Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
OVERSEAS STUDY TRIP
to the
UNITED KINGDOM
5 April – 23 April 2004
By
JOHN MEIER MP
Member for Goyder and
Opposition Whip
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 3
NATIONAL WIND POWER AT READING................................................................................... 4
BEARS DOWN WIND FARM......................................................................................................... 6
GAIA ENERGY CENTRE................................................................................................................ 8
DELABOLE WIND FARM .............................................................................................................. 9
WIND POWER – COMMERCIAL CONSIDERATIONS............................................................. 11
SKINNER’S FINE CORNISH ALES ............................................................................................. 17
CORNISH GOLDSMITHS ............................................................................................................. 19
GWENNAP MINING AREA.......................................................................................................... 20
EAST POOL ENGINE HOUSE...................................................................................................... 22
FALMOUTH AND SURROUNDS ................................................................................................ 23
ST IVES........................................................................................................................................... 25
HELSTON ....................................................................................................................................... 27
GWENNAP PIT............................................................................................................................... 29
HAYLE METHODIST CHAPEL ................................................................................................... 30
GRAND BARD ............................................................................................................................... 31
THE CORNISH SAINTS ................................................................................................................ 32
BARD HOWARD CURNOW OF AN GERNYK, ST HILARY ................................................... 33
DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK ................................................................................................. 36
EXMOOR NATIONAL PARK....................................................................................................... 39
EXMOOR GLASS AT PORLOCK WEIR, SOMERSET .............................................................. 40
MR ANDREW GEORGE MP – MEMBER FOR ST IVES AND ISLES OF SCILLY................. 42
MR MATTHEW TAYLOR MP – CHAIRMAN OF THE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PARLIAMENTARY PARTY ......................................................................................................... 44
HOUSE OF COMMONS ................................................................................................................ 45
MR DOUGLAS MILLAR – CLERK ASSISTANT ....................................................................... 47
THE RT HON DAVID MACLEAN – OPPOSITION CHIEF WHIP ............................................ 49
MR MAURICE DE ROHAN OBE - AGENT GENERAL FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA. ............. 51
MR MICHAEL L’ESTRANGE – AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER .............................. 52
COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION ....................................................... 53
PETER AND DAWN WILLIAMS – COUPLE EXTRAORDINAIRE ......................................... 54
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................. 55
INTRODUCTION
This report of my overseas study trip to the United Kingdom from Monday 5 to Friday 23
April 2004 provides a summary of the areas studied, key issues dealt with, reference to
additional information where appropriate and relevance of the areas studied to South
Australia and to my electorate of Goyder.
The purpose of my study trip was basically threefold.
Firstly, as the Member representing ‘Australia’s Little Cornwall’ I felt it was high time
that I visited Cornwall.
Following on in the tradition of the previous State MP’s for the Copper Triangle, I have
recently become President of the Cornish Festival, (the Kernewek Lowender), the
world’s largest Cornish Festival. Hence my study emphasis in Cornwall was particularly
on the Cornish history, traditions and culture as well as on its development.
Secondly I also undertook studies into specific small businesses and their applicability to
my electorate or to South Australia as well as studying national parks and wind power.
Finally I sought various meetings in Cornwall and in London with Members of
Parliament including the Opposition Whip as well as other Australian representatives
such as the Australian High Commissioner and South Australia’s Agent General.
The amount of time taken in preparing a study trip is considerable but hopefully the study
trip is invaluable not only to the member and his or her electorate but to South Australia
as a whole. As journalist Rex Jory said “If we restrict overseas travel for Members of
Parliament then South Australia will become more parochial, more inward looking than it
already is” (Jory in The Advertiser, Friday July 16 2004, page 18).
Page 3 of 56
NATIONAL WIND POWER AT READING
I met with Peter Williams, Head of Wind Operations and Martin Marais, Head of on-
shore development, National Wind Power.
While Cornwall and the United Kingdom are way ahead of Australia in terms of wind
farm development, nevertheless there are still opponents to the establishment of wind
farms. However in one case cited to me, 50% of the letters of objection to a proposed
wind farm were written by one person. Additionally, once a wind farm is built there is
usually little or no opposition.
The need for careful planning in terms of their site and possible effect on near neighbours
was emphasized. Often the objections are unsubstantiated. Thus objections on the
grounds of birds hitting the blades are questionable since studies from Denmark show
that birds can adapt to turbines in their flight of path.
As a signatory of the Kyoto convention Britain is committed to producing 10% of its
renewable energy by 2010. In fact it had committed to 5% renewable energy by 2003 but
is still only producing 1% of its renewable energy in 2004!
Thus the United Kingdom is committed to wind power. To provide incentives a penalty
system applies to energy companies via a Renewable Obligation Certificate.
Turbine technology is increasing very rapidly. Thus eight years ago the average turbine
developed 400 kilowatts of power. Today that figure is 2000 kilowatts. In the area of
blades it has gone from a length of approximately 30 metres to 50 metres and now 100
metre blades will be appearing on the latest turbines in the North Sea.
The United Kingdom used to be a leader in the manufacturing of wind turbine blades but
today the Danes are leaders in the field although there are some component
manufacturers in the United Kingdom and some assembly occurs in the United Kingdom.
Page 4 of 56
Apparently the Spanish model is a particularly good assembling model to follow for
component manufacturers. For South Australia the lesson seems to be – if you can
promise the manufacturers that the work is there they will set up in the particular country.
While National Wind Power Turbines have been placed on land not owned by them, a
new scheme called ‘Windworks’ is also an option. In this scheme a landowner can apply
to develop three or four wind turbines themselves. The farmers make the actual planning
applications. Apparently the reason for this new proposal is that the planning authorities
have indicated the wind farms were becoming too big. For these smaller farms no
Environment Impact Assessments (EIA’s) are needed. In terms of the larger projects two
out of three projects are not succeeding in getting planning approval. Seeing an EIA
costs close to £100,000 ($250,000) it is little wonder that other ways of getting planning
approval for wind farms are being investigated.
Page 5 of 56
BEARS DOWN WIND FARM
Bears Down Wind Farm is the newest wind farm in Cornwall. Having discussed wind
power generation at some length with National Wind Power in Reading, I was pleased to
see Bears Down first hand.
Owned and established by a joint United Kingdom and German company, Bears Down
consists of 16 wind turbines with a 600 kilowatt output per unit, 35 metre blades,
generating 9.6 megawatts or enough electricity for some 7,500 homes in Cornwall.
Being the newest it is also the most powerful yet its physical presence did not seem to be
any more or less imposing than the other wind farms in Cornwall which are visible on a
regular basis as one travels through and across the country.
Completed in late 2001 the Bears Down Wind Farm was first proposed in 1998.
National Wind Power were very clear in their commitment to the development of wind
farms but they acknowledged the anti-development lobby was very determined and
powerful.
This anti-wind farm sentiment was evident while I was in Cornwall with a major anti-
wind farm article appearing in Cornwall’s only local daily newspaper, the Western
Morning News.
Besides NIMBY (i.e. not in my back yard) individuals, other groups such as bird
preservation societies have also sought to stop the wind farms even though it has been
shown that birds adapt their flight path to avoid wind turbines.
There are 10 other companies who were or are involved in the development and
construction process in Cornwall in addition to National Wind Power.
The noise from the turbines to me seemed virtually negligible, especially compared to
some of the earlier wind farms which I visited. Nevertheless National Wind Power
Page 6 of 56
acknowledge there is at times a tonal noise that probably can be minimised further in the
gear boxes.
Another problem some residents have complained of is interference with their TV
reception. Again it appears this is not an insurmountable problem. People have also
raised the possible negative affect of ice being thrown off the turbine. This I suspect is
something turbines on Yorke Peninsula would not have to worry about.
Landholders, i.e. farmers own the land on which the wind turbines are located and rents
are therefore worked out with the landowner. From my own observations it is clear
animals, especially cows are very content to graze and sleep right next to the turbine.
