Clipper Ship 'City of Adelaide'

The Petition of the undersigned electors draws to the attention of the House:

South Australian electors recognise that the 'City of Adelaide' built in 1864 and the 'Cutty Sark' built in 1869 are the last two remaining composite clipper ships in the world.  South Australian electors recognise that with the recent devastating fire on the 'Cutty Sark', the 'City of Adelaide', five years older than the 'Cutty Sark', is now of even greater world heritage significance.

South Australian electors recognise the major heritage importance of the clipper ship 'City of Adelaide' to both the nation of Australia and the State of South Australia.  South Australian electors recognise that as the 'City of Adelaide' is the last surviving sailing ship to carry emigrants on a regular service between Europe and Australia, and one of only two surviving sailing ships to carry emigrants from the British Isles to any destination in the world, she is of major national historic significance to South Australia and Australia.

South Australian electors recognise that in colonial times the nation of Australia was "built on the sheep's back" and that South Australia's prosperity was dependent on sailing ships to deliver the sheep's wool to the overseas markets and that by good fortune a significant element of that South Australian martime heritage has survived in the form of the clipper ship 'City of Adelaide'.  During those colonial days, she is attributed to have carried 60,000 bales of South Australian wool in the Great Clipper Races from South Australia to England.  In addition to wool, the 'City of Adelaide' also carried other Australian cargoes such as wheat and copper to the European markets on return voyages after bringing out her precious human 'cargoes' of European immigrants to Adelaide.

South Australian electors are alarmed at the recent developments in Scotland whereby the 'City of Adelaide' is required to quit the site where she presently sits, and as a consequence the UK authorities plan to deconstruct her at an estimated cost of A$1,500,000 to A$1,700,000.

South Australian electors have added their signatures to this Petition by their own hand-writing or by electronic signature.  Where South Australian electors have used an electronic signature they have not been pasted upon or otherwise transferred to the petition or the sheets containing the request.  The "chain of events" for adding electronic signatures has been completely documented to confirm that each signatory has read the text of the petition and has genuinely endorsed that text and, to demonstrate that electronic signatures represent endorsement by real persons, IP addresses have been collected to provide additional verification that they represent individual signatures.


Your petitioners therefore request that your Honourable House will:

1.   Make representations to the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia and UK authorities that the budget planned to be used for deconstructing the historic ship should be converted into a budget for the constructive purpose of contributing to the transportation of the 'City of Adelaide' to Australia, preferably Port Adelaide.

2.   Make arrangements together with the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia and corporate Australia to make up the additional budget necessary to transport the 'City of Adelaide' to Australia, preferably Port Adelaide, to preserve her and display her for future generations of Australians.

3.   Take any additional actions necessary to ensure the preservation of this important piece of world, national and State heritage.

4.   Receive this petition recognising that some electors have used electronic signatures to sign the petition and other electors have signed with their own hand-writing.