This paper examines the contestations surrounding the life-sized statue of Robert Towns in Townsville, north Queensland. Unlike many of the cases catalogued by Contested Histories, this statue was erected in recent history–in 2004–with funds from the local council, in spite of instant controversy. Towns was a merchant entrepreneur and ‘blackbirder’, whose ship ‘Don Juan’ brought one of the earliest shiploads of South Sea Islanders from present-day Vanuatu to labour on his Queensland properties in 1863.

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  • Doing research on one’s own family history
  • Guided Tours Using the Sign Language
  • The use of popular games to develop basic citizenship competences
  • Building Technological Bridges with History: the use of digital learning platforms to promote tailored History Education
  • Feeling the Museum: putting oneself in the shoes of students with special needs to understand how to provide the best didactic experience possible