Unpacking the ELIZABETH HERITAGE SURVEY of 1997

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you for watching. Please let me know what you think of this survey and the job the Playford City Council have done of preserving and protecting the aesthetic history of Elizabeth and Munno Para in the comments below. For Elizabeth (and Adelaide) That Was please Like and Subscribe. Cheers, Will 🙏🍷

[@huggalon]

The philosophy behind the original design for Elizabeth was the "Garden city movement". The movement emphasised the importance of nature and space for the health and well-being of industrial workers. The idea of nature being the decoration, not architecture was also popular in the early 20th century. As Irving Gill said "We should build our house simple, plain and substantial as a boulder. Then leave the ornamentation, of it to nature..." This is why Elizabeth was called "The Garden City". It didn't matter if public buildings were giant blank walls; because they were intended to be shaded by trees and surrounded by flowers. It wasn't supposed to matter if the housing trust's houses all looked the same because you had a large yard for a garden. Replacing a garden with a carpark is the greatest wrong done. It's sad to see the old buildings go, but they're irrelevant to loss of space and further urbanisation.

[@elizabeththatwas]

Brilliantly articulated avebury. Thank you 🙏

[@MrWakeupWorld]

I grew up in Elizabeth from 1967 through to 1980 … I recently returned for a visit and hardly new the place, my house In Elizabeth Fields was still standing but all my friends houses were gone Very sad to see Thank you for your channel it brings back fond memories especially the one on Smithfield Plains High School

[@elizabeththatwas]

Yeah Clive, I feel ya buddy. This channel was inspired when I visited my old neighbourhood on Tudor Crescent in Smithfield Plains. Like you my family home still stood as it was privately owned, but the childhood homes of almost all of my friends were all gone. Like they were never there. Like they didn't matter. But they were there, and they do matter. I'm very disappointed in the Playford City Council as a whole. I think their performance has been abysmal overall. I'm sure there have been individuals who have done good things, and tried with limited backing or resources to serve the north, but it seems they have been in the minority. Talk is cheap, you just have to walk or drive around to see the state of things. Thank you for watching Clive. I'm glad the channel brings back fond memories for you mate. 🙏

[@deidreevans1791]

So sad at the state of my ex home now. I loved all the little local shops in each suburb in the 70s. Now they are so run down, surely they could put a bit of work into them. I remember the Smithfield Plains shops used to be great!

[@elizabeththatwas]

They could if the heart and the will was there Deidre. Many former public buildings such as the Smithfield Plains Shops are now privately owned. Problem is there is no incentive or pressure placed upon the owners to upkeep them. When SAHT was running the show all private enterprises had encumbrances placed upon them to ensure buildings and sites would not be neglected. No such thing today. It's amazing to look at SPSC now, compared to the opening day of Foodland there. Have you seen that footage? Amazing - the place was packed and alive. Thanks again for watching Deidre; always appreciated 🙏

[@deidreevans1791]

Yes I have seen the Foodland opening, such great footage! I’m taking my daughter to Adelaide next week to show her where I grew up, I’ve pre warned her that it’s not like it was then. I’m a bit embarrassed to show her sadly. My dad was a leading hand on Munno Para District Council and didn’t like the idea of the merge at all. It was first rumoured back in the late 70s when he worked there. He put in a lot of the footpaths and maintained the parks and gardens in Munno Para area as well, he would be rolling in his grave to see it now!!

[@timdixon1166]

The Elizabeth Amateur Radio Club has been in the water tower since 1980 when it was given to us by SAWater for a peppercorn rental. SAWater gave it to the council. Over the years other tenants were allowed, due to the useful height of the tower. In recent years the council has made it more difficult for the club to have a presence there, mainly through misapplication of workplace health and safety rules. This has all but decimated the club as it has lost equipment and storage facilities and is at a low ebb in membership. The EARC is one of the oldest clubs locally, started by engineers and technicians from WRE in 1959.

[@elizabeththatwas]

That's a shame about the lack of support from local council - though not surprising. Honouring and preserving local history has never been their strong point, dating back to before Playford Council even existed. That initial pride and sense of identity seems to have evaporated very quickly once the first generation of local councillors left office. Hotel Elizabeth should still be standing, as the first building ever erected in the town centre, but even that only lasted about 26 years - gone by the mid-eighties.

[@carmelcream7662]

SA Renewal replaced SA Housing should of called it SA Heritage Bulldozed Cashgrab.:(

[@elizabeththatwas]

Can't argue with that, sadly, as I suspect there is some truth to it. Some desperation too I imagine, for cash strapped councils trying to raise money. Though the Playford Council spend money they have raised of some pretty bizarre things at times - like that Windsor Carpark no-one uses or ever wanted.

[@diamond66ist]

Old Ron Danvers is still involved with Heritage matters in SA , i have dealt with him in recent times .

[@AnthonyTolhurst-dw1nc]

Housing Trust destroyed because it was too good at social housing.

[@carmelcream7662]

SA housing philosophy???? Yes they had a Social concious then not now.

[@elizabeththatwas]

Well the SAHT unfortunately were downgraded some time in the early eighties to being merely a welfare housing authority. No longer having the powers they had during the Playford era. I don't think it's that they no longer cared, but were no longer able to effectively make a difference. All those SAHT houses that were once built for workers were exclusively now for the under privileged and unemployed. There is a dramatic downturn in Elizabeth's circumstances following the decision to make SAHT only about welfare groups. Coupled with an economic downturn and Elizabeth was a sitting duck. But the ineffectiveness of local leaders from the eighties on is pretty clear at this point - and once we get to the Playford City Council era we really start to see the bottom fall out. Partly I imagine because the new council wanted to make their own mark and stamp their own identity, which I totally get. That could have been done without it being at the expense of Elizabeth heritage however. One need not have negated the other. Sadly, in most circumstances it has.