Turning points in South Australia's history

Some of the country's most high-profile historians will feature in a public lecture series starting at the University of Adelaide later this month to mark the 175th anniversary of European settlement in South Australia.

Run by the School of History and Politics, the public lecture series begins on 27 July and will be held on consecutive Wednesdays at 6.00pm in the Napier Lecture Theatre G04.

The guest speakers, their topics, and lecture dates are:

• Bill Gammage AM: The Adelaide district in 1836, Wednesday 27 July.
  (Adjunct Professor at the Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University)
  The talk argues that Aborigines purposefully distributed the Adelaide district's dominant plants into patterns, to make plants and animals abundant, convenient and predictable. The talk then sketches how the arrival of Europeans impacted on this way of life.

• Professor Henry Reynolds - Between Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand, Wednesday 3 August.
  (Senior Research Fellow at the University of Tasmania)
  This talk will examine early British policy towards the Aborigines in South Australia and the impact of two quite different developments: the experience of European settlement in Tasmania and also New Zealand.

• Emeritus Professor Jill Roe AO - Making the most of it: Life on the rural frontier in 20th century South Australia, Wednesday 10 August
  (Emeritus Professor of History, Macquarie University)
  This lecture will chart the main shifts in rural settlement across the State during the 20th century, addressing the decline of small country towns and the new coastal dynamics such as fishing and tourism.

• Professor Mark Peel - A place to grow: Making a future in post war South Australia, Wednesday 17 August
  (Professor of History, University of Liverpool)
  This lecture examines South Australia through migrants' eyes, using family stories to show how the State's post war development relied heavily on British and European migrants.

• Professor Susan Magarey AM - Sex and citizenship: From ballot boxes to bedrooms, Wednesday 24 August
  (Adjunct Professor of History, University of Adelaide)
  This lecture will examine two major events in South Australia: granting women the right to vote in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; and prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of sex in the second half of the 20th century.

• Neal Blewett AC - The impact of the "Dunstan Decade", Wednesday 31 August
  (former Federal Labor politician, academic and diplomat)
  This lecture will examine Don Dunstan's role in the transformation of the ALP during his era, epitomised by the advancement of minorities, egalitarian welfare policies, and cultural and social awareness.

The series is being co-ordinated by Associate Professor Paul Sendziuk and Associate Professor Robert Foster in the School of History and Politics. The latter will also deliver a paper with colleague Amanda Nettelbeck at the State History Conference on 5 August.

Admission to the lecture series is free but bookings are essential and can be made by emailing history@adelaide.edu.au or phoning 08 8313 1441.

Story by Candy Gibson