Page 7 of 56
GAIA ENERGY CENTRE
“Gaia’ is the Greek goddess of Earth or Mother Earth. The Gaia Energy Centre is located
on the same site as the Delabole Wind Farm, Cornwall’s first wind farm.
I was able to meet with Mr Peter Edwards, the developer of the Delabole Wind Farm and
the creator of the original visitor centre which has now become the Gaia Energy Centre.
This centre is a multi-faceted centre incorporating a reception area, display area, a library
of energy based books and multi-media, a coffee lounge/dining area and a well presented
exhibition hall which has similar exhibits and features to our own Investigator Science
Centre in Adelaide although the emphasis of the exhibition is on showing the many forms
of renewable energy.
In the words of Peter Edwards, who is the chairman of the Renewable Power
Association, the original visitor centre was built on a shoestring. It was financed largely
by European Community (E.C.) money and today Gaia attracts some 30,000 people per
year. However it has the potential to cater for 60,000 to 70,000 people per year so there
is still great potential for the future.
The Delabole Wind Farm and in turn the Gaia Energy Centre were established on Peter
Edwards’ own farm. The Gaia Energy Centre has now been excised from the farm and is
run independently. It recycles its own water and the photo voltaic roof provides the solar
power.
For anyone wishing to study renewable energy and wind turbines and to view them first
hand and close-up, the Gaia Energy Centre is the ideal gateway.
Certainly work should be done to investigate setting up a similar centre, even if it is
initially on a small scale at one of our wind farms in South Australia. The Fleureau or
Yorke Peninsula would be potential possible locations.
Page 8 of 56
DELABOLE WIND FARM
One is able to walk straight out of the Gaia Energy Centre onto the Delabole Wind Farm.
Being the first wind farm started in 1991 in Cornwall and the UK, it is also the smallest
with 10 wind turbines.
Likewise it is small in terms of energy produced seeing each turbine can produce a
maximum of 400 kilowatts, thus giving a total of 4 megawatts. Nevertheless, as Peter
Edwards said, Delabole produces 10 million kilowatt hours per year which produces
enough power for 2,700 homes in Cornwall.
It is interesting to compare these figures for Delabole with those for Bears Down where
16 turbines produce enough power for 7,500 homes. It shows what less than a decade of
technology produces in terms of energy creation efficiencies.
Not only can one walk freely among the turbines at Delabole but one can also see first-
hand how the blades are constructed and how the pitch of the blades turns.
I was fortunate on my visit to Delabole that there was virtually no wind initially but over
the next 30 minutes to an hour the wind increased to enable the turbines to generate full
electricity.
This occurs when the turbines turn at 35 revolutions per minute.
To keep the turbines turning at the optimum number of revolutions per minute the pitch
of the blades has to be changed to avoid blades being sheered off in extreme wind
conditions.
This change in pitch is enacted by a computer when the wind gets too strong. Likewise
the turbines are programmed to face into the wind and it was interesting to observe how
some of the turbines were motionless next to other turbines until their program ‘clicked
in’.
Page 9 of 56
Again, showing how technology advances so rapidly, Peter Edwards indicated that the
newest Bears Down turbines have a stall control feature which addresses excessive
winds.
The Delabole power goes straight into the transmission line, that is it is ‘embedded’.
Apparently it would cost £500,000 ($1.25 million) to adapt to go into a 132 kV line.
As for the protestors against wind farms Peter Edwards advised that in the 13 years of
operation at Delabole there had not been one bird fatality from the turbines. Technology
is such that the amount of power produced by the 10 Delabole wind turbines could now
be produced by two modern wind turbines. With energy consumption having increased
by 10% in the last 10 years renewable energy has to be promoted.
When comparing the production costs of wind electricity to other forms, Peter Edwards
indicated it costs 3 pence per unit to produce electricity using wind, 5 pence per unit
using coal and between 6 and 7 pence per unit using nuclear energy.
Page 10 of 56
WIND POWER – COMMERCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
In meeting with National Wind Power, in viewing Bears Down, Delabole, and several
other wind farms and in viewing and understanding the Gaia Energy Centre, the
importance of wind farms to Cornwall and to the United Kingdom was made very clear
to me.
While much was discussed, while many of the key factors emphasised to me are recorded
in this report and while I have considerable video footage of Delabole, Bears Down and
Carland wind farms, I believe the following paper, provided to me by Peter Williams of
National Wind Power, provides a very good summary of the key considerations and
positives of wind power in the United Kingdom and the implications for South Australia
should be self-evident.
“Commercial Operating Market Place
Background
Wind power is the fastest growing form of renewable energy in the world and capacity
has quadrupled over the past five years, growing from 7,600 MW at the end of 1997 to
more than 31,000MW at the end of 2002. 93% of the additional wind power capacity
installed in 2002 was in Europe and the United States and 90% of worldwide capacity is
found in these two regions. Of the 23,000MW installed in Europe, the UK accounts for
less than 3% despite having the best European wind resource. The UK, as at the
beginning of 2003, had an installed wind power capacity of 560MW. Generation from
renewables covered by the Renewables Obligation (biofuels, wave, solar, photo voltaics,
wind and small-scale hydro) was estimated in 2002 to have reached 1.75% of total UK
power generation. This displays a significant shortfall to the 2002/3 target of 3%.
The British Wind Energy Association has estimated that existing and approved wind
developments together could supply 1.4% of the UK’s power. Overall it estimates that
8% of UK supply could be met by onshore and offshore wind power by 2010.
Page 11 of 56
In addition:
• The cost of wind energy is more competitive than any of the other high-resource,
renewable energy technologies;
• There is no fuel cost – no exposure to ‘spark spread’ economics;
• Wind generation is sustainable with no long-term or irreversible impacts;
• Wind farms have short lead times and can be on-line within 12 months following
planning;
• Capacity can be developed incrementally, providing flexibility to adjust the rate of
expansion in response to market signals; and
• The cost of wind energy is also competitive, in the right circumstances, with nuclear,
coal and gas.
According to the Wind Force 12 report, at current electricity prices the cheapest wind
plant (those with easy access and economies of scale) are fully competitive with gas and
other thermal plants, if sites have good average long-term wind speeds of 7.5 m/sec. The
costs of nuclear generation do not account for public sector liability, waste and
decommissioning issuers. Wind power projects are, however, capital intensive and the
success of a project depends on the average long-term wind speed at each site.
Innogy plc, owner of npower, is obliged by the Renewables Obligation either to source a
growing percentage of its electricity from qualifying renewable sources or pay a buy-out
levy of £30 per MWh. At present Innogy satisfies a portion of its Renewables Obligation
through its portfolio of 11 operational onshore wind farms in the UK owned by its
wholly-owned subsidiary, National Wind Power. These Existing Wind Farms represent
almost a quarter of the total UK capacity, and National Wind Power is one of the leading
developers and operators in the UK market. Further to these Existing Wind Farms,
Innogy intends to continue to satisfy a portion of its growing obligation by developing
New Wind Farms in the UK and by entering into long-term contracts for power output
considered to be eligible to be part of the Renewables Obligation. The Innogy Group’s
aim is to build approximately 50MW of new Wind Farm capacity over the next five years.
Page 12 of 56
EU Arrangements
At the United Nations Earth summit, in Kyoto in 1997, governments world-wide made
commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For the European Union as a whole
the target was an 8% reduction, and for its part the UK plans to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions further than the Kyoto target of 12.5% reducing CO2 emissions to 20% below
1990 levels by 2010.
One of the actions taken by the European Commission towards the delivery of these
emission reductions has been to consult on, and then issue, a Renewables Directive. This
came into effect in October 2001 and requires that member states increase the proportion
of electricity supplied from renewable energy sources to 22.1% by 2010. For the UK
(where the contribution from hydro-electric power is much smaller that in many of its EU
partners) the target is 10% by 2010. Member states must report to the European
Commission every 2 years on the progress they are making towards achieving their
targets, and if that progress is judged to be inadequate the European Commission may
set mandatory targets.
