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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-02-22 Daily Xml
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Bills

Ayers House Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 8 February 2023.)

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley) (12:01): Today I speak on this bill before the house as somebody who has had a strong interest in the National Trust and Ayers House, so much so that back in 1985, not long after starting my business, my business became a sponsor of Ayers House. Back then a $1,000 contribution per year was required. That might not seem like a lot of money now, but it was so much money that participating in the $1,000 program per year meant you got a visit from the President of the National Trust to thank you for your participation and to ensure that you understood your expectations and engage with the National Trust, which I was very happy to do.

Fast-forward a couple of years, in 1989 my wife and I had our marriage photographs taken at Ayers House—it was a rainy day. We posed for photographs on the beautiful cedar staircase. I remember there was one shot of us looking out the dining room window with the wedding car in the driveway and the rain on the window panes that reminded us of the fact that it was the coldest day of the year, back on 22 July 1989.

It is a building I always admire whenever I go down North Terrace. It is a beautiful building. It gives you some idea of how quickly the colony of South Australia established itself as a destination with a future, a destination to live, and a destination to move to for a better life. For about 100 years we were the third largest city in Australia. I am sure the member for Bragg would be happy to talk about the achievements in medicine by Dr Bragg. We know about South Australia's scientific connections with Antarctica.

The Museum, of course, was established very early; the library was established very early. Unfortunately, we have lost some of the architecture. The former Ansett hotel replaced the South Australian Hotel, and what a disaster it was to have lost that. Unfortunately, during that period of the sixties and seventies the heritage that we had in some of those beautiful buildings in South Australia simply was not of value.

Fortunately, the Moore's department store building in Victoria Square was preserved. I am old enough to have shopped there as a teenager; I think I was at the closing-down sale. I do remember buying a pair of green and a pair of brown budgie smugglers at the time that were on sale at the Moore's closing-down sale. I do not have them anymore. The building underwent terrific restoration and repurposing for it to become the Supreme Court building here in South Australia.

The National Trust is a very important institution. We know there is also a significant National Trust in the UK, and our National Trust is obviously modelled on that trust. The important thing for the National Trust to be successful, and for heritage itself to be preserved and appreciated, is to put a value on it.

We have seen how South Africa and other southern African states have worked out that one of the best ways of preserving their wildlife is to actually put a value on it, and so they are investing heavily in the tourism industry. The animals bring much more value to the economy as regular, sustainable tourist attractions, bringing foreign income in, rather than being one-visit game for illegal ivory sales or lion paw/tiger paw sales. I think tiger penises in one culture are of value.

Preserving the wildlife in South Africa and turning that into a sustainable tourism business has meant that they have been able to start replenishing the wildlife that has been diminished from hunting—both legal and illegal—over many, many centuries because we know that process started hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

The National Trust here in South Australia has a very prominent patron: Her Excellency, the Hon. Frances Adamson AC, the Governor of South Australia. In their spiel, if you like, the National Trust makes the claim that the lives of present and future South Australians will be enriched by the conservation and promotion of our natural and cultural heritage, which is completely true. It is a statement I agree with, and I think that so many people visit places like Europe because of its heritage, particularly those from the New World—Australia being part of it.

We simply find it extraordinary to visit buildings that are over a thousand years old, seeing the detail, the ornateness and the architectural brilliance of buildings that were built at a time when everything was done by hand; everything was manually done. There were no motors and engines and so forth to lift large pieces of stone that had been carved into columns, or cherubs or corbels, for example, that we see on some of the spectacular buildings, particularly on churches throughout Spain, Italy and other parts of Europe.

Here in South Australia, our built heritage started with the colonial settlement in 1836. Many of those buildings, of course, were temporary when they were built. Many of those disappeared but were replaced with some significant buildings, some of which we also lost. Every time I go past the Rundle Mall car park with the lantern, which almost exclusively has a number of lamps that do not work on it, I think, 'My goodness, how was that able to replace the magnificent building that was there at the time?' Fortunately, there is no doubt that these days we do in fact spend more time seeing how we can preserve history.

