Cultural Heritage in Brownhill Creek Recreation...

9.CulturalHeritage:BrownhillCreekRecreationPark–EntranceRonBellchambers:CommunityLiaisonOfficerforBrownhillCreekAssociation.Contact:(M)0427718106(E)brownhillcreek@gmail.comExploreanddiscovertheremarkableKaurnaandEuropeanhistoryinoneofAustralia’soldestparks.Exploreyour‘backyard’!KaurnaCulturalHeritageFortensofthousandsofyearstheaboriginalpeopleoftheAdelaidePlainsandHillsFace,theKaurna(pronouncedGar-na),visitedthisareafortheirwinterhunting,shelterandceremonies.TheycalledthiscountryWirraparinga:‘Wirra’meansforestand‘paringa’meansplacebytheriver,soWirraparingameansforestplacebytheriverorplaceofforestandwater.BrownhillCreekRecreationParkisthegatewaytoTheGreaterMountLoftyParklands(Yurrebilla)andthe54kmwalkingtrailthatpassesthroughthisparktotheMountLoftyRangesiscalledtheYurrebillaTrail.SectionsoftheYurrebillaTrailarelikelytohavebeenusedasatraderoutebetweentheKaurnaoftheAdelaidePlainsandthePeramangkwhoinhabitedtheAdelaideHills.YurrebillaistheKaurnanamewhichidentifiesMountLoftyandMountBonythonasthetwoearsofNganno(pronouncedNar-na).NgannoisaKaurnaancestralbeingwhojourneyedacrossKaurnaland,lyingdowntodiefollowingabattle.Nganno’sbodyformedtheMountLoftyRanges.ThisdreamtimestoryformspartofalivingKaurnaculture,fortheybelievethattheirancestralspiritsliveoninthiscountry.CountryisanintegralpartofKaurnapast,presentandfuture.ReverendWilliamFinlaysonsettledintheMitchamVillageareain1838,twoyearsaftertheofficialEuropeansettlementoftheSouthAustraliaColonyin1836.Hewroteinhismemoirs:“Thebanksofthecreek(BrownhillCreek)attheplacewhereitissuedfromthehillswasafavouritecampingandgatheringgroundwiththenatives,asmanyasonehundredandfiftybeingthere”.ThereisaKaurnaShelterTreeattheentrancetothepark(photographsA&B).

AB

PhotographAwastakenaround1890andcanbeviewedattheMitchamHeritageResearchCentre(ThereseWillis:83728264).PhotographBwastakenin2015withfromleft,ProfessorWayneMeyer(ChairpersonofBrownhillCreekAssociation),LynetteCrocker(Vice-chairoftheKaurnaNationCulturalHeritageAssociation)andJeffreyNewchurch(ChairpersonoftheKNCHA).EuropeanCulturalHeritageSettlement:ThisendofthevalleywastakenupbytheSouthAustralianCompanyin1837andusedasSheepStationNo.1for2years,holdingsheepoverlandedtofeedthenewcolony.BrownhillCreekRecreationParkwasfirstsetasideforpublicpurposesin1841,wasmarkedasareservein1858,dedicatedasareservein1889,becameaNationalPleasureResortin1915(seetheSouthAustralianTouristBureaubronzeplaqueonthestonemonument)andwasproclaimedaRecreationParkin1974.In1954theSouthAustralianTouristBureaubuilttheStoneMonumentandestablishedtheBrownhillCreekCaravanPark.

TomPrice:ThebeautifulavenueofEnglishPlaneTreeswasplantedin1907tohonourapractical,hardworkingandhonestmanwhoselifewasremarkable!TomPricewashereinthevalleytoplantthefirsttree,justoppositethestonemonument.TomPrice’sgreatgranddaughter,StephanieMcCarthy,wrotehisbiography:TomPrice-fromStonecuttertoPremier,WakefieldPress,2015.“HowisitpossiblethatanimpoverishedWelshstonecuttercouldrisetothepositionofthefirstLaborPremierofSouthAustralia?Borntoanalcoholicfatherandanilliteratemother,TomPricewouldovercomethedauntingobstaclesoftheslumsofLiverpool,becomeanapprenticeattheageofnine,discoverthevalueofeducationandagainsttheoddsmarrythewomanheloved.ImmigratingtoSouthAustraliain1883toseekaremedyforstonecutter’slungdisease,Tomandhisfamilypossessednothingbutachestofbelongingsanddeterminationtosomehowmaketheworldahappierplaceforworkingmenandwomen.WithinthreedecadesTomasmastermasonwouldcarvethecolumnsofParliamentHousebeforeenteringitschambersasapoliticianandpremier,fearedbytheconservativesandlovedbythepeople.TheTomPricestoryrevealshowanordinaryman,bornwithoutwealth,titleoropportunitybecameextraordinaryinalifespanofonly57years.Truthcanindeedbestrangerthanfiction”.TomPricebecamethePremierofSouthAustraliaandMinisterofEducationin1905,achievingmanyreformsandbasiclibertiesthatwenowtakeforgranted.‘HonestTom’ashewasknownbythepeoplewasaninspirationalleaderandamonghismanyachievementswerethefollowing:theuniversalrighttovoteforallpeople,regardlessofwealth,statusorgender;freesecondaryschooleducation;improvedconditionsforworkers;aminimumwage;fairtradeforfarmers;theMunicipalTramwaysTrust;theSouthAustralianTouristBureau;

