Infant Mortality
7 May 1877 Infant Mortality The Register of 7 May 1877 reported that ‘infant mortality was alarmingly high’ in Adelaide. The number of deaths of infants under one year was 1228 which was more than one-third of the total of 3550 deaths for the year. The next highest mortality was children between the ages of one and two years, and the next highest, rather strangely, was persons between 35 and 40 years. High on the list of killer diseases was scarlatina which was followed by diarrhoea, phthisis (pulmonary consumption), convulsions, and bronchitis. The death rate of 26.8 per 1000 population in Adelaide was high by comparison with comparable English towns. Poor housing and conditions in parts of the city were blamed for this sad state. The Register wrote of the ‘vile stenches which pervade our streets, the utter want of drainage … foul slaughterhouses and ruinous overcrowded habitations reeking with pestilence which are to be found in Adelaide’. It was feared that until these conditions were improved the city would continue to be an unhealthy place to live. The South Australian Register, 7 May 1877, p. 4.
Vietnam Moratorium March
8 May 1970 Vietnam Moratorium March On 8 May 1970 about 1000 people marched through Adelaide in a peaceful protest against the Vietnam war. There were some clashes with soldiers in civilian clothes and a few charges were laid. The Moratorium movement followed a call, in October 1969, by a group of students in Washington who urged others to join them in a demonstration for peace. Interest in the call for peace grew and other groups, from churches, trade unions as well as students, joined the movement. Support also came from some prominent people in the community. In Adelaide some academics from the two universities cancelled classes and joined the march. On Sunday, 10 May, 5000 people marched from Elder Park to Victoria Square where a rally was held. Don Dunstan, then Leader of the Opposition, spoke to the crowd. Demonstrations were also held in other countries including France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, and England, as well as the USA. The demonstrations were triggered by the entry of US troops into Cambodia which was seen as an escalation of this unpopular war. The Advertiser, 9, 11 May 1970.
Sir George Grey
10 May 1841 Sir George Grey George Grey arrived in South Australia on 10 May 1841 to take up his appointment as Governor, replacing George Gawler. He was only 29 years of age. A few years earlier he had explored the north-west of Western Australia, nearly losing his life in the process. In 1839 he was appointed resident magistrate at King George Sound and was married at Albany in November that year. Only a month after his arrival in Adelaide his five-month old son died. Grey faced a huge challenge in South Australia as the colony was in dire financial trouble. Gawler’s efforts to provide work for the unemployed by embarking on public works and charging the costs to the British Government had met with their refusal to pay the bills. The colony was virtually bankrupt. Grey set about reducing expenditure in all areas and carefully watched every penny spent. Immigration ceased, as did work on public buildings. By 1844 the worst of the crisis was over. Wheat cultivation and farming had increased and the discovery of copper at Kapunda helped to improve the situation. In 1845 Grey was appointed Governor of New Zealand. He was knighted in 1848. In 1854 he was appointed Governor of Cape Colony and High Commissioner of South Africa, and in 1861 became Governor of New Zealand for a second time. Douglas Pike (ed), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, pp. 476-480.
The Methodist Church
11 May 1837 The Methodist Church The Methodist Church in South Australia came into being on 11 May 1837 when a number of people, led by J.C. White, organised themselves into a church group, enrolled fifteen members and appointed officers. The first Methodist service on the mainland was held in a tent at Holdfast Bay a week after the Coromandel , carrying ten Methodists, arrived in January 1837. By July the group had leased some land in Hindley Street and had appealed for funds to build a church. The foundation stone was laid in September and the first service was held in the unfinished building, with a tarpaulin for a roof, in December. The formal opening of the church took place on 18 March 1838. The first appointed minister from the Wesleyan Missionary Board, Mr Longbotton, arrived in the colony in rather dramatic fashion. Having served in India he was later sent to the Swan River settlement for a time, but then returned to India. On his appointment to South Australia he set out for the colony via Mauritius and Hobart. The small ship Fanny bringing him, his wife and child to Adelaide was hit by a violent storm off Kangaroo Island and finally foundered on the Coorong. It was nearly eight weeks before they reached Adelaide after spending some 45 days in the bush on the way to Encounter Bay. The church spread with the expansion of the colony, and in 1854 the responsibility for the church changed from the Board of Missions in London to an Australasian Conference, of which South Australia was a district. By then there were 38 churches and 30 other preaching places in the colony, with ten ministers for the 9380 members. Cyclopedia of South Australia, Volume II, Hussey & Gillingham, Adelaide, 1909, pp. 47-48.
