An SA

I've been to South Australia a handful of times. It's usually been memorable: once we sat down to a big restaurant meal and, when we'd finished, my partner at the time realised she'd left her wallet in the bus station. That was heart stopping. On another occasion we almost went over the Adelaide Hills in a semi-trailer. That too was heart stopping.
And I was prevented from entering a club as I looked like I'd just crawled out of the Gobi Desert (close, I'd just completed a share petrol lift with an Irishman in his old Kingswood station wagon from Darwin to Adelaide. There's a photo back in Eire of yours truly looking like something out of Burke and Wills, crouching next to a carcass at a salt lake in the Nullabor)

SA is the favoured state in the sense that its capital was named after the wife of the reigning monarch.


List of Governors of South Australia
No. Governor From To
1 Rear Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH 28 December 1836 16 July 1838
2 Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler KH 17 October 1838 15 May 1841
3 Sir George Grey KCB 15 May 1841 25 October 1845
4 Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Holt Robe 25 October 1845 2 August 1848
5 Sir Henry Fox Young KCMG 2 August 1848 20 December 1854
6 Sir Richard Groves MacDonnell KCMG, CB 8 June 1855 4 March 1862
7 Sir Dominick Daly 4 March 1862 19 February 1868
8 The Rt Hon. Sir James Fergusson, Bt 16 February 1869 18 April 1873
9 Sir Anthony Musgrave KCMG 9 June 1873 29 January 1877
10 Lieutenant-General Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois GCMG, CB 2 October 1877 9 January 1883
11 Sir William Cleaver Francis Robinson GCMG 19 February 1883 5 March 1889
12 The Rt Hon. Algernon Hawkins Thomond Keith-Falconer, Earl of Kintore, GCMG 11 April 1889 10 April 1895
13 Sir Thomas Foxwell Buxton, Bt, GCMG 29 October 1895 29 March 1899
14 The Rt Hon. Hallam Tennyson, Baron Tennyson GCMG 10 April 1899 17 July 1902
15 Sir George Ruthven Le Hunte KCMG 1 July 1903 18 February 1909
16 Admiral Sir Day Hort Bosanquet GCVO, KCB 18 February 1909 22 March 1914
17 Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Lionel Galway KCMG, DSO 18 April 1914 30 April 1920
18 Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Ernest George Archibald Weigall KCMG 9 June 1920 30 May 1922
19 Lieutenant-Colonel Sir (Tom) George Tom Molesworth Bridges KCB, KCMG, DSO 4 December 1922 4 December 1927
20 Brigadier-General the Rt Hon. Alexander Gore Arkwright Hore-Ruthven, Earl of Gowrie, VC, KCMG, CB, DSO & Bar 14 May 1928 26 April 1934
21 Major-General Winston Joseph Dugan, Baron Dugan KCMG, CB, DSO 28 July 1934 23 February 1939
22 Sir (Malcolm) Charles Malcolm Barclay-Harvey KCMG 12 August 1939 26 April 1944
23 Lieutenant-General Sir (Willoughby) Charles Willoughby Moke Norrie KCMG, CB, DSO, MC 19 December 1944 19 June 1952
24 Air Vice-Marshal Sir Robert Allingham George KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, MC 23 February 1953 7 March 1960
25 Lieutenant-General Sir Edric Montague Bastyan KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB 4 April 1961 1 June 1968
26 Major-General Sir James William Harrison KCMG, CB, CBE 4 December 1968 16 September 1971
27 Professor Sir (Mark) Marcus Lawrence Elwin Oliphant AC, KBE 1 December 1971 30 November 1976
28 Pastor Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls KCVO, OBE 1 December 1976 30 April 1977
29 Reverend Sir Keith Douglas Seaman KCVO, OBE 1 September 1977 28 March 1982
30 Lieutenant-General Sir Donald Beaumont Dunstan AC, KBE, CB 23 April 1982 5 February 1991
31 The Hon. Dame Roma Flinders Mitchell AC, DBE, CVO, QC 6 February 1991 21 July 1996
32 Sir Eric James Neal AC, CVO 22 July 1996 3 November 2001
33 Mrs. Marjorie Jackson-Nelson AC, CVO, MBE 3 November 2001 31 July 2007
34 Rear Admiral Kevin John Scarce AO, CSC[1] 8 August 2007

