History Trust of South Australia from 1981 keeping the state's past alive with museums, festival and websites
The Centre of Democracy on the corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue, Adelaide city, was managed by the History Trust of South Australia with the state library. Among its exhibits were a mug used by Janine Haines, first leader of an Australian political party, the Democracts, and a poster from a 1980s unemployment protest in Adelaide city in the 1980s.
The History Trust of South Australia was created 1981 by the government to safeguard the state’s heritage and to encourage research and public presentations of South Australian history.
The Trust was set up as a body corporate under Liberal premier David Tonkin’s state government by the History Trust of South Australia Act 1981. The trust was run by a board responsible to its government minister to promote and research state history, gather and classify data on subjects significant to the history; exhibit objects of historical or cultural interest; maintainregisters of significant objects; manage museums and other premises under its care.
One of trust’s first responsibilities was the constitutional museum, Australia’s first political museum, later known as Old Parliament House on North Terrace, Adelaide, before it reverted to being used by the South Australian parliament in in 1995.
The trust was funded and overseen by the Arts South Australia government department until 2018, when the position of arts minister was abolished and the trust was moved, along with Carclew, Patch Theatre Company and Windmill Theatre Company to the education department.
In 2019, the state budget slashed funding to the history trust, Carclew and Windmill, as part of “operational efficiency” cuts. At that time, the history trust was operating the Migration Museum in Kintore Avenue, Adelaide city; the National Motor Museum at Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills and the South Australian Maritime Museum at Port Adelaide.
The history trust also managed, with the State Library of South Australia, the Centre of Democracy in the institute building on the corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue, Adelaide city. The centre showed treasures from History Trust and State Library collections, as well as items loaned by State Records of South Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the courts authority, parliament house, government house and private lenders. The centre presented South Australian history's key players and issues Australia by looking at key players and issues, showing how its democracy evolved, what it meant of Aboriginal Australians and how protests played their part.
South Australia’s History Festival, a statewide event each May, was run by the trust from 2004, first for a week, and extended ito a month from 2029 as one of South Australia’s latest community events, including talks, tours, walks, workshops, exhibitions and special events. The trust also was involved in the large annual Bay to Birdwood vintage car run.
The SA History Hub and Adelaidia websites were created and developed by the history trust, with content partners Wakefield Press, State Library of South Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia and Adelaide City Council archives. The history trust also partnered with other Australian museums to present exhibitions, managed a community museums programme and offers grants for research and writing.
In 2023, it was announced that the History Trust of South Australia offices would move into Kelvin House on North Terrace, Adelaide city. The 1920s building has originally the headquarters of the private Adelaide Electricty Supply Company, the precursor to the state government Electricity Trust of South Australia.
The history trust was previously based at the Torrens Parade Ground drill hall for 18 years but vacated the building to make room for a veterans’ hub” housing the RSL (Returned & Services League), veteran affairs department, Air Force Association, Legacy Club and Vietnam Veterans Association.
The Steven Marshall Liberal state government negotiated a controversial deal for the National Trust to move from Ayers House, its home since 1972 on North Terrace and spent $6.6 million renovating the state-heritage-listed building into a offices for the history trust. That decision, prompting a bitter public dispute and legal proceedings, was reversed by the Peter Malinauskas Labor state government.