District Of Mitcham
12 May 1853 District of Mitcham A proclamation in the Government Gazette of 12 May 1853 declared the District of Mitcham to be a local government area, the first outside the City of Adelaide. The district covered a much larger area than at present, extending from the intersection of Glen Osmond Road and the parklands to Anzac Highway, west to just beyond the Morphettville racecourse, south to Sturt Road, east to a little south of Crafers and then the eastern boundary following the main road past the Eagle-on-the-Hill and down the Glen Osmond Road. The first Council consisted of five members with the Chairman, B.H. Babbage who was a railway engineer. The first assessment shows that there were 457 dwellings, five mansions and twelve public houses in the district. Over the years some areas have been severed by other councils. In 1867 the area west of South Road was annexed to Brighton, in 1871 Unley was severed and in 1883 a portion of the eastern area moved to Stirling Council. Mitcham became a municipality in 1944 and was gazetted as a city from 1 July 1947. A plaque in the Mitcham Reserve, commemorating the site of the first meeting of Mitcham Council, was unveiled by the Governor, Sir Robert George, on 14 March 1953. W.A. Norman, The History of the City of Mitcham, Corporation of Mitcham, 1953.
Glenelg Jetty
18 May 1969 Glenelg jetty On 18 May 1969 the new Glenelg jetty was officially opened by Mr Coumbe, the Minister of Marine and Harbors. It cost $128,500. An estimated crowd of 10,000 were at the opening in spite of the chilly, grey weather. The first jetty was opened by the Governor, Sir Richard MacDonnell on 25 April 1859, some twenty years after one was first planned. Even then there were problems as the ship bringing the cast iron sections from England had to jettison them when the vessel ran aground off Brazil. Eventually construction began in 1857 and the jetty, 1200 feet long with 61 bays each 20 feet 6 inches x 18 feet, which cost £31,294, was completed two years later. From then on the jetty received the mail and some cargo from incoming ships. In 1873 a lighthouse was added to the end of the pier and, following the construction of the railway to the city, rail lines were run to the end of the jetty where a crane unloaded freight into rail trucks. But as Port Adelaide developed as the major port for South Australia, Glenelg’s days as a port began to wane, however, it remained the premier seaside resort. In 1876 a bathing jetty for men only was added north of the main pier. A separate ladies section was added in 1881. In 1907 a large kiosk was built at the end of the jetty, and in 1929 an Aquarium was built near the middle. The foreshore was also developed with the construction, in 1930, of Luna Park, including a big dipper which five years later was dismantled and taken to Melbourne. Although the bathing jetty was demolished in 1928, and the kiosk wrecked in a storm in 1943, the jetty remained a favourite place for holidaymakers until the fierce gale of April 1948 destroyed it beyond repair. Glenelg had to wait another twenty years for a replacement. H.M. Cooper, A Naval History of South Australia , Adelaide, 1950, pp. 83-84. The Advertiser, 12 April 1948. The Advertiser, 27 December 1993. p. 28.
Fh Faulding And Company
19 May 1845 F.H. Faulding and Company On 19 May 1845 F.H. Faulding, the son of a surgeon, opened the doors of his business as a chemist at 5 Rundle Street. He arrived in South Australia after a brief stay in Sydney in 1842. His business grew rapidly as he made remedies for stock as well as people and he bought a site in Clarence Place, off King William Street, to give him more room for his manufacturing and wholesale business. In 1861 the firm F.H. Faulding and Company was formed when Francis Faulding went into partnership with Luther Scammell, a physician who had opened a pharmacy at Hindmarsh in 1849 and one in Port Adelaide some time later. In subsequent years the partners followed with interest the work of men like Pasteur, Koch and Lister, and Florence Nightingale. Unfortunately Faulding did not live to see the major advances in medicine as he died on 19 November 1868 at his home ‘Wooton Lea’ Glen Osmond (now Seymour College) without issue. Luther Scammell purchased Faulding’s share in the business and later took Philip Daker and Robert Foale into partnership and the business continued to expand. Scammell did have sons and in due course they were trained in pharmacy and came into the firm. World War I saw a great demand for pharmaceutical supplies and, with imports cut, the company was able to meet the increased local requirements. In 1923 the large laboratories at Thebarton were built and the company also became established in other states. In 1988 the company averted a takeover bid from ICI. 1845-1945 A Century of Medical Progress.
