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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-28 Daily Xml
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Grievance Debate

KANGAROO ISLAND, EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (15:17): Yesterday I attended, with a number of other South Australians, at Reeves Point on Kangaroo Island to celebrate South Australia's terquasquicentennial, that is, its 175th birthday, Kangaroo Island being the birthplace of South Australia, in recognition of the first settlement of the South Australia Company which had been originally established in England in 1834.

It is interesting, historically, that the program for migration was established in 1826 by Edward Gibbon Wakefield who, when he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for the abduction of a 15-year-old schoolgirl, in prison, published a paper setting out his ideas on the theories and practice of colonisation. Indeed, ultimately, he proposed a colony based on the sale of wasteland and the application of the proceeds (or a land fund) to finance immigrants from Britain.

The Wakefield Plan would encourage immigration and there would be no convicts. That was the birth of the South Australia Company. If one is to stand at Flagstaff Hill on Kangaroo Island today, a memorial stands there recognising the ships Duke of York, Lady Mary Pelham and John Perry, the first three ships to arrive with those who had invested in the establishment of the South Australian colony. Yesterday, local identity Craig Wickham was the master of ceremonies in receiving the Premier, members of parliament, the mayor, Jayne Bates, and members of council—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, excuse me, member for Bragg, and I would like to apologise. I cannot hear the member for Bragg very well because of the general chitchat, and I believe she is speaking about the 175th anniversary of our state.

Ms CHAPMAN: —and other leaders in the community who attended, firstly, the flag raising. There was an excellent contribution by the Kangaroo Island schoolchildren in the presentation of the national anthem. The Hon. Mike Rann, as Premier of South Australia, did indeed attend this occasion to present his message on behalf of the state. Young achievers were recognised. The mail run re-enactment by horse riders who had taken six days to traverse Kangaroo Island was met and received by the mayor and Premier, and letters were duly distributed.

That was a fantastic morning, and later that morning two important aspects of the early pioneers were recognised as occurs on these occasions each year. This year, special memorial plaques were unveiled, firstly at the grave of Henry Wallen. Members may know 'Governor', as he was self-proclaimed, has his grave there. He had settled on Kangaroo Island about 1819 and died in 1856. His coming to Kangaroo Island was before the official settlement. The story of Wallen is extremely interesting and worthy of recognition in the 175th anniversary year. It involves courage, hard work, hunting, farming, his Tasmanian Aboriginal wives, the sad demise of his only son in Macquarie Island and Governor Wallen's welcome to the official settlers in 1836.

I think it is fair to say that history records he was unfairly treated by the first settlers, yet respect and admiration for him has been maintained to this day. The plaque in recognition that was unveiled was duly celebrated yesterday. This was followed by the unveiling of a plaque to recognise the Christian family pioneers. This is a family who arrived on the Africaine in 1836. Mrs Karoline Christian and infant daughter died from the harsh conditions on Kangaroo Island and were buried in the cemetery. Their plaque tells a fascinating story of bravery, hardship and sadness. The great-grandchildren of Karoline and Gottlieb Christian were there to unveil the plaque, and it was truly a memorable occasion.

It reminded me during the evening to record when I had the honour of providing the toast of the Settlement Day for 2011 in this 175th year and also for the launch of a book by Mr Neville Cordes, the President of the KI Pioneers Association. The committee of that Pioneers Association was responsible for the organisation of the dinner last night for the launch of his book The mystery and magic of Reeves Point, part of the history of Kangaroo Island. It was a splendid occasion that was celebrated yesterday for South Australia.

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