Government House Adelaide Open Day

Government House Adelaide Open Day

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Posted 2022-10-19 by Graeme Fanningfollow

Sun 30 Oct 2022

When was the last time you ventured beyond the gates of Government House on North Terrace in Adelaide to explore the gardens and the house?

If you haven't or it's been a while, then another opportunity is coming up on Sunday 30th October between 10 am and 4 pm.



Background

Government House in Adelaide is viewed as the oldest continuously used Government House in Australia, with governors residing and working in the current premises from 1840 right through to today.

The vice-regal role of the Governor has changed dramatically from its inception when governors right up to the 1960s in Australia could only be British born and in the early years, would sell off or auction off their furniture and move back to Britain, with a new Governor bringing out new furniture.

Our first change in South Australia for a non-British born Governor was in 1976 when for the first time in Australian history, we had an indigenous Governor - Pastor Doug Nicholls.

We were also groundbreaking with the first Female Governor in Australia being appointed in 1991 - Dame Roma Mitchell, who served for 5 years.

Our Vice-Regal appointments continued to be pioneering with the appointment of a Vietnamese boat refugee, Hieu van Le, the first Vietnamese born governor also in Australia back in 2014.

Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC was appointed to the current role last October (2021) and has just commemorated her first year in office, with a strong desire to promote and educate the public on the role of a Governor.

This is achieved via the Governor's social media accounts and regular press releases.



Open Day details

The upcoming open day will incorporate a focus on Children's Week with many activities throughout the day geared towards children.

Some of these activities will include Giant Games on the lawns run by the Girl Guides of South Australia as well as the opportunity to step inside and experience a life size replica of a Royal Flying Doctor Service Pilatus PC-12 plane.

The magnificent Police "Greys" (horses) will be also on display within the grounds. Did you know that the reason SA have these lighter colour horses for their mounted police division stems back to the days of World War 1?

During the war, the Australian Army procured most of the available darker colour horses, leaving the lighter colour ones to be utilised for other purposes, with the military believing that the darker variety would be better in warfare, including for camouflage.

It was finally in 1951 when the police "greys" were officially exclusively used.



Other events on the open day will include:

A cupcake decorating competition with winners chosen by Her Excellency, the Honourable Frances Adamson for a special morning tea held at Government House.

An animal of Government House Hunt.

Regular Garden Tours including talks by Government House's Beekeeper.



There will also be a special display honouring the life of the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, including her long association with South Australia.

You will also have the chance to view the winning entry in Adelaide Royal Show's Scarecrow Making Competition.

Volunteers will be on hand within the house and the grounds to answer any of your questions and to top that off, you will get the chance to be met and greeted by the Governor and her husband on the day.

One of the few opportunities over the course of the year to get a glimpse into the Vice-Regal world of South Australia's Government House and what's more it won't cost you a thing!

#adelaide_city
#architecture
#attractions
#child_friendly
#family
#family -attractions
#fun_for_children
#greater_adelaide
#historic_houses
#history
#things_to_see
#tours
#october
!date 30/10/2022 -- 30/10/2022
%wnadelaide
153824 - 2023-06-14 08:26:00

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