The Energy Review and Renewables Obligation
The Performance and Innovation Unit of the Cabinet Office has reviewed energy policy
and options through to 2050 and the PIU’s report, simply titled ‘The Energy Review’,
was published in February 2002. It recommended that ‘an expanded role for renewables
should be a key plank of future strategy’ and called for action to address the institutional
barriers (including the workings of the planning system) which have hindered progress
towards achieving the Government’s target of 10% electricity from renewables by 2010.
It also recommended that the Government should formally target to achieve a 20%
contribution from renewables by 2020.
Following extensive public consultation, the Government enacted legislation called the
“Renewables Obligation Order 2002”. It commits to a target of 10% renewable energy
by 2010. To achieve this it imposes an obligation on all electricity suppliers. The
Page 13 of 56
Renewables Obligation is further detailed in section 4.3 below. Within one year the
results have supported the Government’s intentions – the electricity output from
renewable generators is commanding a premium price in the market and there has been
a sharp upsurge of development activity for the most cost-effective renewables
technologies, most notably wind power.
The obligation imposed on electricity suppliers by the Renewables Obligation continues
through to March 2027. In its August 2001 statutory consultation paper the Government
made the statement “in order to give the necessary confidence for investment, we want to
assure the renewables industry that, once the Renewables Obligation is in place, the
Government has no plans to:
• Lower the buyout price during the time that this initial Renewables Obligation
remains in force;
• Reduce the scale of this initial Renewables Obligation;
• Curtail the duration of the Renewables Obligation.”
The Energy White Paper
The Government responded to the PIU report by publishing a white paper setting out its
approach to future energy policy. It was issued in February 2003 entitled ‘Our energy
future – creating a low carbon economy’. The White Paper makes the following key
points:
• After summarising the forecast consequences of climate change resulting from
greenhouse gas emissions, it states that the Government accepts the Royal
Commission on Environmental Pollution’s recommendation “that the UK should put
itself on a path towards a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of some 60% from
current levels by about 2050”. It comments that to achieve this renewables will “by
then be contributing 30% to 40% of our electricity generation and possibly more”.
Page 14 of 56
• It recognises that achieving 10% electricity from renewables by 2010 will be very
challenging, and notes that in addition to the financial support provided by the
Renewables Obligation “from 2005 onwards, the EU emissions trading system will
provide a further incentive for renewables”.
• It also recognises that by 2010 onshore and offshore Wind Farms may be the largest
contributors to the renewables generation mix.
Importantly for Investors, the White Paper states (paragraph4.12) “we remain firmly
committed to the current Renewables Obligation and will maintain the level of support it
provides as planned until 2027”. It also states that the Government’s “aspiration is by
2020 to double renewables’ share of electricity from our 2010 target and we will pursue
policies to achieve this”. By then, as the White Paper also notes, “we could be
dependent on imported energy for three quarters of our total primary energy needs”.
There has been the suggestion that the European Commission will propose a harmonised
EU support system for the generation of electricity from renewable sources. The
European Commission is to review and report on the overall progress being made after 4
years (i.e. by October 2005). This report will, only if it is judged necessary, be
accompanied by a proposed harmonised support framework; however, to maintain
investor confidence it is stipulated that there will be a transitional period of at least seven
years before any harmonised system would be introduced. Given the history of the
Renewables Directive one can anticipate that it could take some years after October
2005 before member states and the European Commission reach agreement on the
details of any harmonised support scheme, and the transitional period would delay its
introduction until well into the middle of the next decade.
Renewables Obligation
Launched by the Government on 1 April 2002, the Renewables Obligation requires
electricity suppliers to supply a specified and growing portion of their sales from
qualifying renewable courses. The obligation, a market-based support mechanism, is in
place until 2027. Qualifying sources include onshore and offshore wind power, biomass,
Page 15 of 56
landfill, co-firing (burning of biomass with coal in a conventional power station) and
hydro of less than 20MW. Suppliers are financially incentivised by the Renewables
Obligation to source power from renewable generators until 2027, ensuring a route to
market through the life of the Wind Farms.
An operator of a renewable generating station is required to be accredited with the
Authority. Renewables Obligation Certificates are issued to the operator of the
accredited generating station on the basis of its metered output (per MWh). ROCs are
then sold to a supplier and can be presented by it towards satisfaction of its renewable
supply obligation. The buy-out levy for non-compliance is initially £30 per MWh,
indexed by RPI, and the level of the obligation increases annually as set out below. In
order to meet the Government’s aspiration target for 20% of renewable generation by
2020, the supply obligation may need to be increased after 2001.
Renewables Obligation for Suppliers from 2003 – 2027
Year to March 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 to 2027
% Total Supply 3.0 4.3 4.9 5.5 6.7 7.9 9.1 9.7 10.4 10.4
Monies collected from suppliers who have paid Renewables Obligation buy-out amounts
are pooled and proportionally distributed between those compliant suppliers who have
submitted ROCs. The traded value of ROCs is therefore determined as the buy-out price
plus the estimated ‘recycled’ value, and is sensitive to the shortfall in renewable
generation capacity in the UK.
It has been estimated by the DTI that 1.75% of the UK power generation was from
sources which qualify under the Renewables Obligation in 2002/2003. This is short of
the 3% target and gives an indication of the stimulus that the Renewables Obligation will
have on UK renewables. It has been estimated that wind power could provide up to 8%
of the UK electricity supply by 2010.
Page 16 of 56
SKINNER’S FINE CORNISH ALES
Skinners is a great success story of an outsider taking up the challenge of using Cornish
history and traditions to promote the best beers in Cornwall and beyond.
In fact as an outsider I thought Steve and Sarah must be two ‘true’ Cornish people to
have promoted Cornish ale so well.
Steve Skinner and his wife Sarah are not Cornish – they originate from the Isle of Jersey.
On Jersey they had owned two micro (or as we know them, boutique) breweries but 13
years ago came to England and ran two or three micro breweries.
They sold their breweries and commenced a new micro brewery in Truro in 1997. Today
they employ up to 20 people and their reputation for providing a great Cornish ale is
known throughout Cornwall and increasingly beyond.
They have a great variety of ales with magnificent old Cornish characters depicted on
their labels. Thus there is ‘Cornish Knocker Ale’, ‘Keel Over’, ‘Betty Stogs Bitter’,
‘Heligan Honey’, ‘Spriggan Ale’ and ‘Figgy’s Brew’!
The characters derive from Cornish history or folk law. Thus the Cornish Knockers were
known as the Tin Mine fairies; Betty Stogs was an unkempt and lazy maiden who
couldn’t even look after her children properly. Spriggans were off-shoots from the Troll
family, living in burrows and between detached stones and Madge Figgy was one of the
best known St Levan and Burian witches!
It takes imagination and ingenuity to come up with such characters and to package such a
variety of ales but Skinners is a success story in the making.
Their brewery is a former transport depot but little by little it is becoming a key tourist
attraction.
Page 17 of 56
Thus the shop where all the ales can be purchased is finished. Here one can purchase
bottle gift packs, beer from the tap or in 4 pint flagons or draught beer in kegs. Other
specialty beers from around the United Kingdom are also available. In addition one can
purchase T-shirts, sweaters, ties, posters and other merchandise all with the Skinner’s
Fine Cornish Ales motif. They even sell traditional Cornish song sheets for 50 pence.
My thanks go not only to Steve and Sarah but also to the other wonderful folk who
looked after me especially Paul Symon and the Welshman Alan Jones.
There is no doubt in my mind that a similar micro brewery could work in Australia’s
Little Cornwall and hopefully it will not be too long before Steve and Sarah come to see
our area for themselves.
Page 18 of 56
CORNISH GOLDSMITHS
The average person who wants to study aspects of a mining era would, among other
things, visit a museum.
This is what I had imagined Cornish Goldsmiths would be. On the contrary, it is
something very different.
In a limited way it reminded me of a theme park, but only to a very limited extent. It is
privately owned and operated but admission is free. So much of what it offers is free
such as viewing the Cornish Crown Jewels (replicas), seeing £1 million in £5 notes or in
gold bullion, viewing James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 or visiting the Tolgus Tin site as
recreated from the bygone tin mining days. What you pay for are such things as panning
for real gold, digging for buried treasure, painting pottery or eating in the restaurant.
