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Pioneers of KlemzigPrint Page 
The monument commemorates the Lutheran refugees who pioneered the establishment of Klemzig, the first ethnic village in South Australia. The original plaque, was replaced in 2021, with a black granite plaque.
The memorial was unveiled in 1936 in the cemetery which is now known Klemzig Pioneer Cemetery.
The first group of 21 Lutherans arrived on the Bengalee on 18 November 1838 followed two days later by the main group on the Prince George. They arrived on 20 November with Pastor August Ludwig Christian Kavel who brought a much larger group of migrants to South Australia. They all came to escape religious persecution at home, and Kavel settled them at Klemzig, named after their home town in Prussia, with the help of George Fife Angas.
The people of Klemzig in Germany will remember those of Klemzig, South Australia, in a special broadcast arranged for Saturday, August 29. On that day His Excellency the Governor (Sir Winston Dugan) will unveil a memorial, which has been built in the cemetery, to the German pioneers who came from the village of Klemzig, in Brandenburg to South Australia under Pastor August Kavel in 1836. The monument, which is of Murray Bridge granite and is about seven feet in height, has been erected jointly by the German-Australian Centenary committee, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church. It is expected that about 1,500 people will be present from the German-Australian community throughout the State.
Before the unveiling of the monument, the Governor and Lady Dugan will plant two trees at the entrance of the avenue leading to the cemetery reserve.
Chronicle (Adelaide), 20 August 1936.
Location
| Address: | Spring Grove, Klemzig Memorial Gardens(Pioneer Cemetery), Klemzig, 5087 |
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| State: | SA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -34.883236 Long: 138.643313 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 18-November-1838 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 20-November-1838 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 29th August, 1936 |
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This monument was erected to perpetuate the memory of the Lutheran pilgrim fathers who, seeking religious freedom, came to South Australia under the leadership of Pastor August Kavel on November 20, 1838.
They settled here, giving their village the name Klemzig after their old home in Germany.
This ground was their God`s acre, where many were laid to their last rest.
Erected by the Lutherans of Australia and the German Australian Centenary Committee,
Unveiled by His Excellency the Governor of South Australia, Sir Winston Dugan, on August 29 1936.
"Wer Mich Bekennet Vor Den Menshen Den Will Ich Bekennen Vor Meinem Himmlischen Vater" Matth, 10, 32
