| Guests are very welcome to join us at all Pioneers SA events
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| Please note that bookings are required for all events seven days prior to the scheduled date. Payment in advance is preferred for all events. Booking and payment options below. For any issues with a booking, please text or call the Events Co-ordinator on 0409 251 185 |
April
| Monday 27 April 12pm - 3pm E26-03 - Pub Lunch 'Cracking Light’s Code: Celebrating Light’s Birthday with a Fresh Look at How Adelaide Was Planned Across the Torrens' Colonel William Light faced an extraordinary challenge: to design a city of 1,000 one‑acre lots on a site unlike any other, split by the River Torrens. How did he achieve it?
Light’s working drawings and notes were lost—most likely in a house fire—leaving historians with the final plan but no record of the thinking behind it. In this presentation, architect, urban designer and cultural heritage consultant Ron Danvers explores how Light may have constructed his master plan. Drawing on international planning precedents of the era, Danvers “reverse engineers” Adelaide’s layout to reveal a compelling and highly plausible explanation of Light’s method. Join us to celebrate the 240th birthday of the remarkable man who had the creative genius and skill to create the city that we all enjoy today.
The Edinburgh Hotel 1-7 High Street, Mitcham
Cost: Members $65 Guests $75
Booking essential and will close on Tuesday 21 April.
When booking, please provide a contact phone number, the names of all attendees, their meal selection, and/or dietary requirements.
Main Course selections: - Fish & chips, Greek salad, chips, lemon, or - Roast beef, seasonal roasted vegetables, (GF) (gravy available upon request); or Dessert selections:
| Wednesday 22 April 10.30am – 12.30pm SM-03 SameShips - 'Caroline', 'Delhi', 'William Barras'
These three ships arrived at Port Adelaide within a three-day period in December 1839. Their arrival marked a significant moment in the growth of the fledgling colony, with approximately 470 emigrants disembarking to begin new lives in South Australia. Join us for morning tea to share your stories or learn more about these remarkable voyages. Cost: $5 per person. Bookings & payment in advance appreciated
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| Saturday 2 May 11am Pioneer Poster Exhibition Launch - Campbelltown Public Library
Join the Pioneers SA Librarian, Alison Hicks, for a fascinating talk on early settler Martha Silke (née Painter). Arriving in South Australia in 1840 aboard the Fairlie, Martha went on to build a life in Paradise with her husband, Henry Oak Silke, a horticulturalist. Alison's presentation will explore Martha’s family life, and active contributions to South Australia’s early history. Bookings open 1 April 2026 via Humanitix: Martha Silke: Pioneer Settler of Paradise
Thursday 7 May 7pm - 9pm Pioneers SA History Festival Launch - Burnside Library "London, Lancashire & Orkney: Families Connecting in South Australia"
A journey tracing the unexpected links between families from the slums of London, the industrial heart of Lancashire and the remote Orkney Islands. This presentation by Pioneers Association President Anthea Taylor, follows lives shaped by poverty, resilience and quiet ambition, woven together by migration, chance and shared beginnings in SA. Bookings to events@pioneerssa.org.au please.
Sunday 17 May 10am - 4pm
Step back in time at History Day at the Gaol!
Friday 1 May - Tuesday 31 May Pioneers SA Poster Exhibitions
"Pioneers of the Mid-North" Pioneers SA Office, Level 2, 25 Leigh Street Adelaide Tue & Thur 10am - 2pm "Pioneers of Campbelltown & the N E Suburbs" Campbelltown Public Library Daily 10am - 6pm (1-5pm Sun) "Pioneer Connections with Old Adelaide Gaol" Old Adelaide Gaol, 18 Gaol Road, Adelaide Daily during open hours in May
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| Wednesday 17 June 10.30am – 12.30pm SM-04 SameShips - 'Apolline' and 'Mary Dugdale' Pioneers SA, Leigh Street, Adelaide
Both of these ships arrived in South Australia in October 1840. Notable passengers on the Apolline included Henry Weston Phillips and George Phillips, pioneers in the Adelaide and North Adelaide areas. The Mary Dugdale sailed from Bristol/Dublin, carrying William Marrett, farmer & publican, amongst its passengers. Cost: $5 per person. Bookings & payment in advance appreciated
| Wednesday 24 June 12.00pm – 3.00pm E26-04 Lunch Meeting - Ray Dundon: "The Unassuming Botanist - Friedrich Hermann Heinrich Schultze; and his role in the Goyder Expedition to Survey Darwin in 1869”
Join us as Ray presents the remarkable story of Friedrich Hermann Heinrich Schultze, the skilled surveyor whose expertise helped shape the very foundations of Darwin. This presentation explores his vital role in Goyder’s 1869 Northern Territory Survey Expedition, revealing the precision, resilience, and quiet leadership that guided one of South Australia’s most significant surveying achievements.
Walkerville Uniting Church Hall 17 Smith Street, Walkerville
Cost: $5 members / $10 guests Bookings & payments in advance appreciated |
| Wednesday 22 July 10.30am – 12.30pm SM-05 SameShips - 'Canton' and 'Medway' Pioneers SA, Leigh Street, Adelaide
Cost: $5 per person. Bookings & payment in advance appreciated | Sunday 26 July 12.00pm – 4.00pm E26-05 Winter Gathering Janet Morran - Mount Horrocks Historical Society 'The Letters of Clara Horrocks to her brothers John Ainsworth and Arthur Horrocks in South Australia'
Venue & Cost TBC
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