List of Premiers in South Australia



No. Name Party Assumed office Left office
1 Boyle Finniss 24 October 1856 21 August 1857
2 John Baker 21 August 1857 1 September 1857
3 Robert Torrens 1 September 1857 30 September 1857
4 Richard Hanson 30 September 1857 9 May 1860
5 Thomas Reynolds 9 May 1860 8 October 1861
6 George Waterhouse 8 October 1861 4 July 1863
7 Francis Dutton 4 July 1863 15 July 1863
8 Henry Ayers 15 July 1863 4 August 1864
9 Arthur Blyth 4 August 1864 22 March 1865
- Francis Dutton (2nd time) 22 March 1865 20 September 1865
- Henry Ayers (2nd time) 20 September 1865 23 October 1865
10 John Hart 23 October 1865 28 March 1866
11 James Boucaut 28 March 1866 3 May 1867
- Henry Ayers (3rd time) 3 May 1867 24 September 1868
- John Hart (2nd time) 24 September 1868 13 October 1868
- Henry Ayers (4th time) 13 October 1868 3 November 1868
12 Henry Strangways 3 November 1868 30 May 1870
- John Hart (3rd time) 30 May 1870 10 November 1871
- Arthur Blyth (2nd time) 10 November 1871 22 January 1872
- Henry Ayers (5th time) 22 January 1872 22 July 1873
- Arthur Blyth (3rd time) 22 July 1873 3 June 1875
- James Boucaut (2nd time) 3 June 1875 6 June 1876
13 John Colton 6 June 1876 26 October 1877
- James Boucaut (3rd time) 26 October 1877 27 September 1878
14 William Morgan 27 September 1878 24 June 1881
15 Sir John Cox Bray 24 June 1881 16 June 1884
- John Colton (2nd time) 16 June 1884 16 June 1885
16 John Downer 16 June 1885 11 June 1887
17 Thomas Playford 11 June 1887 27 June 1889
18 John Cockburn 27 June 1889 19 August 1890
- Thomas Playford II (2nd time) 19 August 1890 21 June 1892
19 Frederick Holder 21 June 1892 15 October 1892
- Sir John Downer (2nd time) 15 October 1892 16 June 1893
20 Charles Kingston liberal 16 June 1893 1 December 1899
21 Vaiben Solomon conservative 1 December 1899 8 December 1899
- Frederick Holder (2nd time) liberal 8 December 1899 15 May 1901
22 John Jenkins liberal 15 May 1901 1 March 1905
23 Richard Butler conservative 1 March 1905 26 July 1905
24 Thomas Price Australian Labor Party (Labor) 26 July 1905 5 June 1909
25 Archibald Peake Commonwealth Liberal 5 June 1909 3 June 1910
26 John Verran Labor 3 June 1910 17 February 1912
- Archibald Peake (2nd time) Commonwealth Liberal 17 February 1912 3 April 1915
27 Crawford Vaughan Labor 3 April 1915 14 July 1917
- Archibald Peake (3rd time) Commonwealth Liberal 14 July 1917 8 April 1920
28 Henry Barwell Liberal Federation 8 April 1920 16 April 1924
29 John Gunn Labor 16 April 1924 28 August 1926
30 Lionel Hill Labor 28 August 1926 8 April 1927
31 Richard L. Butler Liberal Federation 8 April 1927 17 April 1930
- Lionel Hill (2nd time) Labor 17 April 1930 13 February 1933
32 Robert Richards Labor 13 February 1933 18 April 1933
- Richard L. Butler (2nd time) Liberal and Country League (LCL) 18 April 1933 5 November 1938
33 Sir Thomas Playford LCL 5 November 1938 10 March 1965
34 Frank Walsh Labor 10 March 1965 1 June 1967
35 Don Dunstan Labor 1 June 1967 17 April 1968
36 Steele Hall LCL 17 April 1968 2 June 1970
- Don Dunstan (2nd time) Labor 2 June 1970 15 February 1979
37 Des Corcoran Labor 15 February 1979 18 September 1979
38 Dr David Tonkin Liberal Party of Australia (Liberal) 18 September 1979 10 November 1982
39 John Bannon Labor 10 November 1982 4 September 1992
40 Lynn Arnold Labor 4 September 1992 14 December 1993
41 Dean Brown Liberal 14 December 1993 28 November 1996
42 John Olsen Liberal 28 November 1996 22 October 2001
43 Rob Kerin Liberal 22 October 2001 5 April 2002
44 Mike Rann Labor 5 April 2002 Present

and, as is customary, a Joe Shmo in the land of crow.