We have to ensure that we continue to move forward as a community. The National Trust's foreword states, 'The lives of present and future South Australians will be enriched by the conservation and promotion of our natural and cultural heritage.' We saw an example of that when the member for Black, the Leader of the Opposition, then the environment minister, intervened to save the Sands and McDougall frontage of the commonwealth building on King William Street. There was some debate at the time, and I think people were sceptical and thought that the frontage was not enough. I have to congratulate the developers, the owners of the building and David Speirs on getting that outcome.

I happen to know that the work in restoring the original Sands and McDougall frontage was all done here in south Australia. We have a company here in South Australia that supplies pressed metal ceilings for heritage work right around Australia. Phil Cooymans owns that business. When the original business was closing down, he had the foresight to buy it and expand it. He has those moulds, and his company is a real asset for South Australia.

We know that just because something is old it does not mean it does not need maintenance. It needs maintenance, and it needs repair. It is obviously preferable to use the original materials that are in the building, but often that is not the case, particularly with the pressed metal ceilings. They were made of tin, but these days they are made of aluminium, so they are rustproof and do not corrode like the original tin ceilings did.

It is particularly disastrous if you have a leak in your roof. Obviously, a leak is no good for a plaster ceiling, but it is also no good for a tin ceiling. The fact is these ceilings can be replaced with metal ceilings that are pressed with the same moulds that were used originally in those buildings. It really does give us an advantage in restoring our buildings.

I am very excited about the Freemasons building on North Terrace, retaining that spectacular entrance, making that building valuable and making it a publicly accessible building by being the entrance to the tallest building in Adelaide behind it. I think it is a really great use of a heritage building here in South Australia. We see this happen time and time again in the UK, the United States and other countries and cities that value their heritage. There is no doubt that that will be a very stunning building when it is finished.

I have to use this opportunity to congratulate the Adelaide Casino on the work that they have done with the Adelaide Railway Station and the entrance from Festival Plaza from the north and the removal of that awful overhead walkway to nowhere, which went up in the eighties when the Casino was first in that building.

Again, this is a building that was dilapidated and was not used that was given a purpose to be turned into a casino in the 1980s. We have seen it restored, repurposed and regularly maintained as a place to be. I remember as a kid I was taught that when the Adelaide Railway Station was built it was described as being one of the most modern and prestigious in the world, which is not a bad title to have for little ol' Adelaide. There were some pretty amazing railway stations of that age and slightly older around the world.

We have seen the repurposing of the Washington DC railway station, which was in a similar situation to the Adelaide Railway Station, where the upper parts of the building were not used. The public areas of the railway station in Washington DC were modernised—and I use that term loosely—in the 1960s and 1970s. In other words, all the heritage features were removed. But in the 1990s, and I think the early 2000s, it went through a revival when the building was restored and turned into a shopping complex, and all the traditional and original features were enhanced and restored. The work that was done there reminds me very much of how the Adelaide Railway Station feels now.

There is still room for improvement, I believe, at the Adelaide Railway Station, seeing more being done to increase the public usage of that building, perhaps even becoming a destination for people walking past or people coming to town, tourists, and perhaps some additional restaurants, some activity for people on the ground floor. For it be somewhere to meet would be a great addition to Adelaide Railway Station.

The bill that we are debating today will create ongoing rights to protect and maintain Ayers House and the National Trust. The minister is the registered owner of Ayers House on the certificate of title. It gives the National Trust permanent care, control and management of Ayers House. It allows the National Trust to generate income to support its operations through leases, licences and other activities at Ayers House.

I think that it is important that we do view buildings of significance and heritage as opportunities to generate income because that puts value on them. Once they are valuable, there is a much bigger interest in their being successful and being preserved. A classic example of what happens when we do not see that is the old hardware building or butcher building—I cannot remember what it is—on the corner of Payneham Road and Magill Road and Fullarton Road, or Dequetteville Terrace, at Kent Town on the edge of St Peters. The landlord is obviously waiting for the building to fall down. We do not want to see that sort of situation happening.