East End Markets
2 May 1904 East End Markets On 2 May 1904 the Adelaide Fruit and Produce Exchange on East Terrace opened for business. On 30 October 1903 a Bill which provided for the Exchange to be established was passed in the South Australian Parliament. This enabled William Charlick, proprietor of Charlick Brothers fruit and grocery business, to form a company, with a capital of £40 000, to build a new market on land which had been purchased between Rundle and Grenfell Streets. Richard Vaughan established the original East End Market in the 1860s. By the 1890s this area was not large enough to cope with the increasing trade forcing some traders out on to the street. This situation prompted William Charlick to decide to act. The memorial stone for the new market was laid by the Governor, Sir George Le Hunte, on 24 April 1904. Further extensions were made over the years to cover the four acres allowed under the Act. The ornate facade on Grenfell Street, with its cantilevered gabled canopies and symbolic cornucopia with the inscription ‘The Earth is the Lord’s and the fulness (sic) thereof’, has come under attention again, since the closure of the markets, with plans for the re-development of the site. The markets themselves have been re-located at Pooraka. Thus this colourful city institution came to an end on 30 September 1988. Susan Marsden, Paul Stark, Patricia Sumerling (eds), Heritage of the City of Adelaide, Corporation of the City of Adelaide, 1990, pp. 139-140.
The Bushmens Club
20 May 1870 The Bushmen’s Club On 20 May 1870 the Bushmen’s Club, an institution apparently unique to South Australia, was opened by the Governor, Sir James Fergusson. In 1866 William Hugo, said to be a relative of Victor Hugo, was in Adelaide after spending many years as a bush missionary, travelling through remote areas, helping those who needed help and accepting hospitality when it was offered. Hugo conceived the idea of establishing a home for men down from the bush, a place to stay which catered for their needs without being expensive. Through the generosity of George Fife Angas and his son John Howard, who was a Trustee, the first premises was the Adelaide Court House, better known as Judge Cooper’s residence, in the south-east corner of Whitmore Square. Over time additions were made so it could accommodate 150 boarders and the Club operated for years with Hugo as Resident Manager. The building is now the Salvation Army hostel. George Loyau, The Representative Men of South Australia, Howell, Adelaide, 1883. Aldine History of South Australia , 1890, p. 708.
Edward John Eyre
1 May 1839 Edward John Eyre On 1 May 1839 Edward John Eyre left Adelaide with a party of five men on an expedition to the north. At that time no-one had been further north than the head of Spencer Gulf. On his way he discovered a river which he named the Broughton, but north of the gulf he found the country more barren. He continued along the edge of the ranges, first seen by Flinders in 1802, but the outlook from one of the peaks was discouraging and he turned back. In August that year Eyre again set out to explore the inland. This time he decided to sail to Port Lincoln and begin his trek from there. With four white men and two Aborigines he followed the coast to Streaky Bay where he set up a depot. He and one Aborigine rode on for another 100 miles, but finding inhospitable country and little water, they were forced back. The party then struck east across the peninsula, which now bears his name, and made for their old camping site in the Flinders Ranges. From there Eyre travelled further north than on his first trip and sighted the large lake now called Lake Torrens. He returned to Adelaide in October. In June 1840 Eyre set out on his third trip to the north, this time reaching what is now known as Lake Eyre. He was convinced that there was one large horseshoe-shaped lake which blocked access to the centre of the continent through that area and again returned south. His most arduous journey was undertaken the following year. On 25 February 1841 he left Fowlers Bay with only his friend Baxter and three Aborigines, having sent the rest of the party back to Adelaide. They followed the coast around the Great Australian Bight in a determined effort to reach Western Australia. The journey with scant provisions through this virtually waterless and treeless country was made even more miserable by the heat, sandflies and mosquitoes. Eyre, like many early explorers had set off at the height of summer. Also, he had no idea of the Aboriginal attitude towards survival in the bush and was unaware that the Aboriginal men, Joey, Yarry and Wylie were increasingly unhappy with the dwindling daily rations. One night, while Eyre was watching the horses, Joey and Yarry shot Baxter and went off with most of the stores. Eyre and the remaining member of the group Wylie, struggled on. When nearly at the end of their meagre rations and in desperate need they sighted a whaling ship, the Mississippi , anchored near the shore. Captain Rossiter took care of them while they recovered their strength; then, with new provisions, Eyre and Wylie continued their journey to the west, reaching Albany, 1000 miles from Fowlers Bay, on 7 July 1841. Eyre returned to Adelaide by sea while Wylie, suitably rewarded, went back to his tribe in Western Australia at Albany. Eyre contributed to the financing of these expeditions himself. In 1845 he returned to England and was later made Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand, then Governor of Jamaica. He died in 1901. Hans Mincham, The Story of the Flinders Ranges, Rigby, 1964, pp. 24-40.. M. McEwan, Great Australian Explorers, Bay Books, Sydney and London, 1985, pp. 230-238. Australian Junior Encyclopedia , Volume I, Georgian House, 1951, p.286