Place Names of South Australia - D
Derby, County of - Direk
- Derby, County of
- Dernancourt
- Devils Elbow
- Devils Garden
- Devils Peak
- Devlin Pound
- Devon Downs
- Devon Park
- Diamantina, River
- Diamond Lake
- Didicoolum
- Dingabledinga
- Dingley Dell
- Direk
Derby, County of
Nomenclature
Edward H. Stanley (1826-1893), fifteenth Earl of Derby, Secretary for the Colonies. He was Governor-General of Canada from 1888 to 1893.
General Notes
The obituary of the Earl of Derby is in the Register,
24 April 1893, page 5h.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Dernancourt
Nomenclature
Following the Armistice on 11 November 1918, M. Marce Braibant, Consul-General of the Ardennes in France, visited London to coordinate individual efforts to help his country, and at whose suggestion a scheme commenced for the 'adoption' of devastated towns and villages. The object was not to relieve Germany of her obligations by raising money to rebuild shattered France, but to extend from one town to another such personal help and sympathy as are given naturally by friend to friend.
The headquarters of the central committee was in London, where it played the part of liaison officer, placing the God-parent town into touch with its French prot"g" and thereafter taking no part in the arrangement, unless specially asked for its advice or assistance. At its height the people of Great Britain extended a helping hand to nearly a hundred French towns and, in due course, Dominion 'adoptions' included Poilcourt by Sydney, Villers-Bretonneux by Melbourne and Dernancourt by Adelaide.
In August 1920 the Editor of the SA Register suggested that "in view of the magnificent part played by Australian divisions on the western front, and the intimate ties which link Commonwealth peoples to that region and its heroic populations, it is highly desirable that Australians should follow the lead of their kindred in the Motherland and render appreciable assistance to our heroic allies." He concluded by saying that: "This State is quite able to take under its foster care at least one of the considerable towns especially memorable in connection with our boys' brilliant and noble exploits in the decisive arena of the war."
At a meeting of the Society d'Assistance Maternelle et Infantile at the Adelaide Town Hall in October 1920, a proposal was made that an endeavour should be made to adopt one of the French towns for which Australians had fought with grim determination and courage to save. Such adoption would provide the means to help clear land for farmers and, when families returned to their former homes, to provide clothes, furniture, one horse and cow and farm implements. Two French women, Berthe Mouchette and Marie Lion, were the prime movers and said they accepted the responsibility of starting the new activity with the fervent hope that more influential persons within the community would become involved. The towns of Bapaume, Dernancourt and Morlancourt were suggested together with Hamel and Neuville.
The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Mr. F.B. Moulden, who presided, urged that before putting the matter before the public, it would be wise to find out exactly what the responsibilities of such an adoption would be. His advice was to approach the French government through the Consul-General in Sydney and find out what "adoption" really meant. In passing he mentioned that the society had forwarded about £600 and eighteen boxes of garments for charitable work in France. Positive responses emanated from the public following the promulgation of these proceedings. One correspondent, under a nom-de-plume of " Josephine", said that as "worthy are the many memorial schemes in our own land, it would surely be a fitting method of perpetuating the great deeds of the Australian abroad to help the people reconstruct their homes on some site where the Australians distinguished themselves. The scheme is as far removed from mere 'charity' as was the great and never-to-be-forgotten kindness of the French people to our men during the war; and those ties of friendship will be drawn closer yet if we can make some small acknowledgment."
Another correspondent reminded readers that Melbourne had formed a committee, with General Sir John Monash as President, and Villers-Bretonneux was adopted, with enthusiastic support being promised by the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League. Further, it was hoped that many towns in Victoria would follow the example of the metropolis. The Adelaide committee, following an exchange of letters with appropriate French authorities, agreed upon Dernancourt as its God-child and proposed to collect funds and forward the money to the Mayor of that village, M. Fernand Belison. These facts suggest, strongly, that Adelaide's "adoption" of Dernacourt in France prompted Mr Hobby to choose the name for his subdivision.
