Speeches
Sunday, 07 December 2025
Unveiling of Marble Hill Sundial
I’m delighted to be here at Marble Hill, with Rod, to officially unveil the Wildflower Sundial and to commemorate some special anniversaries.
As a teenager, I visited Marble Hill with my parents following the National Trust's restoration of the stables and opening of the property to the public in the 1970s.
It’s my great pleasure to return today and witness the continuing restoration and renewal of such a significant site in our state’s vice-regal history.
Standing here, I think we can all understand why Governor Sir William Jervois, the distinguished Royal Engineer who built fortifications throughout the British Empire, chose this elevated position in 1878.
The view across the Adelaide Plains to St Vincent's Gulf is stunning, offering not only beauty but also strategic advantage for observing ship movements to and from Port Adelaide.
I note that Governor Jervois, known for being solitary figure, also appreciated the distance this hilltop provided from the social set in Mount Lofty at the time!
History teaches us much about resilience and risk, and Marble Hill is no exception.
The property was threatened and damaged by bushfires several times before its complete destruction in the devastating Black Sunday fire of 1955, when Governor Sir Robert George and his household barely escaped with their lives.
Today, Marble Hill’s story speaks powerfully to the bushfire risk that people living in the Adelaide Hills continue to face.
2025 is a landmark year for Marble Hill.
We commemorate 145 years since Governor Jervois first occupied the residence, 70 years since the Black Sunday fire, and 50 years since the National Trust restored the stables and opened the grounds to the public.
We also mark 15 years since Ed and Patricia Michell began their dedicated restoration work after purchasing the property in 2009.
As Governor I am deeply grateful to Ed and Patricia for the time, energy and resources they have invested in Marble Hill, working with such care and vision, and sharing this property with fellow South Australians.
Whether you come here as a wedding guest for a reception in the grounds and stables, as a member of the public on an open day, or perhaps as a member of an historical society on a private open day, one thing is for sure: your visit will be a memorable experience.
I also thank the National Trust, History Trust, Heritage Rose Society, East Torrens Historical Society, and all the societies and organisations represented here for supporting Marble Hill over the years, including the co-hosting of open days.
Friends,
As Governor, I have the privilege of conducting ceremonies where we invest recipients of Australian honours with their medals.
Last year it was my pleasure to invest Dr Margaret Folkard and Mr John Ward of Sundials Australia with medals in the Order of Australia for their contribution to gnomonics, otherwise known as the study of sundials.
Margaret and John have of course crafted the body of the beautiful sundial we are launching today.
I thank them for the careful measurement and years of experience that went into engineering this work.
I also thank Katie Dridan for her exceptional artistry in sculpting the panels with depictions of flora and fauna found in Marble Hill's grounds.
I note that Katie spent hundreds of hours hand-sculpting every petal, leaf and creature in clay, creating images larger than life so that even the tiny helmet orchid, mere centimetres in size, can be properly appreciated in bronze.
I’m proud to say that Government House Adelaide is home to an armillary sphere sundial on our eastern lawns, also crafted by Margaret and John, which has been admired by guests countless times in the past 20 years.
It’s will shortly be my great pleasure to officially unveil the sundial.
May Marble Hill continue to inspire future generations as a testament to resilience, restoration, the enduring power of our shared heritage – and the enduring capacity of generous individuals to make a difference.