Clipper Ship 'City of Adelaide'

On Friday 5th November a dinner was held at The Pavilion, Adelaide Oval to celebrate the 146th Anniversary of the first arrival of the City of Adelaide in South Australia in November 1864. Hosted by our Chairman, Creagh O'Connor, nearly 400 guests enjoyed a fun night 'under canvas' at the Pavilion which was festooned with nautical and historic South Australian flags. Special guests included:

• Julia Whittle - great-great-grand-daughter of Captain David Bruce, first master of the City of Adelaide and a quarter-owner.
• Marion Wells - great-grand-daughter of Matilda Methuen who migrated to Adelaide on the maiden voyage to marry Peter Waite. Two weeks after Matilda arrived, the couple were married at the home of their fellow Scotsman, Robert Barr Smith. Marion Wells wore Matilda Methuen's 1864 engagement ring to the 2010 dinner.

Piper Des Ross welcomed guests during pre-dinner drinks.

In August 1864, under the command of Scotsman Captain David Bruce, the City of Adelaide departed London and commenced the long and arduous voyage to the other side of the world. Onboard were passengers who were about to establish a new life in the young colony of South Australia, which was then only 28 years old. In November 1864, after a three month voyage, the handsome clipper arrived at Port Adelaide with all passengers safe and sound.

Over the following quarter century, the City of Adelaide carried all classes of passengers from the rich to the poor, from people 'of substance', to government assisted emigrants. The first class cabins were considered to be the finest of the sailing ship era. Today the descendents of the Scottish, English, German and Cornish migrants now living in South Australia number in the hundreds of thousands.

The following are photographs provided through the generous support of Helen Roberts Photography. (Please note that the previews below crop the photos. Please click on the images to see the full images.)