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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-10-15 Daily Xml
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Humphrey Pump

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:32): Today, I rise to speak about a world engineering icon—the Humphrey pump—which now faces an uncertain future under the care of this state government. I will give a bit of history about the historical Humphrey pump located at the Cobdogla Steam & Irrigation Museum in the Riverland.

The Humphrey pump was designed and patented in 1906 by a London chemist and gas engineer. From 1927 to 1965 the two pumps provided irrigation water to farms in the Loveday and Nookamka irrigation areas and played an important role in the history of irrigated agriculture in the Riverland. The Cobdogla based pump is one of only two in the Southern Hemisphere and holds the title of the only working Humphrey pump in the world.

In June 2010 it was declared a national engineering landmark by Engineers Australia—and that is the ultimate national engineering accolade from this organisation. The working Humphrey pump was a major tourism drawcard for the Cobdogla Steam & Irrigation Museum, running four times a year and attracting engineers from across the world.

SA Water owns the Cobdogla Steam & Irrigation Museum and provides funding to operate the pump. In May 2012, a gas leak occurred during the operation of the Humphrey pump at Cobdogla and, following this event, operation of the pump ceased. I have since written and spoken to and had questions asked of the water minister in another place to get this very important tourism icon back up and in running order. In a letter from the minister this month, he states:

A preliminary assessment conducted by SA Water estimates that an expenditure would be required to bring the pump and museum to an acceptable standard. SA Water is unable to commit to the capital upgrade required for the pump and associated infrastructure or to subsidise the ongoing operation of the museum.

He goes on to say that SA Water is prepared to consider transferring the assets to another party, with estimated costs of up to $300,000 to decommission the pump and ensure that the museum is safe for use. I am advised by volunteers who run the museum that since the cessation in operation of the Humphrey pump visitor numbers have reduced significantly, international engineer groups, hoping to visit the only working Humphrey pump, have cancelled visits, the community is extremely disappointed, and the Humphrey pump is no longer operational.

It took more than two years to find out what actually happened with the Humphrey pump since the gas leak, and it appears that the state government does not see the importance of this historic pump that I and the Riverland community do. While I acknowledge and thank SA Water's contribution to community events in the Riverland, I remain extremely disappointed that SA Water's important funding contribution has been left off the table for a number of years and now it has suddenly gone.

Support letters were sent to the minister and the Premier on behalf of the Humphrey pump from Destination Riverland, the National Trust, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in the UK, Heritage Engineers Australia, Friends of the Cobby Steam Museum and many others, including a letter I wrote to the minister asking him to give serious consideration for the Humphrey pump to remain operational, for it to be the only working Humphrey pump in the world.

You would think that the minister would be able to find a small amount of money to keep or to fix the Humphrey pump and to maintain it on an annual basis, considering that in 2012-13 SA Water's revenue was $1.437 billion and that in 2013-14 it was $1.382 billion. I think it is an outrage that the minister can let an icon of the world go to waste in this way. It is a very small amount of money to have the Humphrey pump upgraded. It is a very, very insignificant amount of money to have the maintenance program on the Humphrey pump put in place every year.

It is a world icon that the Riverland owns and is very proud of. It is a world icon that the minister has now declared that he has no interest in and is prepared to let go. It is an absolute shame that the Riverland has the only working Humphrey pump in the world and now this government is responsible for letting that Humphrey pump be put down and buried.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Before I call the member for Giles, do you know the capacity of the Humphrey pump?

Mr WHETSTONE: The capacity of the Humphrey pump was enough to supply the irrigation district to Cobdogla and Nookamka. I would imagine it was in imperial gallons per second, but I cannot give you the exact number.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Perhaps you can get back to me on that. I am quite interested in it. The member for Giles.

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