The building on the corner of North Terrace and Dequetteville Terrace, the multistorey building, which was obviously an accommodation building at one stage—it looks like it still is now—does not look like a very desirable place to live. That would be a great project for organisations from the National Trust perhaps or the private sector to make that a valuable building. We saw a few lots down a number of homes that were dilapidated 20-odd years ago just a little further north of that particular building that were redone, repurposed and restored. The front gardens were turned into car parks, but the homes were restored. They are now being used as offices, and certainly from the kerb they appear to be very close to their original condition. Again, they have a value on them—someone saw an opportunity and turned that opportunity into a heritage project that meant that those buildings were able to command a rent to justify them staying there, to justify them being used and not being knocked down for something else.

It is important that we look at ways in which we can get value—commercial value—out of our heritage buildings so they remain accessible to the public. There are many ways in which that can be done, whether it be gathering places where events could be held or museums that might also have commercial activities—they might have rooms for hire, they might have kitchens for hire, they might even have a restaurant attached.

These are the sorts of things that you see right across Europe. In the United States, Philadelphia—the home of the American Constitution—is another place that very heavily celebrates its heritage. Just recently, in the last five years or so, they opened a constitutional museum to celebrate the role that city played in the establishment of the United States of America. It is happening in all countries that are equivalent to Australia in standards and in culture and quality of life, and it is important that we do it here in South Australia.

This bill gives the National Trust certainty over their tenure at Ayers House, and I certainly hope it gives the National Trust some new energy to take on other projects to help preserve our heritage here in South Australia.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Tourism, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:21): I rise to support the Ayers House Bill 2023. The Malinauskas Labor government is delivering on its commitment to grant ongoing rights of Ayers House to the National Trust of South Australia. Furthermore, this bill will allow for Ayers House to become the permanent home of the National Trust and for the generation of revenue to support the National Trust's activities.

As the previous speaker said, the commitment of time and desire by the National Trust to maintain our heritage has been there for many decades. This bill supports their activities. Ultimately, it will solidify the important connection between South Australia's heritage and the broader community who enjoy it. The best way to protect our heritage is to embrace it and to make sure we are using it in activities for today. The National Trust has been instrumental in protecting and promoting heritage since 1955. This bill is particularly important given the National Trust's involvement in protecting and providing access to Ayers House since then.

As my parliamentary colleagues have shared, we need only turn to the 1970s, when then Premier Don Dunstan invited the National Trust to restore Ayers House and bring it to a standard to be shared with the wider community. It was because of those actions and that visionary thinking in the 1970s that leads us to today, where it remains a popular icon for weddings, private events, corporate functions and dining experiences. This is, of course, in addition to the education it has provided over the years to tourists, local history enthusiasts and South Australian schools. Obviously, it is on our beautiful boulevard of North Terrace, along with our Museum and our Art Gallery—and, of course, us as well here in Parliament House. It adds to the richness of this being our most important boulevard in Adelaide.

Most recently, Ayers House was announced as the host of the world's largest vending machine as part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival. I saw them setting it up the other day. Those attending the Fringe will now be able to enjoy live music, DJ programming and cutting-edge hospitality at this iconic North Terrace location.

I am not sure if this is the first time that Ayers House has been used by the Fringe, but one of the key things about our beautiful Adelaide Fringe, which has been operating for more than 60 years, is it utilises different locations around the city to engage people and move them around. What do these activities and services have in common? They are all accessible to the public.

We must not forget the attempt of those opposite to remove the National Trust from Ayers House and deny the community public access to it. For me, the way that we endeavour to enrich and continue to survive our heritage is to have access to it. How do you understand the significance of heritage if it is to be left alone and cannot be accessed by everyone? South Australians need to understand, need to embrace and need to value what it is that our heritage brings to us.