(See Journal of the Historical Society, No. 27, 1999, pages 125-141.)
Also see under South Australia - World War 1 - Community Involvement for a reproduction of the complete article appearing in that Journal.
General Notes
An account of a battle at Dernancourt in France is in the Register,
28 June 1918, page 8d.
"Adopting Ruined Towns" is in the Register,
12 August 1920, page 4e,
"Adoption of French Towns" on
15 October 1920, page 6f,
2 November 1920, page 6e,
10 December 1920, page 6d.
"Help for Dernancourt [in France] - South Australia's God-Child" is in the Register,
4 March 1921, page 8d; also see
The Mail,
14 May 1921, page 12e,
Register,
17 May 1921, page 6f,
22 June 1921, page 6g:
-
[The town] was the scene of an Australian base camp and where many members of the AIF are buried in the war cemetery.
11 July 1921, page 4g; also see
Advertiser,
16 September 1921, pages 3d-10g,
2 January 1922, page 10a,
Express,
13 January 1922, page 3e,
Advertiser,
22 March 1922, page 6e:
-
We owe to Australia an immense and sacred debt for the blood that she shed on coming to our help, and you have increased still further that debt in aiding us towards the restoration of our ruins.
18 February 1922, page 6g,
22 March 1922, page 6f,
10 June 1922, pages 8f-12b,
Advertiser,
9 May 1922, page 6g,
10 June 1922, page 13c,
23 August 1922, page 12a;
-
Dernancourt, the village in the valley of Ancre, which was completely razed to the ground in 1918, but which has already began to rise from its ruins, organised on June 16 a manifestation of gratitude in honour of its Australian God-mother, Adelaide.
18 July 1922, page 4f,
23 August 1922, page 11d,
9 and 22 September 1922, pages 10a and 5d,
4 November 1922, page 8e,
Observer,
14 October 1922, page 30 (photos),
Register,
25 November 1926, page 8f.
Its school opened in 1966.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Devils Elbow
The corner and realignment of the road are discussed in the Register,28 April 1868, page 2d:
-
Travellers by the Mount Barker Road have now the option of entirely avoiding the steep ascent by Stevenson's garden and the sharp bend, popularly known as the Devil's Elbow. The Central Road Board, through its surveyor, Mr. Ashwin, has provided a more circuitous route, but in other respects less objectionable line, round the summit of the hill, to the southward of the Mountain Hut...
"The Devil - Australian Place Names" appears on
25 April 1923, page 3h.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Devils Garden
Nomenclature
Acquired its name because of the boggy conditions which prevailed on the Burra to Port Wakefield road.
General Notes
Reminiscences of the area are in the Advertiser on 22 June 1933, page 10i:
-
I have vivid memories of several [bullock] teams bogged and almost imbedded for some days. The lurid language, added to the persistent crack of the whip as it re-echoed through the dense mallee, impressed upon my young mind the conviction that the area was aptly named. Those Burra bullockies were linguists, equalling, if not exceeding those that I met afterwards in the outback...
D
Place Names
Devils Peak
An article entitled "The Devil - Australian Place Names" is in the Register,25 April 1923, page 3h.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Devlin Pound
Nomenclature
Situated on the north bank of the River Murray 16 km west of Overland Corner. In 1873 John Chambers, the lessee of this country, requested that 'one mile portion of [my] lease, where the mail from Blanchetown to Wentworth crosses the river' be resumed and 'offered at auction as a reserve for the purpose of erecting an eating house there for the use of the public'.
Accordingly, some six years later six blocks were surveyed by N.W. Pethick and on his diagram an accommodation house is shown and the land between the river and the cliffs is marked 'Devlin's Pound'. The so called accommodation house was, in fact, a wine shanty conducted by Patrick Devlin who had previously overlanded cattle from New South Wales during 1846-1847. While stockmen were sleeping in his shanty, he was reputed to 'cut out' sheep from the resting droves. For years after his death his spirit, riding a white horse, was supposed to haunt the district.
