Commemoration Committee Formed

Before dealing with the article on Eyre Peninsula monuments, the first of which concerns Pieter Nuyts at Streaky Bay, as stated last week, Mr. Somerville gives further particulars concerning more recent incidents connected with the Stamford Hill monument.

The history of this obelisk would not be complete without taking into consideration the work performed during the last six years. The work done by Kellet and Shepperd must have been exceptionally good, for as far as can be ascertained, no repairs have been effected since the rehabilitation in 1866/7, until 1934, when the marble tablet with inscription was replaced by one of bronze. I am indebted to Mr. N. W. Wright, chairman of the Flinders Commemoration Committee, for much of the following particulars.

It will be remembered that the Dutch discoveries in Australia were ascribed to two reasons, accidental and purposely; in one case ships being blown off their course until unknown land was discovered, and the other where ships were sent out definitely to search for and trace unknown shores. So with this obelisk, these two factors come into play.

Lady Franklin definitely setting out from Adelaide to arrange for the erection; then the accidental, when the pleasure party of Mr. Henry Holroyd in or about 1865 found the obelisk in such a bad state of repair that the Government generously reinstated the memorial, then again in 1931, Mr. D. J. Gilbert of the "News" visited Port Lincoln. In the course of entertainment for which that town is noted, Mr. N. W. Wright suggested a trip to the monument, with an hotel excursion party. Again a hot December day almost without a breath of wind was the lot of the excursionists. It was 5 o'clock ere the obelisk was reached. Some members of the party felt regret that they had not visited the monument before, never having realised "what an important historical asset this monument was, not only to Port Lincoln but to Australia." They found the obelisk itself in good state of preservation, but feared that a few more winter's squalls would obliterate the inscription.

From this "accidental" trip arose the Flinders Commemorative Committee, the principal aim of which was to replace the worn inscription and to draw "public attention in and out of Port Lincoln to the great historical importance of the unique dual link with the past that was almost unheeded, except by careless excursionists." I like Garron's "four" better than the dual. I would go one further than Garron and suggest it should be five, the four names mentioned on the inscription and the lady behind the scene, whose foresight was responsible for the monument but whose name does not appear thereon — Lady Franklin !

PILGRIMAGES TO OBELISK

The committee of the Port Lincoln Institute took the initiative informing the Flinders Commemoration Committee, comprising : three members of the Port Lincoln Institute Committee; the harbormaster, ex officio ; a representative from the Port Lincoln Town Council ; a representative of the R.S. and S.I.L.A., and three specially invited citizens, known to have a particular interest in historical research. In course of time the committee was enlarged, and new appointments were made to replace members leaving the district. One of the first acts of the committee was to institute pilgrimages to the obelisk, the first of such was in 1932 on the 130th anniversary of Flinders' landing, when four to five hundred persons were taken across the water by a ketch, two large cutters, two motor boats with about five ship's lifeboats in tow. Prior to this, a small landing stage had been erected and the track up the hill had been improved. The Hon. (now Sir) George Ritchie M.L.C. declared the landing stage open, and at the monument Sir William Sowden was the chief speaker, followed by Mr. E. J. Craigie M.P.. The Adelaide Steamship Co. had presented a flag pole for ceremonial purposes.

In each subsequent year except 1936, pilgrimages were undertaken, but on a smaller scale. After having obtained the sanction of the Department of Lands, and of the District Council of Lincoln, which controls the area in which the monument is erected, the committee began its operations, the principal items being :
(a) providing and fitting a new bronze tablet on Stamford Hill obelisk ;
(b) erection of small landing jetty at foot of Stamford Hill — unfortunately this was destroyed by the next winter's gales, so a fresh one was constructed with the cooperation of Harbors Board officers and that standing ;
(c) widening, straightening and clearing the original track and improving it where possible ;
(d) providing direction signs for pathway to summit of Stamford Hill, and I believe seats en route up the hill ;
(e) this item is rather outside the idea of this article and some future historian writing up the history of the new Civic Hall and the new Institute, should deal more fully with it — but the committee erected in co-operation with the Port Lincoln Town Council and the Port Lincoln Institute Committee, the Flinders Archway between the two buildings mentioned above in Tasman terrace.

The committee provided the bronze commemoration plates, the council the stone work and the institute committee a special lamp and the electrical installation.

