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50th Anniversary of War Service Land SettlementPrint Page Print this page

28-February-2022 (Fiona Morrison)
28-February-2022 (Fiona Morrison)

Photographs supplied by Henry Moulds / Fiona Morrison

The memorial commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the War Service Land Settlement on Kangaroo Island.

In 1948, settlers began to arrive at the Parndana East Settlement Camp, where their accommodation was the former Loveday Internment Camp, dismantled at Barmera and rebuilt at Parndana. There was a preference for returned soldiers with families. Pat said the first settlers arrived in May and found their huts had no windows or doors, allowing possums to move through them freely. Before long the first 20 flats were completed, and as each wave of settlers came through it increased to house 40 families, with 140 children in the camp.

It could take up to two years for the soldiers to be allocated in their block. In the meantime, they were put to work, driving bulldozers or acting as axemen, paid a “living wage” to get the land cleared of scrub. The blocks were usually between 400ha and 600ha, depending on how productive the land was, and usually included some scrub for the farmers to clear themselves.

By 1962 all the blocks were cleared, with 174 farms allocated.

Location

Address:Wedgewood Road, Soldier Settlers Museum, Parndana, 5220
State:SA
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -35.792042
Long: 137.263798
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Landscape
Sub-Theme:Settlement
Actual Event Start Date:
Approx. Event Start Date:1948
Actual Event End Date:
Approx. Event End Date:1998

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Saturday 11th April, 1998
Front Inscription

A tribute to war service land settlement on Kangaroo Island

50th Anniversary

1948 - 1998

Unveiled by Mayor J. Kelly

11. 4. 1998

Source: MA,RVWM
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au