General Notes
His arrival overland from Sydney with cattle and horses is reported in the Register, 16 June 1847, page 2c:
-
Mr. Patrick Devlin arrived overland from New South Wales on Wednesday last with 600 head of cattle and 40 horses. He left Sydney in February and has been travelling three months since he left the Murrumbidgee. The blacks in the neighbourhood of the Darling were numerous and troublesome, but on a show of firearms and an exhibition of the strength of his party (ten in number), the blacks became subservient and assisted to cross the drays, one of which they had previously threatened to steal.... Mr. Devlin confirms the statements of his predecessors, namely, that it is possible to perform the overland journey so as to make a station every night.
Biographical details of Alwyn Loffler are in the Register,
20 November 1911, page 10e.
Its school opened in 1932 and closed in 1945.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Devon Downs
The Chronicle of 11 March 1905, page 14b reports, under this heading, upon a "new German Church at Foster":
-
A large number of people witnessed the opening celebration of the new German church at Foster on Wednesday... The Sedan band played some numbers suitable to the occasion.
Also see
27 May 1905, page 12a where mention is made of a school at Hayward's Hill.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Devon Park
Nomenclature
The suburb was laid out on part sections 375-76, Hundred of Yatala by Lavinia and George Charles Braund in 1920. There appears to be no doubt that they named it after some English associations as some of the streets bear names of the Devon area, eg, Exeter, Plymouth, Cavendish, etc.
General Notes
The laying of the foundation stone for a hall is reported in the Register,
17 December 1928, page 8e,
Advertiser,
17 December 1928, page 21b:
-
On 15 December 1928 the foundation stone of a hall erected for the residents of Devon Park, as a result of the efforts of the local improvement club, was laid by Mr. G.E. Yates, MHR... The hall will seat 375 people. Its offices consist of two cloakrooms with a moveable petition, so that the space they occupy may be used for seating on occasion, and two lodge rooms, which may be temporarily converted into one by folding back the dividing screen.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Dewson
Rodney Cockburn's nomenclature was apparently taken from the official book on SA Railways (page 8) which is incorrect. The following exposition has been compiled from primary source documents held by Mr George Fisher of Victor Harbor.Rosetta Dewson, daughter of Isaac Dewson, married Thomas Roberts of Tintinara and a son was christened Thomas Dewson Roberts. On 13 April 1910 Rosetta Roberts wrote from Coonalpyn to the Commissioner of Railways in Adelaide:
-
May I have the privilege of choosing the name for the promised siding between Coonalpyn and Tintinara... Dewson is the name I would choose it being my late father's name, he was a trooper in the early days of the colony under Captain Tolmer and passed through the desert not many miles from here... My home is about three miles from the place chosen for the siding...
-
I see you have used the name Dewson in the Register on August 26 1910 for which accept my thanks...
(See Railway Docket no. 1072/1910.)
In May 1972 Mr T. Dewson Roberts, grandson of Isaac Dewson, donated a town allotment in Culburra to local authorities and named it "Isaac Dewson Reserve" - see Certificate of Title, Volume 1016, Folio 103.
General Notes
A report on Mr Dewson is in the Observer,
16 October 1852, page 4d:
-
In October 1852 Isaac Dewson, a constable in the mounted police, was charged by William Ross, boatman, with having stolen 12 ounces of gold, which had been entrusted to him at Forest Creek on 6th July. The evidence was to the effect that Ross, wishing to send the gold to his wife at Port Adelaide, but being too late for the escort, entrusted it to Dewson, who formed one of the guard and who never delivered it saying, in answer to Mr. Ross, that his box had been robbed, but promising to make up the value as soon as he could. The charge was dismissed.