The ‘real’ income for the centre comes from the selling of a vast array of gold and silver
jewellery. Not only is the range extensive (and I guess some may say expensive), but
there are also goldsmiths on-site to repair jewellery or to fashion a design of one’s
choice.
Cornish Goldsmiths have been operating since 1988 and have continued to expand their
features and upgrade their exhibits over this time.
Whereas Kapunda has its large Cornish miner at the entrance to the town, Cornish
Goldsmiths have two 30 feet bronze coloured statues commemorating the discovery by
two Cornishmen in 1869 of one of the largest gold nuggets ever found in Australia.
Weighing in at 71kg it would be worth more than £1 million ($2.5 million) today.
It was good to see Australia recognised through these statues before entering the complex
proper.
On a smaller scale the Cornish Goldsmith’s concept would be a great boon for the
Copper Coast.
Page 19 of 56
GWENNAP MINING AREA
Mining to Cornwall was very much like wineries are to the Barossa Valley. There are
former mine sites or ruins of mine sites all over the country-side.
In what was one of the richest mining areas there are 43 mining sites or ruins.
This is the area known as Gwennap and basically centres around the town of Carharrack.
It was from here that large numbers of miners came to Australia and came to Yorke
Peninsula in the 1800’s. The other major migration area to Australia was St Just. At the
same time copper was found on Northern Yorke Peninsula in the 1860’s a mining
collapse was occurring in the Gwennap mining area. Gwennap’s population decreased
by many thousands of people during this period and ‘Cousin Jacks’ soon became well-
known in South Australia.
A lot has been written about the migrations and what life was like in their new country
and the stories of success or failure vary from family to family.
I had not realized the extent to which women together with their children were left behind
and how their life depended on the remittances sent back home by their so-called
breadwinners overseas. To what extent wages and conditions overseas or ‘further afield’
were actually better than those experienced locally is open to conjecture.
In the long term South Australia has certainly benefited enormously although in most
cases the early migrants must have wondered why they had left their beloved Cornwall
when they experienced our summer heat, dust and flies.
Our miners cottages are very distinctive and individualistic. So too are the miners
cottages in this mining area. Excellent examples can be seen in towns like Carharrack
where there are row after row of terraced miners cottages. Just as ours are not terraced so
too ours are not two story (but often only one room up and one room down) with a lean-
to kitchen and an outside dunny.
Page 20 of 56
It is also interesting to compare the miners terraced housing with the mine managers and
mine captains houses. These are distinctive detached houses. In both cases though the
houses are made from the local granite. Again another significant contrast to our
limestone.
Minerals extracted from the mines in the Gwennap area included tin, copper, zinc,
tungsten, gold and arsenic.
Even today the affect of the arsenic on the parts of the old mining landscape are evident.
Basically nothing of use will grow on it and rehabilitation is still a major problem.
In fact what was regarded as the ‘richest square mile in the world’ has now had funding
of over £1 million made available towards regeneration schemes that provide economic
benefits for local businesses including dealing with derelict land, carrying out
environmental improvements and providing new amenity and visitor facilities.
Page 21 of 56
EAST POOL ENGINE HOUSE
Cornwall’s East Pool Engine House is situated between Camborne and Redruth and is
adjacent to the Cornish Engines and Discovery Centre.
From Australia’s Little Cornwall perspective the key attraction is an actual working
engine. East Pool houses the last rotating beam winding engine built in Cornwall in 1887
at Camborne by Holman Brothers. It was built to the design of a local engineer E. W.
Michell and the engine is generally referred to as Michell’s Engine as is the adjacent
1,500 foot shaft from which tin was extracted until 1921.
It is history in the making as one climbs the three story engine house and views the
engine operating.
The steam generator is not the original but conveys how things would have been in the
nineteenth century when there were actually two steam chambers in place.
While I recognise the chances of ever having a working Cornish beam engine in the
Copper Triangle are virtually negligible, what is possible is the construction of a working
model.
Thus at East Pool there is an excellent scale model of the total mining site including a
working model of the Cornish beam engine operating in the engine house.
Housed in a large glass or perspex cover it shows exactly how the mine would have
operated with little or no explanation required. It is something I would hope we will one
day see at Moonta Mines.
Page 22 of 56
FALMOUTH AND SURROUNDS
Falmouth is the third largest natural harbour in the world – Sydney Harbour being
number one.
Situated at the mouth of the River Fal, Falmouth today has a major ship repairing
industry which includes repairs to ships of the Royal Navy.
On the trip into Falmouth is the Greenbank Hotel and it was here that the author Kenneth
Graham penned Wind in the Willows. However it was not written as a book in the first
instant, rather Kenneth Graham, while staying at the Greenbank Hotel, wrote a series of
letters to his nephew and in those letters were various characters such as ‘Ratty’ which
one could well imagine were not hard to characterise as one looked down at the rocks and
the water from the Greenbank Hotel. Writers week is an important part of the Cornish
Festival and Cornish writers are invited to come out to speak to us here in South
Australia. Seeing where Wind in the Willows was written helps one appreciate the
broadness and the speciality of writers.
Falmouth also has a somewhat historic jetty called the Fish Strand Quay.
It was to this Quay that a Lt John Richards as Captain of the Schooner ‘Pickle’ came in
1805 with the official dispatch announcing the victory of the Battle of Trafalgar and the
death of Admiral Lord Nelson. From here the news was conveyed to the Admiralty in
London 38 hours later.
Also on Fish Strand Quay is a restored contraband tobacco burner. Being such a natural
port it was through Falmouth that much of the illegal tobacco was smuggled. Thus if
seized it was burnt literally ‘on-site’.
Beyond the eastern edge of Falmouth is Pendennis Castle which, together with St Mawes
Castle on the other side of the harbour delimits the entrance to Falmouth Bay. These
castles were built by King Henry VIII and were located in such a way that a cannon ball
Page 23 of 56
fired from either castle reached half-way across the entrance to the harbour. Thus, by
having the two castles built an effective deterrent was in place to keep the French out.
These and other ‘historical treasurers’ are well preserved in Cornwall and certainly help
to attract the tourist and keep the economy ‘ticking over’. It is essential that we here in
Australia’s Little Cornwall make sure our historical features and stories are preserved and
promoted.
Page 24 of 56
ST IVES
In many ways St Ives typifies the great coastal tourist spots Cornwall has on offer.
I was there on the afternoon of Easter Monday and it was bristling with people. From
memory the maximum temperature was about 12°C. However in the words of Peter
Williams who served as a policeman at St Ives “…in July and August you wouldn’t put a
pin between the people…every square inch is full”.
As with most Cornish towns there is so much history and tradition associated with the
town.
An interesting localism in St Ives relates to where one lives. Thus if one lives in the
older part near the bay one lives in the ‘down-a-long’ area. If one lives higher up along
the hill escarpment one lives in the ‘up-a-long’ area. The ‘up-a-long’ area mainly
consisting of row upon row of Victorian era terraced houses.
The maze of tourist type shops in the narrow to very narrow streets offered a fairly
typical range of tourist type goods.
However what stood out in seeking examples of peculiar Cornish specialties were the
Cornish pasties. Having eaten many Cornish pasties, the only difference I have usually
detected is whether I regard the pasty as either an excellent or a good Cornish pasty.
In Cornwall the pasties not only look different, having the ‘throw-away’ crimp on the
side rather than on the top, but they also have a massive array of different types of
Cornish pasties.
Thus in one shop the following types of pasties were on display on Easter Monday:-
lamb & mint, steak & ale, spinach & ricotta, chicken & bacon, cheese & onion, spicy
vegetable, wholemeal vegetable, leak & cheese, vegetable, beef & stilton, pork & apple,
chicken, spicy chicken, cheese & bacon, giant traditional steak, large traditional steak,
Page 25 of 56
medium traditional steak, small traditional steak, broccoli & cheese, cheese & mushroom.
On my count that makes 20 different Cornish pasties!