This bill will futureproof Ayers House from political point-scoring by preventing a future minister from evicting the National Trust from the property again. It will, among many things, maintain the minister as the registered owner of Ayers House; give the National Trust permanent care, control and management of Ayers House; allow the National Trust to generate income to support its operation through leases, licences and other activities within Ayers House; and ensure public access to Ayers House.

With my tourism hat on, of course, one of the things we hear about from people is the beauty of our city, not only the way it is laid out in a very futureproofing grid pattern but the beauty of our buildings and how you can embrace those and understand the history that we have. I think Ayers House, and its access now guaranteed to the public, adds a richness to that. Ayers House is, and always should be, a cornerstone for heritage and accessibility. The Ayers House Bill 2023 ensures just that, and I commend the bill to the house.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:26): I, too, rise to make a contribution to the Ayers House Bill, and I think rightfully so, as it is a great piece of history in the heart of Adelaide. I think it is more than that. It is all about what we as a society have done to preserve our history and the way that the National Trust behaves, commercialising some of those assets so that we can keep them maintained up to visitors' expectations. I think it is critically important that that continues to happen.

I will touch on Ayers House shortly, but I do want to take the opportunity proudly to talk about some of the National Trust assets in the Riverland. My neighbour, Wilabalangaloo, has been a longstanding National Trust asset. I am its neighbour and it is a great part of the river environment, being on the banks of the river, but also has capacity in plant breeding and is home to many birds.

Being on the edge of the river, it has the Lyrup flood plain next door and a lot of the Riverland wetland expanse all the way around it, as well as the neighbouring towns of Lyrup and Berri. It gives an opportunity not only for visitation but for National Trust members to go along and have a picnic on the river's edge and take in what I would consider some of the natural beauty.

It has quite a unique land structure, a lot of very deep red sand composite soils. We have the Santos facility next door that continues to mine some of that sand and some of those unique clays and ancient soils for commercial use, but they are preserving some of that beautiful landscape which is right next door in Wilabalangaloo. As I have said, it is a great area for anyone who is up in the Riverland looking for a place to visit, to take your family to have that picnic.

I will touch on a couple of other assets that we have in the region. The Cobdogla Heritage and Steam Museum is another one of those National Trust assets. Sadly, it has had the gates locked. I would implore the minister to give some consideration to how we can open that asset and showcase a lot of the heritage and history that has now been locked away behind gates. That has happened because of a natural flood event that I guess destabilised some of the area within that museum.

The band of volunteers are passionate. It is home to the world-famous only working Humphrey pump and I think that cannot be overstated. I would hate to think that while I am still the local representative, the local state parliamentarian that we will not see that facility reopen. There must be ways that SA Water can pull out some gratitude from their hearts, with the minister, to give that facility another life. I really do genuinely mean that.

I have been working with those volunteers, with the minister's office and with SA Water to look at ways that we can preserve that. I think there are ways. There just needs to be more consideration rather than keeping the gate locked because of people absolving themselves from the responsibility of maintenance. There is some level of care, obviously, with insurance and that cannot be overstated, but there is a huge amount of history that is now having an uncertain future.

People have looked at relocating a lot of the assets to other parts of the Riverland. The Riverland does have a very proud history when it comes to irrigation settlement. A lot of that infrastructure, a lot of that machinery was used once upon a time for developing the Riverland away from soldier settlement blocks, looking at the ways that we can pump water into the district.

That would probably lead me into another National Trust asset, which is Olivewood. Olivewood is in Renmark. It is still maintained and it still has a lot of natural beauty. The homestead originally was designed and built to house the Chaffey brothers, hence the electorate's name of Chaffey. The three brothers, Charles, George and William, are now quite famously recognised for establishing and engineering the largest irrigation settlement in the country. It is licence No. 1 for the Renmark Irrigation Trust, as it is now known today, and has a very proud history.

Obviously, being called Olivewood, that homestead was surrounded by an olive grove. They used to use some of the old ways of crushing and squeezing olives for its oil, but it also had other horticulture assets, including citrus. It has a beautiful entry lane and tall palms that grace the entrance into Renmark for visitors to go in and see. It has a number of displays.