A report headed "An Escort Veteran", Isaac Bewson (sic), appears in the Register,
13 June 1892, page 5c.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Diamantina, River
Nomenclature
In the Far North-East of the State. Countess Diamantina who married Sir George Ferguson Bowen, the first Governor of Queensland [R. Cockburn]. It was named 'Mueller's Creek' by John McKinlay on 8 April 1862 after the botanist F. von Mueller. Prior to 1964 it was shown on official maps as 'The Everard' or 'Diamentina' (sic).
General Notes
"On the Diamantina" is in the Express, 17 January 1899, page 3g:
-
It is a most deceptive stream. In some places the channel is so deep that crossing, except by boat, is impossible. In others it consists of a few grass-grown holes far apart, whose only visible connection is stunted clumps of box or coolabah. During a dry time, when there is little water in the channel, it would puzzle a stranger to tell which way the stream would flow, for it winds its way about in a most intricate manner, as though determined to cover as much country as possible in its devious course...
"His [von Mueller's] Remarkable Achievements" are traversed in the Register,
20 and 30 June 1925, pages 5a and 11e.
"Bird Life on the Diamantina" is in the Advertiser,
7 September 1934, page 24h.
Also see South Australia - Flora and Fauna - Birds.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Diamond Lake
Examinations at the school are reported in the Observer,7 December 1872, page 3g; also see
Advertiser,
22 July 1873, page 3b.
Education Department records show it as opening in 1874 and having its name changed to "Honiton" in 1891:
-
The examination of the licensed school took place in December 1872. The teacher, Mr. S. Carter, reported that on 6 May 1872 the school was opened with merely 13 children, but gradually increased until it reached on 26 August the present number of 48... Songs and recitations were delivered by the pupils in capital style. Masters Corell, Davey, Doughan, Misses Algie, Heinrichs, Daveys and Caldwell excelling. After the prizes had been awarded Messrs Gottschalk, Renny and McCullum spoke, eulogising the teacher...
Parliamentary Paper 26/1875 shows the school being conducted by Charlotte Buckland with 41 enrolled pupils.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Didicoolum
The Mining Records of South Australia (fourth edition) at page 268 says it was in the South-East where "there is an outcrop of rocks containing quartz veins and pyrites..."
The Register of 28 October 1896, page 5c talks of the "Diddicullum Mine":
-
To be in a fashion, like most other townships in the South-East bordering around the desert country, a party from Lucindale left here, fully equipped, to search for gold.... They are at present camped about sixteen miles from Lucindale in a direct line with the road which runs in a northerly direction towards the now famous Didicoolum Mine...
Also see South Australia - Mining - Gold.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Dingabledinga
Nomenclature
Felix de Caux, an early settler in the Aldinga district, said it was Aboriginal for 'water everywhere'.
General Notes
Mr F. DeCaux's orchard is described in the Register,
23 April 1902, page 3f.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Fruit and Vegetables.
The district is described in the Register,
1 December 1909, page 9g:
-
Those who wish to get 'far away from the madding crowd' should go to Dingabledinga. It is a narrow valley extending for miles, with hills on both sides... Homesteads are few and far between; the great gums are massed in a dark shadow right up to the skyline; the silence is broken only by the sound of a distant cow bell, the tinkle of rivulet and waterfall, the song of birds, or the far off lowing of kine. There is a flash of red, and a diamond sparrow flits among the branches, or the gorgeous plumage of the Blue Mountain parrot shines like flowers among foliage. Young magpies are being coaxed and bullied into flight by their anxious parents and the hilarious cry of the laughing jackass mingles with the honeyed notes of the wattle bird. Beside the roadside is a huge gum tree with the inscription 'post office' on its trunk, and in the cottage behind, with red roses around the door, lives the post mistress. A provisional school house comes into view and the hum of children's voices tells that the future men and women of this sylvan dale are there from cot and farm...