While variety is the spice of life in a way I do hope we here in South Australia stick with
our limited range of pasties – or am I simply unadventurous!
Page 26 of 56
HELSTON
Just as we have the furry dance in Kadina on the Saturday of the Cornish Festival, so too
Helston has its Flora Day and furry dances each year on the 8th May (unless 8th May falls
on a Sunday in which case it is held on the Saturday).
Whereas we have only one dance they have four dances during the day. Additionally the
dance is over a much longer distance than ours - 3¼ miles (5½ km).
Thus the first dance occurs at 7am, the children dance at 10.15am, the main dance is at
12noon and a final dance for the shop assistants and others at 5pm.
The Helston town band plays for each dance and I can imagine that they would need to
be very fit. All the shops are decorated with Bluebells and Lilly of the Valley and the
town apparently looks resplendent.
Certainly the furry dance we do in Kadina is significantly different than the one in
Helston. As with many traditions from Cornwall significant variations have occurred on
transfer to Australia.
Helston is another town that seeks to preserve and highlight specific elements of its
history. Thus the Blue Anchor Pub dates back to the 15th century. It has retained its
thatched roof and brews its own beer.
Another building commemorates the abode of the boxer known as the Dancing
Kangaroo. This boxer was Robert Fitzsimmons, he was born in Cornwall in 1863 and
achieved his fame in Australia as Champion of the World in 1897.
While Helston reeks of history there is a very modern side to the town also.
Helston is home to the Royal Naval Airstation ‘HMS Seahawk’. HMS Seahawk is
Britain’s largest helicopter base. It is the most southerly airfield in Britain and is the
Page 27 of 56
home of the Royal Naval Helicopter School. It is also a training base and trains other
European pilots as well.
An important role of the base is to provide 24 hour helicopter search and rescue.
Understandably it also is the major employer for the area.
While under normal circumstances only Helston born people participate in the furry
dance, special VIPs are also invited to dance. One of these special people is the
Commander of the Royal Naval Airstation.
Page 28 of 56
GWENNAP PIT
The influence of Metholism on the everyday lives of the Cornish miners in the Copper
Triangle and the threats Captain Hancock made if miners did not attend service are well
documented.
It was particularly interesting for me therefore to be taken to the Methodist Chapel of
Gwennap Pit. At first I could not see what relevance such a visit may have but I soon
learnt.
Gwennap Pit, in the heart of what was the ‘richest square mile in the world’ was basically
the embryo of the start of Methodism in that area of Cornwall and equally importantly in
the strength of Methodism wherever the Cornish migrated to.
John Wesley (1703 – 1791) preached at Gwennap Pit on 18 occasions between 1762 and
1789. Wesley was one of the first Methodist preachers. The name Method-ist came
about because Wesley was part of a group of under-graduates known as the ‘Holy Club”.
These young men tried to live orderly and disciplined Christian lives and Wesley became
the leader. This group were nicknamed “Method-ists” because of their methodical living.
While the pit is much smaller today – remodelled in 1806, back when Wesley preached
crowds apparently ranged from 20,000 to 30,000 on a Sunday afternoon.
Today when annual commemorative services are held in the pit the numbers are between
1000 and 1500. The pit was basically used by accident because of excessively high
winds. It was simply a large hollow on the scarred mining landscape and was probably
formed by the falling in of a mine working.
Page 29 of 56
HAYLE METHODIST CHAPEL
While being in attendance for a two hour Easter Sunday morning service in the Truro
Cathedral – the last Cathedral built in England during Queen Victoria’s reign, I was
privileged to be invited to the Hayle Methodist Chapel for the evening service.
Just as John Wesley had a pivotal role in establishing Methodism in the Gwennap mining
area, it should be remembered that his ministry to the British Isles lasted for fifty years
and it is estimated he travelled over 250,000 miles over some very rough roads during
this period.
Hence Wesleyan Chapels (or we would refer to them as churches), spread all over
Cornwall. Hayle was one of these.
To indicate how the wheel can turn full circle the current minister at Hayle is the
Reverend Ted Curnow. Ted was the Uniting Church Minister at Balaklava which is in
my electorate of Goyder. He, together with his wife Beryl were asked to serve for one
year in Cornwall but this has now been extended to two years.
It was Ted’s great great grandfather who emigrated to Australia in 1848 – before the rush
to the Copper Triangle.
I was pleased to have the opportunity to speak to the Hayle congregation during the
service and to meet with them afterwards.
It’s good to see South Australia being able to assist Cornwall to make up, in a very small
way, for the way the Cornish helped South Australia!
Page 30 of 56
GRAND BARD
At each Cornish Festival a special ceremony is held on the Saturday afternoon called the
Gorsedd.
This is a ceremony in both English and Cornish which in many ways is similar to a
formal church service. This ceremony is conducted by what I would refer to as the
‘priests’ or bards. On many occasions the Copper Triangle’s Cornish Festival has been
fortunate enough to have the Grand Bard come out from Cornwall and conduct the
ceremony.
I was therefore pleased to be able to meet the new Grand Bard, Rod Lyon.
Rod Lyon became the Grand Bard in September 2003 and will hold the position for three
years.
Rod together with his wife Margaret lives at Gwel An Meneth in Nancegollan.
He was interested to find out more about our Cornish Festival and I in turn to convey an
appropriate briefing about our Kernewek Lowender and about Australia’s Little
Cornwall.
Certainly Rod and Margaret are keen to come to Australia and hope to come out for the
next Cornish Festival.
Nancegollan is one of the many former Cornish mining towns and it was interesting to
view first hand the ruins of the Nancegollan mine which is less than a block away from
the Grand Bard’s home.
My thanks go to Terry and Charlotte Harry who as freelance journalists and
photographers did a write up on my visit to the Grand Bard for one of the Cornish
Magazines, namely ‘Limited Edition’.
Page 31 of 56
THE CORNISH SAINTS
Look at any map of Cornwall or tour through any area of Cornwall and one has to marvel
at the number of places named after Saints. Be it St Just, St Michael’s Mount, St
Keverne, St Clement, St Allen, St Austell, St Kew etc etc, the Saints are there.
While the development of the Christian Church is a story in itself it appears the ‘Saints’
of the Celtic Church may well have been ‘druids’ as well as early Christains.
Whatever the case, history records that during the 5th to 7th centuries Cornwall was
visited by numerous missionaries from Ireland and Wales. Apparently the Celtic Church
called its missionaries and teachers ‘Saint’. As a result many of the names of these
missionaries survive to today through place-names. Hence the massive number of ‘Saint’
place-names.
St Piran has come to be known as the Patron Saint of tinners and the National Saint of
Cornwall. Apparently he was a 6th century abbot. The Cornish flag carries St Piran’s
Cross, namely a white cross on a black background.
According to Peter Williams there are two stories on the symbolism of the white cross on
the black background.
The first story is that it represents the white molten tin out of the black tin ore which was
discovered by St Piran when he lit a fire on Perranporth beach.
The second explanation for St Piran’s flag is that it represents the light of God shining in
the darkness.
Page 32 of 56
BARD HOWARD CURNOW of An Gernyk, St Hilary
If one ever has to be convinced that there is still a sense of nationalism in Cornwall one
need go no further than Howard Curnow.
Some years ago I had the pleasure of showing Howard through Parliament House and he
was fascinated by the influence the Cornish had on the running of South Australia. For
example John Verran, South Australia’s first Labor Premier came from the Gwennap
mining area of Cornwall.
Howard’s knowledge of the Cornish past is immense and certainly helped me understand
how the feeling of being Cornish instils a feeling of pride.
Explanations were given on how the name Cornwall and Cornish names first came into
being.
The Cornish name for Cornwall is KERNOW. Many centuries ago mercenaries from
Ireland made their mark on the Cornish landscape. Thus it became known as the Land of
the Kerns. The plural of Kern was to add an ‘o’ – thus ‘Kerno’.
In the 16th Century the Anglo Saxons (English) wanted to know who a person was. With
the exception of the Bards and Druids, people at that time were by and large illiterate.