What I have seen over recent times is the band of volunteers at Olivewood and I will pay tribute to Ann Ryan, who is the chairperson of the Renmark National Trust branch. She is a very strong and fierce advocate for the region's history, particularly through the National Trust assets that we have.

I must also mention that Olivewood recently hosted the Women of the River event and it was an absolutely outstanding success in recognising the great women who contributed to the region over a long period of time, whether it was through the formation of Renmark as an irrigation district, or whether it was enshrining a lot of the history within that town and the district. It is a district associated with a town, particularly with the formation of the Renmark Irrigation Trust, as it is now known. It is a far and wide expanse of infrastructure, a water delivery network that is a food bowl as part of the Riverland proper.

Renmark is an island. Many people ask the question, 'How can a town be an island?' but the entry points into Renmark are all accessed by bridges, whether it is Renmark Avenue via the Sturt Highway into Renmark, or the Paringa Causeway cutting through Paringa Paddocks. The Twentyfirst Street bridge down at the back of the famous Angove winery is, sadly, out of action at the moment, having been impacted by the most recent floods. We also have the Ral Ral Bridge, which is an access road out to Cooltong and also part of the road network onto Wentworth Road which was, once upon a time, a stock access route from New South Wales and Victoria into the Riverland and that part of South Australia.

I will touch on a couple of others. The DB Mack Reserve at Stockyard Plain, down on the west side of Waikerie, also has a lot of history. Nowadays it is more known for its salt interception scheme; in fact, it is a vital part of the salt interception scheme. That is where a lot of high salinity water from some of the interception wells is pumped and evaporated, keeping our flood plain network—as part of the salt interception scheme network—in a much healthier condition.

I must say that the salt interception schemes were put into place for very good reason, and that was to intercept highly saline water. But practices of irrigation and food production have changed, techniques have changed, and we are now seeing a lot of the salt interception schemes almost turned off. Whether we are talking about Murtho, Noora, Stockyard Plain, Bookpurnong, Woolpunda—the list goes on—they are networks that surround a lot of the National Trust and national heritage of the region.

While we are talking about the DB Mack Reserve, of course we cannot go past the Overland Corner Hotel. It has a rich and proud history. It is a National Trust gem. It was built in 1860 and was first set up as a post office. As an overland stock route, many people used to call in there because it became an admin and cultural centre, but with the emerging illegal sly grog trade the overland corner admin centre was very quickly realised to be a pub, and for very good reason—to regulate the illegal grog trade.

It is now an absolute picture. Brad and Nicole Flowers, the hoteliers there, are doing an outstanding job. It has become a destination not only in the Riverland but also for the passing trade, for people travelling from the eastern seaboard to the west, it is a go-to. It has great meals, great entertainment and great local beers and wines. For all the many people who are listening to this on a live stream, perhaps they might consider calling into the Overland Corner Hotel because it is a great place to visit. I owned a property just upstream from the Overland Corner Hotel. Once upon a time, I was a regular calling in there just to make sure that everything was in order and that gave me the opportunity to talk to locals and understand a little bit more about the history there.

My property was part of the stock route, part of the Indigenous making their way along the banks of the River Murray. They were looking for a place to cross the river and Overland Corner has been highly renowned for exactly that. It was an overland corner where people would cross the river at its most shallow and narrow part.

When I was developing a lot of that country for food production and irrigation, I very quickly realised that there are a lot of burial sites throughout those sandhills along there. Back in the day, it was a place of celebration; it was a place where people used to come together and celebrate. Being high sandhills, it was a lot warmer than a lot of the low-lying country. Perhaps some used to celebrate a little too often and they were buried in those sandhills because it is easy digging. I quickly learnt that rather than getting too involved, I fenced off all those sandhills and left them be.

As part of the National Trust, that area has a lot of history. Directly across the river is Banrock Station. Lock 3 is also part of the National Trust family there for people to visit and understand the history and what that region means. Heron Bend is another National Trust asset and it too has significant history. It gives people a travel map to call in and have a look.

