The District Council of Mannum was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

from 1877 to 1997, centring on the town of

Mannum Mannum is a historic town on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, east of Adelaide. At the 2016 census, the urban area of Mannum had a population of 2,398. Mannum is the seat of the Mid Murray Council, and is situated in the ...

. It was proclaimed on 23 August 1877, comprising the cadastral Hundred of Finniss, "situated between the eastern fringe of the

Mount Lofty Ranges The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and ...

and the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

." The first meeting of the council was held on 1 September 1877 at the Bogan Hotel (now the Mannum Hotel). It had 120 ratepayers in its first year, with a ratable property value of £2,910. In the early 1880s, the council area had a population of 773. It expanded in January 1888 under the ''

District Councils Act 1887 The District Councils Act 1887 was an act of the Parliament of South Australia. It received assent on 9 December 1887, and its provisions came into effect when proclaimed by Governor William C. F. Robinson on 5 January 1888. The legislation intr ...

'', gaining the

Hundred of Younghusband Younghusband may refer to: * Younghusband (band), an English alternative rock band, formed in 2007 People * Andrew Younghusband (born 1970), Canadian television personality, writer and journalist * Arthur Younghusband (1854–1931), English ci ...

on the eastern bank of the Murray River; it also gained the northern section of the adjacent Hundred of Burdett in the same year. The council was unsubdivided until 1888, when it was divided into wards for the first time: the West, North and Central Wards (for Finniss) had two councillors each, while the South and East (for Younghusband and Burdett) had one each. A council chamber was built in 1896. There were two subsequent changes to the ward system: in 1900, when Central Ward was narrowed to only the township of Mannum, and again in 1956, when it gained an extra councillor, taking the council to a total of nine members. In 1923, it covered an area of 176 square miles, with a capital value of over £24,000. The council lost two areas in 1935: one which amalgamated with the District Council of Springton to form the

District Council of Mount Pleasant The District Council of Mount Pleasant was a local government area in South Australia from 1935 to 1997. The council seat was located at Mount Pleasant. It was established on 1 May 1935 following the amalgamation of the District Council of Spr ...

, and another which was severed to join the

District Council of Mobilong The District Council of Mobilong was a local government area in South Australia from 1884 to 1977. It was proclaimed on 26 June 1884, comprising the cadastral Hundred of Mobilong. The first meeting was held on 12 July 1884 in the Murray Bridg ...

. The council operated the Mannum ferry from March 1888 to June 1976. It was heavily involved in measures to deal with flooding on a number of occasions, and operated special boat services during the

1956 Murray River flood The 1956 Murray River flood involved the rising of waters in the Murray River and flooding of many towns in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The flood was and still is considered the biggest flood in the recorded history of the Murr ...

while the ferries were out of operation. In the second half of the twentieth century, it also developed a caravan park, recreation reserve, community centre and dental clinic at Mannum. In 1986, it covered an area of 681 square kilometres. The main primary industries were described as cereal growing (wheat and barley) and sheep farming for both meat and wool, with piggeries and cattle farming also of note. Agricultural machinery manufacturer Horwood Bagshaw (formerly David Shearer Limited) was the largest employer in the district. It was "one of the most popular places in the state" for tourist visits in that year due to the Murray River, with $2.7 million having been spent by tourists in 1981-1982. It ceased to exist on 1 July 1997, when it amalgamated with the

District Council of Morgan The District Council of Morgan was a local government area in South Australia from 1888 to 1997, centring on the town of Morgan. The council was established on 5 January 1888 following the passage of the ''District Councils Act 1887''. It compr ...

, the

District Council of Ridley-Truro The District Council of Ridley-Truro was a local government area in South Australia from 1991 to 1997. It commenced on 1 October 1991 following the amalgamation of the District Council of Ridley and the District Council of Truro. It comprised t ...

, and part of the District Council of Mount Pleasant to form the

Mid Murray Council The Mid Murray Council is a local government area in South Australia in the Murray and Mallee region of South Australia. The council spans the area from the Riverland through the Murraylands to the eastern slopes of the Mount Lofty Ranges. It in ...

Chairmen of the District Council of Mannum

* J. W. Walker (1877) * F. W. Busch (1911) * Alfred George Bolto (1918-1923, 1924-1926, 1930-1938) * Hermann Berthold Scheer (1938-1947) * Frank Ormsby Clindening (1947-1951) * Sidney Alfred Bretag (1951-1953) * Frank Ormsby Clindening (1953-1955) * Sidney Alfred Bretag (1955-1962) * Norman William Male (1962-1963) * Carl Richard Maczkowiak (1963-1964) * Clifford James Baseby (1964-1967) * Ernest Richard Castle (1967-1970) * Anthony Aiden Kenny (1970-1971) * Ernest Richard Castle (1971-1972) * Anthony Aiden Kenny (1972-1976) * Avon Harold Rosenzweig (1976-1991)

References

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