The Corporate Town of Jamestown was a
local government area in
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 ...
, centred on the town of
Jamestown. It was proclaimed on 25 July 1878, severing the seven-year old settlement of Jamestown from the surrounding
District Council of Belalie. The first mayor was
John Cockburn, later
Premier of South Australia
The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier is ...
, with
George Hingston Lake as town clerk. Under the new council, it instituted a
tree planting
Tree-planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purpose. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture, and from the lower cost but slower and less re ...
program from 1879, reportedly the first town in rural South Australia to do so.
In 1881, it was reported to have a population of 995; while this remained static for some decades, by 1936, it was reported to have a population of over 1,500, with 361 dwellings and 106 businesses, with the surrounding area described as "one of the best agricultural districts in this state". In the 1950s, the council offices were based out of the former Jamestown Institute, by then converted to a memorial hall. In 1979, the council launched a program of kerbing and sealing Jamestown streets. On 1 January 1991, it merged into the surrounding
District Council of Jamestown; the merged council would itself amalgamate with surrounding municipalities to form the
Northern Areas Council
Northern Areas Council is a local government area in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia. The council seat and main council offices are at Jamestown, while the council also maintains district offices at Gladstone and Spalding.
...
in 1997.
Mayors
References
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Jamestown