptures back to Greece because they believe they acquired them under the proper applicable International Law that existed at the time," she said.
"But, in 1982, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation passed a law stating that all antiquities are to be returned to their place of origin.
"It is now time for the British Museum to return to sculptures back to Greece where they will be held in the New Acropolis Museum.
"In the period of 1801 to 1812, a British ambassador received permission that allowed him to paint, examine and copy the works that were on the Parthenon temple in Athens, Greece.
"Instead, he removed 247 feet of the original 524 of the horizontal band between the architrave and cornice at the top of the temple.
"He also took a variety of other architectures off and from around the Parthenon.
"When he returned to England, he sold all the sculptures to the British Museum where they have been for 200 years."
Fellow student Emma Somogyi said her interest in the Parthenon sculptures began after a school trip to Greece earlier this year.
"When I visited the Acropolis on our school's European trip in April this year, our Greek tour guide informed us that the sculptures were missing because they were in the British Museum and it was about time they were returned," Ms Somogyi said.
"When we returned back home, we were given the opportunity to research the Parthenon sculptures.
"Now we are informing our community about the controversy surrounding the return of these sculptures."
Press release, 18 Nov 2009
Lauren Thorpe, BWSC Woy Woy