NEW TABLET COVERS OLD ONE

The committee is now taking steps to locate the approximate spot where Flinders obtained water for the Investigator at the head of Port Lincoln (Proper Bay), with a view of placing a memorial on the adjacent roadway for the information of visitors. The new bronze tablet for the Stamford Hill monument was bolted over and through the existing tablet. It was considered that the marble tablet was of little historical value and also in the opinion of the erecting engineer the removal might result in more damage to the face of the monument than the saving of the slab as a historical relic warranted. The bronze tablet carries the same inscription as the marble one, word for word and line for line, but the following addition at the foot in small letters, "Original marble tablet in S.A. Museum. This plate, publicly subscribed, was unveiled by Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven, V.C., K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O., Governor of S.A., on March 8, 1934."

Advantage was taken of a trip b-ing made by the Governor on a farewell visit to the gulf ports by the Moonta, with the directors of the Adelaide Steamship Co., to perform the unveiling ceremony on March 8, 1934. The arrangements were that the Governor and party and as many of the residents as desired to go should be transported from Boston Island to the shore at the foot of Stamford Hill in small crafts — weather permitting ! The day turned out extremely hot with a strong northerly wind blowing, which made it impracticable to carry out the original scheme. It is to be noticed how nearly every record of a visit to the monument shows that the day was hot. The directors of the Adelaide Steamship Coy. came to the rescue by placing the Moonta at the disposal of the committee to convey the Governor, the official party and about 400 townspeople to an anchorage below Stamford Hill. Owing to the heat and the wind it was decided that the ceremony should take place aboard the vessel and, at the word of the Governor conveyed by the vessel's siren, the flags draping the plate were released by the then harbormaster (Capt. A. G. Spiers) on the Governor's behalf. The Moonta's party had been preceded by the harbormaster, giving him time to climb the 474 feet to the top of the hill, and to have everything in readiness for unveiling the tablet on being signalled from the Moonta.

NAMING OF PORT LINCOLN

It may be interesting to record that at this ceremony on the Moonta at foot of Stamford Hill, Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven presented to the Institute Committee the writer's history of the Port Lincoln Special Survey, on behalf of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, S.A. branch. The writer shortly afterwards suggested to one of the proprietors of this paper that it would be of historical value to Eyre peninsula residents, to give in their paper a resume of that history. Out of that suggestion arose the ambitious project, as a Centenary gesture, the narration of the history of the early days of Eyre Peninsula. Had that special survey history not been written and typed, the larger history of the district would probably have not have written.

The success of the Moonta excursion provided funds (£20) to form the nucleus of a fund for the erection of the Flinders Archway, which was unveiled by the present Governor, Major General Sir Winston Dugan, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O., on May 27, 1936. The Flinders Commemoration Committee provided a pair of bronze tablets showing Flinders' bust in "bas relief" and a suitable inscription as follows : "In honor of Matthew Flinders, R.N., who, in command of H.M.S. Investigator discovered and named this harbor 26th February, 1802. 'The port ... I named Port Lincoln in honor of my native province.' "

It might be noticed there is a slight ambiguity in this inscription; a trap for the unwary. One may be apt to read that the harbor was discovered on the 26th. It will be remembered that the mouth of the harbor was seen from Thistle's Island on February 21, 1802, and on 23rd the scientific party from the top of a hill at the back of Memory Cove saw a sheet of water extending far inland, and on the 24th also saw the same inlet from the hill. It was the next day the 25th that the Investigator sailed into that harbor and the following day (26th) that Flinders named the water, as Port Lincoln and the arm thereto Boston Bay.

A full account of the doings of the Flinders Commemoration Committee will be found in the S.A. Institutes' Journal for February and April 1932, and April 1934. Port Lincoln is fortunate in having such an enthusiast as Mr. N. W. Wright, who seeing that a thing has to be done, does it ungrudgingly and has such a personality that he can get others to follow and assist him.

I cannot do better in concluding this article than to quote the words used by His Excellency the Governor, when unveiling the Flinders Archway: "The younger generation, as they pass by, should glance at the arch and remember the deeds, not only of Flinders but of all pioneers who had made Port Lincoln worthy of its place in the Empire," and by a slight alteration in the phraseology make the sentiments apply equally to the Memory Cove tablet and the Stamford Hill monument.