Martin Haese has been appointed Honorary Chairman of the Clipper Ship City of Adelaide, a voluntary organisation that maintains and promotes the historic vessel built specifically to bring passengers from the UK to the then Colony of South Australia.

 

Long abandoned as derelict after sinking in the River Clyde in Scotland, it was saved in 2014 when persistent Adelaide volunteers successfully lobbied the Scottish government for ownership, and brought it back Down Under.

 

In his new role, Mr Haese will help oversee the clipper’s ongoing preservation and limited restoration, and the development of its seaport village in the Dock 2 maritime precinct at Port Adelaide.

 

He replaces Creagh O'Connor AM, who was Honorary Chair for 15 years.

 

Built in Sunderland, England, the City of Adelaide made 23 return journeys between 1864 and 1893, and an estimated 250,000 Australians can trace their ancestry back to those voyages.

 

In its day the clipper  was the pinnacle of sailing ship design. Only one other such vessel is still around – the Cutty Sark, one of London’s most popular tourist attractions.

 

“As the oldest surviving composite sailing ship of its type in the world today, the City of Adelaide is a vitally important and globally significant asset for all South Australians,” Mr Haese said.

 

“Its history mirrors that of South Australia as it embodies immigration, free trade and entrepreneurial spirit.”

 

Mr Haese, who was Lord Mayor from 2014 to 2018, led the unveiling of a replica City of Adelaide coat of arms on the vessel in 2015.

 

He is now the South Australian Government’s Special Envoy to Singapore and Southeast Asia for Trade and Investment, as well as Chair of the Premier’s Climate Change Council.