honestgovernmentandsocialjustice.Despiteillhealth,Tompushedhimselftohavehisreformspassedandcoughedupbloodduringhispassionatespeechesinparliament.Tomdiedofstonecutter’sdisease(Phthisis)in1909andhisstatefuneralwasthelargestSouthAustraliahadeverseen.ThestreetswerelinedsixdeepashewastransportedtoMitchamCemetery.

FuneralprocessionforthelateTomPrice,PremierofSouthAustralia(PRG280/1/13/434)–Photograph–StateLibraryofSouthAustralia.InanAdvertiserarticle,‘DeathofMr.Price’(Trove,TheAdvertiser,Tuesday1June1909,page7)itstates:“UndertheinfluenceoffavourableseasonsandtheprudentprogressivelegislationofthePricePeakeGovernment,SouthAustraliahasenjoyedaperiodofremarkableprosperity,andthelatehonouredPremiercametotheendofhislife’slabourwiththeknowledgethathehadplacedthesealofhishandiworkonthemostimportantquestionsofpopularinterest…Asastonecutteritwashisproudboastthathewasamastercraftsman,andasPremierandstatesmanitmightalsobesaidwithequaltruthfulnessthatheshowedthehighestskillinthisimportantoffice…ThelatePremieraccomplishedthisbyindustry,faithfulnessofprinciple,andhonestyofpurpose,andmanythousandsofpeopletodaywillmournhisdeathasthelossofapersonalfriend”.ItissuchashamethatveryfewpeopleinSouthAustraliatodayhaveheardofTomPriceandabronzeplaqueisbeingmadetohonourTom’slife.Itisfittingthattheplaquewillbeplacedonthestonemonument,asthemonumentwasconstructedbytheSouthAustralianTouristBureauthatheestablishedandhewasamasterstonemason.

SwimmingHoleandPool:AccordingtoresearchcarriedoutbymembersoftheMitchamCouncilHeritageResearchCentre,aclaylinedstonewallbuiltacrossthecreek(seephotographA)intheearly1890’sformedaswimmingholeuntil1902.WhenThomasNeweycomplainedtocouncilthattheswimmingholewasinterferingwithhismarketgarden,MitchamCouncilresolvedthat“alldamsonthecreekintheReservebedestroyedandnofurtherbathingbeallowed”.Howeverin1929thecouncilbuiltaweiracrossthecreekandconstructedaswimmingpool,90metreslongwithadivingboardandchangerooms.TheoperationoftheswimmingpoolbecameacontentiousissuebetweenMitchamCouncilandtheStateGovernmentandthepoolfellintodisrepair.Itisnowfilledinandvegetated.

Resources:

• ContactThereseWillis,LocalHistoryCoordinatorattheMitchamHeritageResearchCentre:Phone:83728264orEmail:twillis@mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au

• MitchamCouncilWebsite:http://www.mitchamcouncil.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=1358

• Google:TomPricePremierofSA• ImagesofTomPrice’sfuneral:

http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+280/1/7/403• PhotographofTomPrice:

http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+280/1/4/313• ObituariesforTomPrice:

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5727741• TomPrice-fromStonecuttertoPremier,StephanieMcCarthy,Wakefield

Press2015.• Contactthegreat-granddaughterofTomPrice,StephanieMcCarthy:

Phone:82789279orEmail:spmc@adam.com.au(Stephanieisavailabletovisitschoolsandgivetalks).

• ValleysofStone-theArchaeologyandHistoryofAdelaide’sHillsFace,EditedbyPamSmith,F.DonaldPateandRobertMartin,KopiBooks2006:https://www.flinders.edu.au/ehl/archaeology/research-profile/current-projects/adelaide-hills-face-zone/valleys-of-stone.cfm

• BrownhillCreekandtheTilleyFamily(MarketGardeninghistory):https://www.flinders.edu.au/ehl/fms/archaeology_files/research/HFZCHP/PDF/VOS%20Ch%2019%20Tilleys.pdf

• LivingKaurnaCulturalHeritageCentre-Warriparinga:https://www.marion.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/2016-2017-Warriparinga-Cultural-Education-Program.pdf