Locals therefore invariably took the name they already had as their first name. Thus if
your name was William and you had a son then he was known as William(s) William.
Again many people took the name Kern. But the English wrote the ‘K’ down as a ‘C’
hence ‘Kerno’ became ‘Curnow’.
Howard provided many similar examples of how history shaped present day Cornwall
and how much of this in turn has been ‘transported’ through migration to countries such
as Australia.
Page 33 of 56
Incorporated into a painting Howard had commissioned is the famous march from
Cornwall to London in 1497 led by Thomas Flamank (a lawyer) and Michael Joseph
Angove (a blacksmith) to confront King Henry VII about the amount of taxation being
imposed on the people of Cornwall.
The march got no further than Blackheath on the outskirts of London when the King’s
soldiers attacked at dawn and massacred all but Flamank and Angove. They in turn after
being dragged through the streets were hung, drawn and quartered. Protestors in 1497
were not tolerated!
It was Howard who was instrumental in leading a re-enactment of this march to London
in 1997 – 500 years after the event.
He took great pride in describing the journey from St Keverne to Blackheath. The sense
of nationalism must have been very evident. Howard said thousands participated in the
march and on occasions all the children of the local school would join in the march.
There were the moments of emotion such as at Launceston and the Norman Castle where
for the first time in 900 years the Cornish flag flew on top of the castle “We were crying”
said Howard.
Each year this event is celebrated in St Keverne, Bodmin (Flamank’s home) and in
London.
While one could imagine the march would provide the basis for any Cornish National
song, in fact their National Anthem ‘Trelawny’ was not created in the 15th century but in
the 18th century when King James II was ruler and wanted to reintroduce Catholicism
into England. Edicts were issued. Trelawny was a Cornishman and a Bishop in England
and told the King to ‘get lost’. Trelawny was put into the Tower of London together with
other Bishops but was released after five days due to public protests. James’ wishes were
never implemented. Trelawny was actually elevated to the Bishopric of Exeter which
included Cornwall and he is heralded as having made a successful protest.
Page 34 of 56
It was not until the 1800’s that the ‘Song of the Western Men’ was written by Patten
Hawker. It was a song of stirring events but Howard feels it has been adopted as the
National Anthem more so because of the tune rather than because of the words.
While the interview with Howard was fascinating and I have some of it recorded on
videotape, a special event occurred later that Easter Saturday at the Marazion Sailing
Club.
It was here that Howard and his Cadgwith Singers presented a fabulous evening of
Cornish singing in a pub-like setting.
I was honoured by being put into the middle of the room, surrounded by the singers who
in turn sang ‘Bound for South Australia’ for my benefit.
It was also a privilege during the evening to meet Lord St Levin, the traditional owner of
this land or Lord of the Manor, whose home (St Michaels Mount), lay across a narrow
stretch of water from the Marazion Sailing Club.
Page 35 of 56
DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK
With Innes National Park on the foot of Yorke Peninsula being the most visited national
park outside the metropolitan area, I felt there would be significant information I could
learn from a visit to Dartmoor National Park.
My meeting with Jeff Haynes, Director of Understanding and Enjoyment with the
Dartmoor National Park Authority showed this to be the case.
Dartmoor started in 1957 and was one of the first national parks in the United Kingdom.
Contrast this with the fact that the most recent national park (The Broads) was
established in 1989 although two new areas are being considered for national parks.
Totally different to South Australia’s national parks is the fact that 33,000 people live
within the park with towns and villages scattered throughout.
Thus first impressions are such that it is nothing like a national park we know. However
that is principally because in Devon and throughout all of England, human settlement has
been in place for thousands of years and any area with significant attractions or beauty is
probably settled.
According to Jeff the Dartmoor area was a traditional holiday area. To make it a national
park was made easier by the fact that one person, namely the Duke of Cornwall, i.e.
Prince Charles, owned 40% of the area. In addition much of the land is common land
and there are significant granite outcrops in the centre with quite a few areas designated
as area of outstanding national beauty.
In 1985 the Dartmoor Commons Act allowed access to 40% of the park and this in turn
has allowed the National Parks Officers to police a much larger area. There are about
100 staff at Dartmoor.
Page 36 of 56
While we in South Australia argue over whether or not mining should be allowed in some
national parks, in Dartmoor an area of some 15 kilometres x 10 kilometres is set aside for
three military firing ranges and training areas.
People living in the park do face restrictions in some areas. Thus for planning permission
they need to apply to the National Park Authority. In this respect there is a Dartmoor
National Park Land Management Plan. In those areas designated as conservation zones
there is a very restricted building code. However owners may also get a grant towards
renovations where such renovations are imposing a significant cost burden on the owner.
I had assumed such restrictions would lower the value of properties in Dartmoor but
according to Jeff this is not the case. In fact the value of the properties tend to be higher
since the quality of the environment in which those houses are located is considered to be
better. Again there are very few new houses allowed to be built which also adds to the
value of the existing homes.
One exception to the restriction on new houses being built is the construction of housing
for socially disadvantaged people.
Another contrast with our national parks is whether to revert the national park back to its
original landscape or to use some other point in time as the preferred focus.
Certainly in the case of Innes National Park I believe the aim is to keep the environment
as close to its original state as possible.
In Dartmoor this is not the case. The original landscape would have been forest.
However there is no move to bring Dartmoor back to a forested landscape. Rather the
aim is to seek to keep the landscape like it was in the 1950’s. This means ensuring the
farmers remain and that the land is grazed.
At the same time it needs to be an environmentally sensitive farm, since farmers will get
bigger payments for using environmentally friendly farming methods. It should be noted
that up to 60% of the farmer’s income comes from subsidies.
Page 37 of 56
Besides seeking to retain the landscape as it was last century there is also an emphasis on
talking to people about what is being done in the national park. An example of this
occurred the day before I visited the park when considerable publicity was given about
the need to look out for and recognize the need to protect ground nesting birds.
With a population of 33,000 people it is not surprising that the opportunities on what to
do and the range of entertainment available is extensive. Thus one can take a train into
the park. Once there one can stay at a variety of hotels or bed and breakfasts.
Alternately if caravaning there are a multitude of caravan parks to stay at.
Besides walks and pony rides one can also go to adventure and fun parks, to animal
farms, to working a forge in a foundry or enjoying a swim in Devon’s largest swimming
pool.
Page 38 of 56
EXMOOR NATIONAL PARK
Much of what I have written about Dartmoor as a national park can likewise be said
about Exmoor National Park.
Exmoor was established three years after Dartmoor in 1954 and as with Dartmoor has a
variety of settlements, towns and villages within its boundaries.
As would be expected both Exmoor and Dartmoor have many similarities in their
landscapes as well as differences and from what I saw I would describe Exmoor as being
a little more rugged or isolated and to some extent more windswept than Dartmoor.
The physical differences aside there is no doubt that Exmoor too offers much for the
visitor.
Being on the sea a variety of fishing is offered and boats can be hired. The inland
waterways are also promoted for fishing and there are also lakes especially stocked for
recreational fishers.
There are a multitude of riding stables where horses can be hired for an hour or for a day.
Four wheel drive safaris are also on offer to take people into the more remote parts of the
national park. Exmoor also has a Producer’s Association with over 50 members. These
members all work within the Exmoor area and consist of craftsmen, artists and producers
of food and drink. Visitors can see them at work in their shops and can buy their wares
either on-site or at a number of retail outlets.
There are 11 tourist centres in Exmoor, 11 doctors’ surgeries, 6 radio stations and a
fishing licence can be obtained at any post office or some seven other localities.
For interest house prices in Exmoor are higher than elsewhere in the South West or in the
United Kingdom as a whole. The average price being £225,000 (or $560,000)!
Page 39 of 56
EXMOOR GLASS AT PORLOCK WEIR, SOMERSET
Situated to the north of Exmoor National Park is the coastal town of Minehead and some
kilometres to the west is the small village of Porlock Weir.
On the harbour in Porlock Weir is a fascinating little boutique glass making shed with an
adjoining shop. This is the home of Exmoor Glass Limited.