A description of the "village" and information on the deCaux family appears on
30 June 1914, page 10a.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Dingley Dell
Nomenclature
An early resident of Port MacDonnell told the Border Watch, a Mount Gambier newspaper, that Adam Lindsay Gordon took the name for his home out of Charles Dickens' novel Pickwick Papers
General Notes
Adam Lindsay Gordon's obituary is in theAdvertiser, 5 July 1870, page 2g.
A photograph of Dingley Dell is in the Chronicle,
23 April 1904, page 44, 21 December 1907, page 20,
Observer, 16 December 1916, page 10 (supp.).
"A.L. Gordon's Poems" is in the Express,
27 and 29 September 1880, pages 2e and 3f,
Advertiser,
12 October 1880, page 7d,
Express,
21 April 1884, page 2d,
7 September 1886, page 2c.
"The Poet Gordon" is in the Register,
30 August 1886, page 5c,
7, 13 and 20 September 1886, pages 5d, 7g and 7d.
A dinner given for Adam Lindsay Gordon is reported in the Register,
18 May 1866, page 3d.
An article entitled "A. Lindsay Gordon of Dingley Dell" is in the Register,
2 November 1886, page 6c,
"Gordon the Poet - Some Reminiscences" on
4 February 1904, page 5a.
"Gordon's Famous Leap" is in the Register,
6 June 1887, page 5d,
12 January 1888, page 5b,
"Is Gordon an Australian Poet?" on
9 August 1887, page 5d.
"The Grave of the Poet Gordon" is in the Observer,
9 July 1887, page 17d.
"A Poem by A.L. Gordon [An Exile's Lament]" is in the Register,
26 September 1887, page 7h.
The property is described in the Register,
21 April 1911, page 6d,
15 June 1911, page 7f; also see
7 December 1894, page 4h:
-
Dingley Dell seems to be regarded as just a house, but some day somebody may realise there may be money in it. A needed touch of romance and poetry would be added to the scenic attractions and a strangely beautiful district if Dingley Dell were acquired - why not in connection with the Tourist Bureau if in no other way? - filled with Gordon reminders and made an object of pilgrimage by visitors...
Correspondence relative to Gordon is in the Register,
1 December 1894, page 4h.
"Adam Lindsay Gordon - Extracts from his Letters - A Chat with John Riddoch" is in the Advertiser,
19 August 1895, page 6b,
"Adam Lindsay Gordon as a Legislator" on
7 March 1905, page 5h.
A photograph of "where Gordon stabled his horses in Adelaide" is in the Advertiser,
14 January 1926, page 16.
Information on the property is in the Express,
16 June 1897, page 2c.
"A Reminisce of Adam Lindsay Gordon" is in the Observer,
1 July 1899, page 34a,
"Gordon the Poet - Some Reminiscences" on
13 February 1904, page 4d; also see
Weekly Herald,
6 January 1900, page 4a.
"Adam Lindsay Gordon - In His Own Country" is in the Register,
3 January 1910, page 7b.
Reminiscences of Rev J.T. Woods are in the Register,
15 and 22 January 1910, pages 4a and 4a.
A proposed acquisition of the property by the government is discussed in the Register,
15 June 1911, page 7f.
"A New Gordon Story" is in the Register,
16 December 1911, page 14i.
"At Gordon's Grave" is in the Register,
7 September 1912, page 4g.
"Gordon Memories", the reminiscences of George S. Scott who served with Gordon in the police force, are in the Register,
