189th Proclamation Day Commemoration

Pathawilyangga (Glenelg) was a significant place for cultural celebrations, ceremonies and trade and would be used as a camp by traditional owners, the Kaurna People, during the summer months. When the cold south-westerly winds and the flooding of Warripari (Sturt River) that fed into the Pathawilyangga estuary made life difficult during the winter months, the Kaurna often moved further inland to the foothills. This seasonal movement allowed essential food sources to regenerate and was part of the careful management of their lands.

The arrival of colonists in South Australia from 1836 signalled a new chapter for the Kaurna people, and Pathawilyangga became the official ‘meeting place’ of cultures. In 1834, the British House of Commons passed ‘A Bill to erect South Australia into a British Province’ and consequently on the 19 February, 1836 the Letters Patent establishing the Province of South Australia were signed by King William IV.

When the Letters Patent were issued, it was the first time Aboriginal rights were legislatively acknowledged and granted in Australia’s colonial history.

The first official settlers left London for South Australia in February 1836. In all, nine ships carrying over 500 colonists had arrived on the shores of Holdfast Bay by December 1836. The last of these ships to arrive was the Buffalo, captained by John Hindmarsh, who was to be the new province’s first governor. The Buffalo anchored off Holdfast Bay early in the morning of 28 December.

On the same sweltering summer day, the new settlers gathered under the shade of a ‘huge gum tree’. The Proclamation Document was read, and a moral tone was set for the new province. Marines from the Buffalo fired a ‘royal salute to the British flag’ followed by a ‘feu-de-joie’, after which the ‘Buffalo saluted the Governor with 15 guns’.

History has shown that the intent of the Letters Patent and the iteration in the Proclamation were not followed in the decades since 1836. Still, this year, at the 189th Proclamation Day ceremony, we endeavour to acknowledge and reflect on our joint histories as a State

Notice of Temporary Road Closures & Changes to Traffic Conditions

Section 11 & 33 Road Traffic Act 1961

189th Proclamation Day Commemoration

For the following roads be closed to traffic between 7am and 11:30am on Sunday 28 December:

• MacFarlane Street, Glenelg North between Morris Street and Alison Street
• Bagshaw Street, Glenelg North between Russell Street and Cornish Street
• Noble Lane, Glenelg North between MacFarlane Street and Russell Street
• Leicester Street, Glenelg North between MacFarlane Street and Russell Street (Local traffic only)
• Cummings Lane, Glenelg North between MacFarlane Street and Russell Street (Local traffic only)