It is a small business with four employees - two glassmakers, a production manager/artist
and a sales lady.
My thanks to Paul Long for taking me through the various steps of glassmaking and to
Paul and Caroline Norman for showing me their shop display area and the arrangements
for sending orders of glass overseas.
This is another boutique industry that could so easily be set up on Yorke Peninsula.
Their workmanship and craftsmanship is obviously becoming renowned since it is
Exmoor Glass which crafted the glasses used in the Harry Potter films. They have also
made special glassware for various celebrities including Imran Khan.
To my way of thinking there is nothing in this enterprise that an entrepreneurial person
could not obtain and set up in a small shed.
Thus there is the gas-fired furnace with a crucible inside. The marver on which the glass
is rolled to shape it, blowpipes to shape the glass and the glory hole – a reheating oven.
Understandably there are many different tools to form and shape the glass.
Interestingly the glassmakers hand tools are apparently virtually the same as those used
2000 years ago, although the metal tools are made by specialist blacksmiths.
For those who know the tools there are jacks to tease the glass into form, blocks to shape,
footboards for the feet of wine glasses, callipers to monitor the size of bubbles and shears
for snipping off excess pieces of molten glass.
Page 40 of 56
Literally hidden in an out-of-the way village, Exmoor Glass seems to be going from
strength to strength aided not only by the tourists who find their way there, but equally
importantly by sales over the web at www.exmoorglass.co.uk .
Page 41 of 56
MR ANDREW GEORGE MP – Member for St Ives and Isles of Scilly
There are five House of Common Members of Parliament representing the county (or
duchy) of Cornwall and other than one Labour member, the other members are Liberal
Democrats.
Andrew George has been the Member for St Ives and Isles of Scilly for the past seven
years.
Traditionally a Conservative seat, Andrew won the seat upon the resignation of the
former Conservative Member, David Harris.
The lesson the Conservatives did not learn was that they should not have sought to put in
a candidate selected from outside the area.
Andrew George is of Cornish descent and certainly appears to promote the Cornish
heritage, traditions and needs in Parliament.
In this respect it was well known amongst locals that the day Andrew was to be formally
sworn into Parliament was the same day the Helston Flora Day was held. As a result
Andrew chose to participate in the Helston Flora Day and the furry dance!
Again Andrew used the Cornish language to commence his maiden speech in Parliament.
Being one of 54 Liberal Democrats in the 659 seat Parliament Andrew recognises there is
a greater chance of being a ‘downwardly mobile’ rather than an ‘upward mobile’.
Andrew has written four books, three of them before he entered Parliament.
It was a very interesting and useful time spent with Andrew and as the Member for
‘Australia’s Little Cornwall’ it was a pleasure to exchange political ‘nuances’ with the
Member for St Ives who seems to be very much the ‘real’ Cornish Member for Cornwall.
Page 42 of 56
Perhaps something all Members of Parliament can bear in mind from Andrew’s book
entitled “A View from the Bottom Left-Hand Corner” is that the Commons Chamber is a
stage. You are performing, not debating”. (p9)
Page 43 of 56
MR MATTHEW TAYLOR MP – Chairman of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary
Party
Matthew Taylor, one of four Liberal Democrats in the county of Cornwall is Chairman of
the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party.
As such, in his words, he is the ‘all purpose spokesperson on issues”, and represents the
central area of Cornwall which includes the capital city of Truro.
Certainly Matthew has many ideas on the needs for Cornwall and the United Kingdom
and has a very good knowledge of where the Liberal Democrats lie in relation to the
major players, i.e. the Labour Party and the Conservative Party in British politics.
Matthew pointed out that only 25% of the British electorate voted for the Labour Party at
the last election meaning there is great scope for the other parties to attract the other 75%
of the vote. Many issues were discussed including the environment, regional
development and support, tourism, education and health.
In the area of health Matthew pointed out that whereas the United Kingdom spends 6½%
of its GDP on health care, Europe spends 10% and the United States of America spends
15%. Without doubt the National Health System (NHS) in Britain still has many
problems to overcome. It was interesting that Matthew felt there was a strong argument
to break the NHS down to local levels similar to the way the Danes have proceeded.
With respect to this suggested decentralization I could not help but reflect on South
Australia leading the way with our regionalization program in the 1990’s and the many
benefits it has brought us. Yes, I detect danger in going back to a centralized model.
Page 44 of 56
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Observing the House of Commons on the afternoon of Monday 19 April was significant
from several points of view.
Firstly it was the first day back for the House of Commons after the Easter Recess,
secondly it was the first day that the now bullet-proof anti-terrorist plate glass protective
screen was in place and thirdly Prime Minister Tony Blair gave a statement to the House
on the Iraq and Middle East Peace Process following his return from the USA three days
earlier.
It was seven years since I had last viewed the House of Commons – that occasion was
also significant since it was Tony Blair’s first appearance in the House as Prime Minister.
The rapidity of question time and the slickness of the answers continued to impress me.
It is easy to see why Speaker Lewis wants a change to our own question time procedure.
Filibustering in question time is virtually non-existent in the House of Commons.
Likewise the questions are short, sharp and shiny and are not allowed to be read by
members. I make further comment on question time in my report on my discussions with
the Clerk Assistant.
Prime Minister Blair’s statement to the House on Iraq and the Middle East Peace Process
was understandably interesting coming as it did soon after the virtual civil war uprising in
Iraq in early April. (During this crisis the Blair’s were on holiday in Bermuda and were
savaged by some of the British tabloids, especially The Mail on Sunday).
While the Prime Minister’s speech was little different than any other speech which the
speech writers may care to write, what interested me was a reciprocal or counter-
statement by the Leader of the Opposition, the Rt Hon Michael Howard QC.
Page 45 of 56
Following the Leader of the Opposition’s speech the Prime Minister again responded and
then a similar scenario occurred with the leader of the Liberal Democrats, the Rt Hon
Charles Kennedy followed by the Prime Minister and then questions from members.
This arrangement seemed far superior to the current system we have in our Parliament
where the Premier or a minister can make a ministerial statement, often giving a veiled or
open ‘wack’ to the Opposition or Minor Party member and there is no opportunity for a
response from the Opposition.
Again Speaker Lewis’ call for reform of the process as it currently occurs in our
Parliament makes a lot of sense when one views the House of Commons.
Page 46 of 56
MR DOUGLAS MILLAR – CLERK ASSISTANT
It was good to meet with the Clerk Assistant after I had observed the House of Commons
in action, for additional questions, other than those which I had prepared on procedure,
were fresh in my mind.
Thus my enthusiasm for the speed and conciseness of question time was partly tempered
when informed that all questions had to be submitted at least three days prior to being
asked. In fact questions relating to Ireland and Wales had to be submitted at least five
days before being asked. In earlier times it used to be two weeks notice.
As a result, (as I had observed), on many occasions the member does not even formally
ask his or her question but rather refers to it by number seeing the minister at the
Dispatch Box is already appraised of the question. However to a large extent the key
question then becomes the supplementary question which the member asks. As the Clerk
Assistant said to me, a member is not allowed to have an open question and any
supplementary must be related to the question itself. It is the supplementary question
which can still ‘catch the government out’.
Different portfolio areas and therefore different ministers are on different days.
This advance notice of questions seems to be the key reason for a lack of filibustering
since the minister has an answer prepared. Thus it is unlike our Parliament where it so
often appears the minister has little or no idea of the answer and therefore launches into a
dissertation vaguely related to the subject or on other occasions launches into a tirade
against the Opposition in an endeavour to disguise the fact that he or she does not know
the answer.
I believe a system where some of the Opposition’s questions are given to the government
in advance and some of the questions remain open would lead to a better question time
than we now experience.
Page 47 of 56
With 659 Members of Parliament, (although something nearer half being in attendance
for question time), seeking to get the Speaker’s nod to ask a question seems chaotic.
However I was assured there is a system in place. To begin with the Opposition front
bench are allotted five questions. The Whip tells the Speaker’s secretary which
frontbenchers will be asking questions.
