Description

Dr John Woodforde, along with Colonel William Light, was one of the earliest Europeans to set foot on the Fleurieu Peninsula, when the South Australian Colonisation Commission’s ship Rapid anchored at Rapid Bay in 1836, with the task of finding a port and establishing a city.

The book looks at the first 30 years of the colony of South Australia through primarily Dr Woodforde’s diary, and later, letters and newspaper articles.

Dr John Woodforde and six parrot puddings is a fascinating and authoritative account of the ‘founding’ and survey of South Australia, from the landing at Rapid Bay to the formation of Adelaide, as recounted through the diaries of not only Dr John Woodforde, colonial surgeon, but also Dr George Mayo and Colonel William Light.

The early establishment of the colony and city are also portrayed by several artists of the day – including William Light, James Skipper, Samuel T Gill, George French Angas, Martha Berkeley and Mary Hindmarsh – as well as early newspaper reports, which depicted the life of the early colonists, including their encounter and interaction with the local Aboriginal tribes.

The author, Rob Kirk, is a great-great-great-grandson of Dr John Woodforde, who was doctor to the survey party of Colonel William Light and later JP, Coroner, and one of the earliest settlers in Adelaide. Rob, who lives with his wife Margy on a farm at Torrens Vale, is also a geologist who regularly contributes science articles to the Yankalilla Regional News. He is a long-time member of the Yankalilla and District Historical Society Inc. and the Pioneers Association of South Australia Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-9808544-9-7 (2022)

By Rob Kirk

Soft cover – 324 pages