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First Portland Cement Made in AustraliaPrint Page 
The monument commemorates the first Portland cement made in Australia.
William Lewis, born in Wales in 1835, migrated to South Australia at the age of 21. As a lime-burner he tramped the nearby hills in search of raw materials which were abundant as the Brighton Series were part of precambrian limestone formations.
He began cement-making experiments in 1882 and formed a syndicate to produce the first portland cement in Australia. Half a century earlier in England the invention of Portland cement had transformed the building industry and South Australia was importing about 8000 tons per annum in 1882.
Location
| Address: | Brighton & Scholefield Roads, near War Memorial, Seacliff, 5049 |
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| State: | SA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.037942 Long: 138.524463 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | 1882 |
| Designer: | John Beswick |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Tuesday 31st July, 1984 |
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Near this place a syndicate led by William Lewis established a cement works in 1882 which produced the first portland cement made in Australia.
The South Australian Portland Co.Ltd. grew out of this enterprise eventually becoming merged in Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd
This monument takes the form of crystals of calcite, the principal mineral in limestone
Plaque :
Unveiled on 31 July 1984 by Hon. R. K. Abbott M.P. Minister of Transport at the time of completion of the duplication of
Ocean Boulevard
M. J. Knight Commissioner of Highways South Australia
E. W. Schroder, A.O. Managing Director Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd.
