Past and Present Collide

Bringing Together the Museum of Brisbane's Exhibition 'Taking to the Streets: Two Decades That Changed Brisbane, 1965–1985'

Abstract

On 23 January 2006, the US Navy's biggest military vessel, the nuclear powered USS Ronald Reagan, arrived in Brisbane for a five-day visit. With estimates that the 6,000 strong crew would pump around $5 million into the local economy, the media, businesses and politicians welcomed the visit as a fabulous opportunity for the city. The Brisbane Peace Convergence, a coalition of local peace groups, disagreed and attempted a water-borne protest. The police intercepted the flotilla of kayaks and rowboats before they even got close to the USS Ronald Reagan because the entire Brisbane River had been declared an exclusion zone. This action and other acts of public protest in response to the ship's rubbish washing up on the shores of Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast were given little press coverage.