30 November 1912, pages 4a-14h; also see
4 January 1913, page 6 under "Early Goodwood",
"Memoirs of Adam Lindsay Gordon" on
1 November 1913, page 16b.
"A Talk With His Widow" is in the Advertiser,
23 March 1912, page 19i.
The obituary of Peter Low who married the widow appears on
4 January 1926, page 12g;
that of Mrs Low in the Register,
1 December 1919, page 6h.
"Steeplechaser and Poet" is in the Observer,
2 November 1912, page 38a.
"His Life and His Poems" is in the Advertiser,
24 January 1913, page 11b,
"The Poet as a Hero" on
20 February 1913, page 10g,
"His First Love Dead" on
3 August 1913, page 19g.
"Gordon's Leap - Some Memories" is in The Mail,
15 February 1913, page 19f; also see
19 April 1913, page 9a.
"Gordon's First Love" is in the Register,
2 August 1913, page 16c.
"Stockman and Poet" is in the Register,
1 November 1913, page 16b.
"With Adam Lindsay Gordon - South-East Men and Matters" is in the Register;
12 February 1914, page 8c,
"The Ride From the Wreck" appears on
3 April 1914, page 9a.
Reminiscences of Mrs Clindening are in the Observer,
31 October 1914, page 45b,
of A. Hayes are in the Register,
9 April 1914, page 6f;
of Mrs Louden on
23 April 1914, page 6f and
R. McDonald on
6 July 1914, page 9e; also see
19 November 1915, page 4e.
"The Poet's Birthday" is in The Mail,
16 October 1915, page 10b.
"Keeping His Memory Green" is in the Register,
13 December 1916, page 9d,
"In Memory of Gordon" on
18 December 1916, page 4f,
"Reminiscences", by Harry Stockdale, on
17 May 1919, page 10d; also see
13 October 1921, page 8f,
"A Link with Gordon" on
5 October 1922, page 6h and
"A Link With Gordon - Death of Mr Peter Low" on
4 January 1926, page 10b.
A proposal for the government to purchase the property is reported in the Register,
8 September 1920, page 6g,
11 and 27 August 1921, pages 6e and 6h,
7 and 21 October 1921, pages 6g and 6g,
31 January 1922, page 4f,
2, 13 and 27 February 1922, pages 6e, 7d and 6f.
It is described on
20 January 1923, page 12c,
27 June 1923, page 8e,
7 December 1923, page 8g.
A proposal to make the property a national reserve appears on
26 June 1926, page 12f.
Information on the Admella wreck, etc., is in the Register,
6 February 1922, page 3c.
"Famous Leap Recalled" is in The Mail,
3 June 1922, page 13g.
"Gordon as a Politician" is in the Register,
21 April 1923, page 7b.
An article by Rev John Blacket is in the Observer,
28 April 1923, page 52,
5 May 1923, page 51b.
"Adam Lindsay Gordon - In a New Role" is in the Observer,
1 September 1923, page 20e.
"Adam Lindsay Gordon and the Police Force" is in the Register,
5 December 1923, page 8g.
"The Australian Byron" is in the Advertiser,
31 May 1924, page 20g.
Gordon's speeches in the House of Assembly are discussed in the Register,
31 May 1924, page 6i,
"Australian Poetry" on
29 September 1923, page 6e,
"Adam Lindsay Gordon - The Politician" on
24 May 1926, page 6f,
"The Poet and the Man" on
29 May 1926, page 4e.
"Adam Lindsay Gordon - Was He a Failure?" is in The Mail,
10 and 17 September 1927, pages 3e and 15d; also see
24 September 1927, page 1a.
"In Memory of Gordon - Abbey Sanctions Tablet" is in The News,
4 August 1933, page 5c.
"Centenary Celebration" is in the Advertiser,
19 October 1933, page 17b; also see
The Mail,
4 December 1933, page 7a,
7 April 1934, page 2.
Photographs are in the Chronicle,
19 October 1933, pages 33-35; also see
19 October 1933, page 44.
"New Light on Adam Lindsay Gordon" is in the Chronicle,
14 November 1935, page 47.
Information on the "Prospect" subdivision is in the Register,
7 August 1924, page 4d.
Derby, County of - Direk
D
Place Names
Direk
Nomenclature
A railway station near Salisbury. Aboriginal for 'swamp'. A suburb of the same name was laid out in 1966 by C.L. and B.J. Wilkinson, C.L. Bonython and M.R. Turner.
General Notes
Its school opened in 1977.
