Trim, his master's faithful servant

Trim travelled with Matthew Flinders as he circumnavigated and mapped the coastline of Australia between 1801 and 1803 in HMS Investigator . When Flinders was imprisoned by the French in Mauritius during his return voyage to England, Trim shared his captivity.

Trim was black, with white paws, chin and chest. He was named after the butler in Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy, because Flinders considered him to be a faithful and affectionate friend whom he described as 'one of the finest animals I ever saw … a clear jet black, with the exception of his four feet, which seemed to have been dipped in snow and his under lip, which rivaled them in whiteness. He had also a white star on his breast.' The popularity of the statue has led to the library's cafe also being named after the cat.


There are a number of explorers important to the City of Sydney and the state of New South Wales, for example Captain Arthur Philip, Watkin Tench, Charles Sturt, John Oxley, Hamilton Hume, Blaxland&Wentworth&Lawson, George Evans, and Thomas Mitchell. I will not be able to locate statues of them all, but will keep my eyes peeled.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the Mitchell Wing of the State Library of NSW, named after its generous benefactor, David Scott Mitchell. I will see what I am able to report back tomorrow of the festivities. It seems to be my second home at the moment.