They have already called into the Cobdogla Irrigation and Steam Museum, they go further down river to DB Mack Reserve, Heron Bend and the Overland Corner Hotel. The Overland Corner Reserve is another great asset. I will touch on one more: Wilabalangaloo, as I have already mentioned in the beginning of my contribution, is a National Trust asset that is looking for support Whether it is Wilabalangaloo or whether it is any of the National Trust assets, it is about being a member.

Doing a little bit of research, I did learn about the National Trust and I would like to acknowledge the President of the National Trust, King Charles III. We wish him all the best with his health concern at the moment. He is going through a level of treatment for prostate cancer. I, too, have been in that place and so I wish him all the best.

We need to come back to Ayers House and understand that it got its name from Sir Henry Ayers, five times Premier of South Australia—a remarkable achievement. He was a wealthy industrialist and he occupied the residence on North Terrace from 1855 to 1897. It makes me wonder how long construction took not only of the homestead but the stables and the outhouses. Construction started in 1846. That was some nine years before Sir Henry Ayers occupied the home. It was not completed until 1876, so he was living there a long time before the homestead and its other dwellings were completed. So it is a very important part of the National Trust stable of history and its assets.

I will support the bill for very good reason. I have very fond memories of Ayers House as a younger fellow who would go there to eat. I soon quickly realised that was more to it than just the restaurant, there was more to it than the bar—there was a lot of history. I think everyone should do themselves a favour and learn about that piece of architecture and understand what that asset means to South Australians, particularly within the National Trust asset base. So it is a bill that I will support. It is a bill being carried ably by the member for Bragg on this side of the house and he has done an outstanding job in going through all the detail of this amendment bill, and I wish it a steady passage.

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (12:45): I would also like to take the opportunity to speak on the Ayers House Bill because, of course, Ayers House itself does form a very significant house on North Terrace. It is one of the last historic mansions left on that North Terrace boulevard, so it has a special place in the minds of those who care about heritage in the city. North Terrace, of course, is a boulevard where there are other cultural buildings as well. Yes, buildings themselves have heritage, but it is what is in them as well. In other areas we have the Art Gallery and the Museum, so having these along the boulevard is very important to us in North Terrace and should be protected.

Ayers House is down near the Botanic Garden end of North Terrace and directly opposite is Lot Fourteen, which again is built on the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site but does have remaining there historic buildings as well. You have that juxtaposition between the old and the new; and we heard that the real significance of Ayers House comes from those who lived there. I have talked about the buildings themselves. While they are historic, certainly that is amplified around the people who lived there and the stories that have been told.

Sir Henry Ayers, as has been touched on by others, was Premier of South Australia on five occasions as well as being an industrialist. He was an important person in the history of government here in South Australia. We are now in a new phase of industry around high tech, around space, and Lot Fourteen sits opposite that. It is the home of the Australian Space Agency, which also sits in the historic McEwin Building. It is a good example of how these historic buildings can add to where new users want to go.

If you think of the Australian Space Agency, that is very high tech, helping our emerging space industry in South Australia. What helps when you are in that environment is appreciating the buildings that you are in. As a workspace—where the Space Agency is—it helps that it has that historic nature. Other buildings in Lot Fourteen include the Eleanor Harold Building and the Margaret Graham Building, so these buildings are very historic and are being repurposed and rebuilt inside. Inside, while it pays homage to the architecture of the time, it is fitted out in a very modern context. I think that works well as an example of heritage.

Ayers House is in need of a bit of an uplift. As the member for Bragg quite rightly pointed out, it is in need of a vision. It was a vision that the former Liberal government had, putting in $6.6 million in the 2021-22 budget for just that purpose. That was basically to upgrade it, to help with removing asbestos and with disability access and an air conditioning upgrade. It was to fit it out so it has the beautiful architecture that we are all well aware of but also allowing it to be used properly.