Picture Lori Drew

Masked malevolence
An avaricious avatar
A masculated malfeasance
(Just Joshin' of course when you're caught)
Un-neighbourly inelegant
A penchant for going too far

Second life succeeding in securing
The reeling in of real world pain
You've finally found a crimeless victim
It's nice to need never explain

A sinister crackle of electrics
Blackening the name on your door
Now the neighbours aren't just waving
They're shouting
Wonder what you did it for.

Truss up

Not that you'd care too much but Mark Vaile has stood down as leader of the National Party after only two years in the top job - probably something to do with the resounding Coalition defeat, you reckon - and in his place is Warren Truss.

Now hopefully the pollies aren't going to do anything too startling or my 'many readers' will start thinking this is another current affairs blog.

Wall to Wall Labor Cabinet

Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister, Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Social Inclusion.

Wayne Swan, Treasurer.

Senator Chris Evans, Leader of the Government in the Senate, Immigration and citizenship.

Senator John Faulkner, Special minister of State, Cabinet Secretary, Vice president of the executive council.

Simon Crean, Trade.

Stephen Smith, Foreign Affairs.

Joel Fitzgibbon, Defence.

Nicola Roxon, Health and Ageing.

Jenny Macklin, Family, Housing, Community services and Indigenous Affairs.

Lindsay Tanner, Finance and Deregulation.

Anthony Albanese, Infrastructure, Transport and Regional development, Local Government, Leader of the House.

Senator Stephen Conroy, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

Senator Kim Carr, Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

Senator Penny Wong, Climate Change and Water.

Peter Garrett, Environment, Heritage and the Arts.

Robert McClelland, Attorney-General.

Senator Joe Ludwig, Human Services, Manager of Government Business in the Senate.

Tony Burke, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Martin Ferguson, Resources and Energy, Tourism.

Outer Ministry:

Bob Debus, Home Affairs.

Chris Bowen, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs.

Alan Griffin, Veterans Affairs.

Tanya Plibersek, Housing, Status of Women.

Brendan O'Connor, Employment Participation.

Warren Snowdon, Defence Science and Personnel.

Craig Emerson, Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy, Minister Assisting the Finance Minister on Deregulation.

Senator Nick Sherry, Superannuation and Corporate Governance.

Justine Elliot, Ageing.

Kate Ellis, Youth, Sport.

Parliamentary Secretaries - Maxine McKew, Anthony Byrne, Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Greg Combet, Mike Kelly, Defence.

Gary Gray, Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development.

Bill Shorten, Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Bob McMullan, Duncan Kerr, Foreign Affairs.

Senator Ursula Stephens, Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector.

John Murphy, Trade.

Senator Jan McLucas, Health and Ageing.

Laurie Ferguson, Immigration and Citizenship.

A not so sorry Opposition

Malcolm Turnbull was my choice for Opposition Leader - we must have one you know - as representing a considered approach to the position and to his role in rebuilding. Because it's such a party of dirty tricks he ended up being steamrolled for suggesting that [they/the departing government] should have said sorry to indigenous Australians.

You've got to think, in the wake of the NT invasion debacle, that that's not going to play as a particularly positive reason for swaying the numbers.

I suppose the backroom recriminations began as early as Peter Costello's decision not to take his place as the anointed one the day after the election. Tony Abbott kicked himself out of contention before there was a change of government by being rude to a dying asbestos sufferer. An appropriate way for the 'Mad Monk' to fall on his staff.
Just to really dig the knife in, and twist the blade, PM-elect Kevin Rudd did a u-beaut Aussie tribute to the man in his victory speech.

While the best reason for NOT voting Brendan Nelson lies unexamined.