Renmark starts big network of National Trust of South Australia branches, with own museums
Renmark branch of the National Trust of South Australia runs a museum around state-heritage-listed 1889 Olivewood Estate homestead, original home of Canadian Charles Chaffey, who, with brothers George and William, started Renmark and Mildura irrigation colonies. In the style of most National Trust regional branch museums, the Charles Chaffey Centre features a variety of local cultural objects including a pharmacy shop's products, horse carriages, a replica of the Chaffeys' oil crusher, printing machines and a 1926 Garford fire engine.
Images courtesy National Trust of South Australia Renmark branch
Renmark, from 1956, was the National Trust of South Australia’s first branch in what became the most extensive network of branches, at more than 40 with 1,000-plus volunteers, of any Australian trust.
Renmark, in a pattern followed by most other branches, opened a local heritage museum from 1959. Foundation trust member Humphrey Kempe, who owned a property near the town, organised a committee to form the Renmark branch, with Ian Showell as chairman. Kempe’s role set the pattern for close connections between head office in Adelaide and the branches, although all independent.
By 1963, five of the eight branches were along the River Murray where the sense of history was vivid. The irrigation colony at Renmark began in 1887 and many founding branch members, from the second generation, wanted to ensure their pioneering families’ contributions were acknowledged through many donated photos, documents and other treasured items.
Showing early environmental concern in 1957, Renmark branch consulted with the local council to reserve tracts of land near Lock 5 for public use and to get a bird sanctuary. Neither project eventuated but, in 1959,10 koalas from Flinders Chase on Kangaroo Island were released on the National Trust reserve of Goat Island. Renmark was unusual in having local government representatives on the branch committee, including those from Renmark corporation and Renmark Irrigation Trust. Mount Gambier was the only other early branch to do this.
The second National Trust branch started at Millicent in 1960 under chairman (for 37 years) doctor David Harris, with 50 members, and by 1962 Millicent branch had bought and repaired the old obelisk at the southeast’s earliest seaport, Robe. Mount Gambier branch also started in 1960 with W. White as chairman. The court house was made available by the state government for the branch museum; later an impressive stone shearing shed at Glencoe was donated.
In 1961, Barmera branch was formed with Kingsley (Joe) Mack as chairman. Nor’West Bend branch (later Waikerie), the third Riverland branch, was formed in 1962 with A.C. Kleeman as chairman.
Verne McLaren (chairman 1964-79) formed Kingston branch in 1964. A grazier, McLaren was considered an eccentric when he set aside bush while clearing his own land. But he aroused interest when he sought to preserve Dalgety’s building and its shipping ledgers that became a museum. Membership quickly grew from seven to 120, the largest in South Australia. McLaren and Harris later worked together on another branch for Robe.
Most other National Trust branches were started in rural areas by the local social establishment: doctors, farmers, teachers and businessmen (men predominated) but less elite than the trust's founders and less elitist in their activities. They hoped to save unremarkable but typical old buildings in main streets and on farms, early records and equipment, and local areas of bush. They were a counterpoint to the architectural gems and prominent state buildings favoured by the trust’s early buildings committee, although all part of South Australia’s heritage.
As other branches formed, they persuaded the trust to buy old neglected buildings that local members restored and used as museums. Most branch collections had ordinary objects used in households, farms and local industries, shipping and transport, in country schools and churches. The variety attracted a wide range of enthusiasts to join country branches, their voluntary work often dividing along gender lines: women caring for collections indoors and men restoring machinery in “the shed”.
South Australia, as the nation’s most agrarian state, meant many assemblages of farm machinery in country museums. These collections came to represent a priceless material record of early farm technology.
