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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-06-04 Daily Xml
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KERNEWEK LOWENDER

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:29): I certainly hope that everything I say is true and correct record then, given everything I have heard!

An honourable member interjecting:

Mr GRIFFITHS: Well, and I do try to talk factually all the time. What I am about to talk about today is about the Kernewek Lowender, which means 'Cornish Happiness'. For us it is a festival that is held on the Copper Coast (Kadina, Wallaroo, Moonta) every second year, and proudly this year it celebrated 40 years since it first started. It was a great opportunity for the people to come together to celebrate such an important aspect of their community's history.

The Kernewek has a very strong link to Don Dunstan. It was he who visited in the early 1970s looking for an opportunity for the then Labor government to support a program to help that Copper Coast area. Don Dunstan, member for Norwood—and I think that is what his electorate was called then—promoted that idea and the community has run with it, and every two years when it has been held it has been an absolutely outstanding success. It has been a testament to those people who have put so much into making it happen.

It has allowed people not just to dress up and get the old clothes on but to respect what put them there in the first place—their very strong mining heritage which, in the case of this community, goes back about 154 years, when mining started. The Cornish people were identified as the people across the world with the absolute key skill set needed to maximise it, and they came in their thousands and lived, worked and died there; sadly, too many young kids dying because of some terrible epidemics. It is just wonderful to see the heritage that still lingers on and the old buildings that really have a link back to the Cornish Festival—it is a credit to them.

In the week of the Kernewek Lowender there are things like an arts soiree, a pasty-making competition, book launches, and Welcome to the Bards, who are the elders of the Cornish community who come from across the world to a function at Wallaroo on the Saturday afternoon for the official welcome held for them, much of it in the Cornish language, which I wish I could understand.

There were the Kernewek Players, concerts, as well as History Month displays, quilting displays, and Cornish language lessons, which was wonderful, especially for those who have Cornish linkages. The member for Flinders has noted to me in the past that he wants to make sure he gets there next time so that he can take part in the strong man competition—I think that was his one—

Mr Treloar: Cornish wrestling.

Mr GRIFFITHS: Cornish wrestling—because he has a Cornish background. We had the Blessing of the Waters and also Dressing the Graves, when respects are paid to the forebears who have passed away. Many of those graves were unidentified and now plaques have been put on them so that people can respect them forever.

I am pleased to confirm that the Hon. Jay Weatherill, the Premier of South Australia, was there on the Friday afternoon for the official opening. He did a great job and was welcomed by many people, and many rushed up to shake his hand and congratulate him. I commend him for being on the Copper Coast and thank him for that.

There was the Moonta Parade and a street party, and I had the opportunity to ride in a 1929 Studebaker, a beautifully restored car, and drive through the main street. On the Saturday, there was the Village Green Festival at Kadina, with 117 stalls and maypole dancing on both days. I had the opportunity to do the Furry Dance on the Saturday, which I thought was rather boring after a while, but there are a lot of people who stand around and watch it. It requires a lot of repetition. My distraction was looking at my wife—I was distracted because she is too beautiful for me to look at.

Thousands of people were sitting watching, and we had to go up the street and back again, making sure we were all in step, wearing our hats and tails and dressed appropriately. The ladies were dressed beautifully, and it was an absolute credit to them. The number of people who went to the effort to dress in their finery, as people would have 140 years ago or thereabouts, was an absolute credit to them. Wherever you went you could see little kids dressed in little waistcoats and short long pants—it was wonderful.

On the Sunday, the Cavalcade of Cars had about 380 vehicles participating. The absolute record that I am aware of over the last 40 years is 851 cars. The member for Schubert, Ivan Venning, drove us around in his 1912 Hupmobile. We had to stop only once to put water in the radiator, but we also had to tow it to start it because it had not been driven for the last two years. This vehicle was made in the same month that the Titanic sunk, so the connection with history is rather interesting. We cruised along at about 60 km/h, and we were at the front until we had to stop to put water in the radiator. It was a great chance to see the amazing amount of effort that had gone into restoration of some of the vehicles.

I absolutely congratulate Paul Thomas who, in addition to being mayor of the council, has been the chair of Kernewek Lowender for 15 of the last 17 years. He and his wife, Kathryn, are wonderful people. Congratulations also go especially to Rosemary Cock, the executive director, who, for her first time, did a wonderful job putting the program together. I commend all the people involved in it.

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