After that formality there is then an informed Speaker’s list which is never published the
way we do in South Australia.
To choose a questioner the Speaker seeks to look to a member who has an interest in a
particular subject. This is done (from my observations) via a secretary standing adjacent
to the Speaker for much of the time who literally acts as a ‘spotter’.
Besides ministers, the chairmen of the various committees can also be questioned when
they present their reports. However questions need to have been submitted to the
respective chairman three days earlier.
With respect to questions to ministerial statements such as Prime Minister Blair gave, no
notice needs to be given. On the other hand the Prime Minister or a minister have to
make copies available to the Opposition of any statements to the House at least half an
hour prior to such a statement being made in the House.
Seeing our Parliament is based on House of Commons practices and procedures there is
no doubt in my mind that we could learn some lessons from the way the House of
Commons currently conducts its business.
Page 48 of 56
THE RT HON DAVID MACLEAN – OPPOSITION CHIEF WHIP
While the House of Commons has 659 members and the South Australian House of
Assembly only has 47 members, it is surprising how much two Opposition Whips can
have in common on the running of the House. Even when it comes down to the number
of our respective parties the difference is still huge i.e. 164 Conservatives to 20 Liberals.
Nevertheless we had a lot of information to share and I was very appreciative of the time
David Maclean was able to spend with me especially since our appointment occurred at
the advised time of divisions occurring in the Commons on Lords Amendments to the
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill.
In addition to the Opposition Chief Whip there is also an Opposition Deputy Chief Whip
and seven Opposition Assistant Chief Whips. Thus each person needs to know what their
job is and efficient communication is essential.
Besides the normal phone and paging systems David Maclean also produces The
Conservative Electronic Whip on a weekly basis. This is a key planning document to
alert the 164 Conservatives what is on when. Unlike our Parliament time limits for
consideration of Bills is strict. Thus instructions such as “important decisions will take
place and your attendance from 3.30pm and until the business is concluded is essential
unless you have received authorised absence from the Assistant Chief Whip” or
“Important divisions will take place and your attendance at 6.30pm for 7pm is essential”
are common occurrences for each sitting day of the week.
If a member wishes to speak to a Bill then the member will need to write to the Chief
Whip seeking the right to speak and the Whip in turn has to liaise with the Speaker.
Likewise members wishing to speak in an adjournment debate need to fill out an
application form requesting the right and again the Whip has to determine who may
speak and again liaise with the Speaker.
Page 49 of 56
While the Electronic Whip also highlights the recess dates, it is made very clear that the
“success in meeting these dates will depend on the progress of business”.
Additionally a Conservative Commons Courier is issued from the Whip’s office from
time to time which highlights the various meeting dates and topics for committees, policy
discussion groups and special debates in Parliament.
So that no-one could plead ignorance it was clearly stated where appropriate “Members
are reminded that their proceedings are secret”.
Other ‘tit-bits’ are also highlighted such as quotations from ‘The Liberal Democrats
Little Yellow Book’ - “Be wicked, act shamelessly, stir endlessly”, “you can secure
support from voters who normally vote Tory by being effectively anti-Labour and
similarly in a Tory area secure Labour votes by being anti-Tory”.
There were various other in-house issues we discussed and hopefully I can use some of
the useful ideas I picked up from my discussions with David Maclean.
Page 50 of 56
MR MAURICE de ROHAN OBE - AGENT GENERAL FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
I was pleased to meet with our Agent General and to discuss a variety of issues as they
related to the United Kingdom and to South Australia.
During our meeting I was able to apprise him of several ventures in Cornwall which I felt
he should be aware of and of their possible relevance to South Australia.
It is clear that our presence as a State in London is very important and I trust the
government will ensure the Agent General’s position is not only maintained in London
but if necessary is strengthened.
Page 51 of 56
MR MICHAEL L’ESTRANGE – AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER
The principal reason for my meeting with Mr L’Estrange was to brief him on Australia’s
Little Cornwall.
This was because the High Commissioner had been invited to Cornwall to join in the
annual May Day Festival and Helston Flora Day in Cornwall.
Besides providing him with several books and brochures, I was also able to bring him up
to speed on the Kernewek Lowender and how our history tied in so closely with
Cornwall’s.
Additionally, having just spent the week in Cornwall, it was a good opportunity to relay
my impressions of Cornwall and to make some suggestions on towns and areas he might
like to look at while in Cornwall.
A variety of other issues were also discussed and I appreciated the time the High
Commissioner gave me in London.
Page 52 of 56
COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION
I was able to spend some time at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in the
Palace of Westminster.
The new CPA secretary, Andrew Tuggey looked after me very well and I was pleased to
be able to touch base on a variety of Parliamentary issues.
It was fortunate that the Deputy Speaker of the South African Parliament, Ms Gwen
Mahlangu-Nkabinde was being looked after by the CPA at the same time so I was able to
meet and discuss issues with her.
Other Members of Parliament I met with through the CPA were the Shadow Minister for
Police, James Paice MP, Bill Olner MP of the Labour Party and Kate Hoey MP also of
the Labour Party.
Page 53 of 56
PETER AND DAWN WILLIAMS – Couple Extraordinaire
As I indicated in the introduction, part of the emphasis of my trip was to study the
Cornish history, traditions, culture and its development. This would not have been
possible without the meetings and visits arranged by one of the Cornish Bards, Mr Peter
Williams and his wife Dawn of Ponsanooth.
It was an exhausting itinerary which included every day over Easter.
Having been born and bred in Cornwall and having served most of his working life as a
policeman in Cornwall, Peter literally knew every ‘nook and cranny’ and for that matter
knew a significant percentage of the population! Dawn too was equally knowledgeable
and was also a local since birth.
Without Peter and Dawn’s personally guided tour, my understanding of Cornwall and
how its history and traditions are an integral part of Australia’s Little Cornwall would
have been far shallower.
While a report cannot do justice to all that was said and learnt, many of the chapters in
this report hopefully convey the key elements of Cornish culture and traditions and
provide some appreciation of what I learnt.
While all chapters may be regarded as equally important and all contain much of what I
studied in Cornwall and the UK, more than half of the chapters form a package which has
an emphasis on the history, traditions and culture of Cornwall and hopefully help provide
a better understanding of Cornish traditions and culture in South Australia.
Page 54 of 56
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My sincere thanks go to the following people for their time, their assistance and for the
information provided to me which helped make this study trip a success.
CHALLIS, Rosie Inwards Visits Manager, Overseas Office, House of
Commons
CURNOW, Howard Cornish Bard
CURNOW, Rev Ted Methodist Minister
CURNOW, Beryl Wife of the above
DE ROHAN, Maurice Agent General for South Australia
EDWARDS, Peter Wind Power developer, Delabole
GEORGE, Andrew MP Member for St Ives and Isles of Scilly
HARRY, Terry Freelance photographer and journalist
HAYNES, Jeff Director Understanding & Enjoyment, Dartmoor
National Park Authority
JONES, Alan Architect
LYON, Rod Grand Bard of Cornwall
LONG, Paul Glassmaker Exmoor Glass
MACLEAN, The Rt Hon David
MP
Opposition Chief Whip
Page 55 of 56
Page 56 of 56
MARAIS, Martin Head of on-shore development, National Wind
Power
MILLAR, Douglas Clerk Assistant House of Commons
NORMAN, Caroline Manager/Artist Exmoor Glass
SHARPE, Jacqy Clerk of the Overseas Office, House of Commons
SKINNER, Steve Managing Director, Skinner’s Fine Cornish Ales
SKINNER, Sarah Director, Skinner’s Fine Cornish Ales
SYMON, Paul Employee, Skinner’s Fine Cornish Ales
TAYLOR, Alastair Cornish Tenor
TAYLOR, Matthew MP Chairman, Liberal Democrats Parliamentary Party
TUGGEY, Andrew Secretary, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
WILLIAMS, Peter Cornish Bard
WILLIAMS, Dawn Wife of the above
WILLIAMS, Peter Head of Wind Operations, National Wind Power