As has been said, it seems like since this government has come in there has been no effort to continue with that vision and to make sure that money is spent to upgrade Ayers House to modern, contemporary modern settings so it can be enjoyed by all. The bill provides that the National Trust has care and control. It is important to point out, which the member for Bragg did quite well, that the Liberal Party had a vision for Ayers House and, more generally, had a vision for keeping the history here in South Australia.

My electorate is very fortunate to be at the front of the modern South Australian colony, being where the Buffalo and the other ships landed, and so there are quite a number of historic houses in and around the Glenelg area, which are very much appreciated by my local community. I will touch on a number of those as a way of recognising that historic houses are important and it is important that they are maintained.

Partridge House on Partridge Street in Glenelg South is a beautiful building. It has beautiful surrounds as well. The gardens are probably just as much a feature of Partridge House as the house itself. It has been more and more built out around Partridge House, and so Partridge House really provides a sanctuary. It is beautifully maintained. The building itself dates back to 1839. It is one of the earlier buildings in the area, and it is enjoyed by many now.

Holdfast Bay council—at the time the Glenelg council—helped to upgrade it a number of years ago. Mayor Smedley was the mayor at the time when that upgrade occurred. Now the council looks after it, and it is enjoyed by many. I have been able to hold quite a number of seniors' forums at Partridge House. In fact, I hold seniors' forums in various locations in the electorate on quite relevant topics for those who are interested. Without doubt, when I hold them at Partridge House, they are very well attended. In part, you would say they are coming to discuss the topic at hand, but you would think they certainly appreciate the settings of Partridge House as well. It has beautiful architecture inside with high ceilings, and it is very well maintained. As I said, the gardens are there as well. Quite often, you will see community markets there, where people get together. Of course, it is also used for weddings as well. Quite often, if you go past on a Saturday night, there will be a marquee set up and wedding celebrations.

Also, funerals are held there. Just recently I attended the funeral of former Mayor of Holdfast Bay Dr Ken Rollond. He was a much celebrated individual in the community, of course, being the Mayor, but also being the deliverer of so many babies in the area. He delivered so many babies out of the Glenelg Community Hospital which itself is also a historic building on Farrell Street.

The church service was at Our Lady of Victories in Glenelg—again, a beautiful historic building. Only a few weeks ago that church was under threat because there was a fire in the building next door. The initial reports came out before they could be verified and said there was a fire at Our Lady of Victories Church. Luckily for the church, the fire was not there but in the building next door. Luckily that fire was put out very quickly, so it did not spread, because the real threat of that fire was that it would have got rid of what is a historic church.

Getting back to the funeral of Dr Ken Rollond, which was held at that church, the celebratory wake afterwards for the family and all the guests was held at Partridge House. It was a fitting setting for remembering Dr Ken Rollond because he was very passionate about heritage and it was a good setting. Certainly Partridge House held a special place in his heart, as I would say it also does in people who live in and around Glenelg South.

I want to now talk about Cummins House in Novar Gardens, which is also a very significant heritage building, which also has ties back to the start of the South Australian economy. The owners of that house, when it was first built, were the Morphett family. The electorate of Morphett, which I am lucky enough to represent, is named after the patriarch of that family, Sir John Morphett.

Sir John Morphett built that house in Novar Gardens and originally it was a large estate, which took up a fair amount of what is now the Novar Gardens suburb. If you are familiar with the area, you have Anzac Highway and Morphett Road, and then you have the sporting complexes around that corner of PHOS Camden Football Club, PHOS Netball Club, and the Birkalla Soccer Club—originally that was on the estate. You have Immanuel College further down Morphett Road—again, that was part of the original estate.

Through there runs Sturt Creek, which now has been concreted in, but previously it was an open-cut creek. That ran all the way along to where Cummins House is, which is inland. So that gives you a bit of a perspective of how big that estate was.

Cummins House itself was built in 1842 and some of the materials in that house were brought over on the ships that first landed off of Holdfast Bay. Sir John Morphett was part of those ships; he was in the Cygnet, which came ahead of the Buffalo on its trips travelling up the South Australian coast, looking for water, principally to set up an established area where people could live. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 12:59 to 14:00

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