Just a corner of Thebarton

Every day hundreds/thousands of cars pass by the corner of South Road and Henley Beach Road. I wonder how many of the occupants have any idea of the history in the block on the north west corner. First stop on this tour, organised by the Thebarton Historical Society, was the Church of Christ on the corner of Danby Street. Mary-Linn gave a very informative talk about the two churches on this site, the first one opening in 1908 gathered congregation from the western suburbs who previously journeyed into Grote Street, and the second in 1925 when the congregation had outgrown the first church. It was delightfully quiet and peaceful inside, which Mary-Linn explained was as a result of the insulation against aircraft noise, something that would never have been imagined in 1925. I was delighted to discover a personal connection from over 50 years ago.

Next stop on this tour was the Thebarton Theatre, previously the Thebarton Town Hall, and now one of the busiest concert venues in Adelaide. In an even earlier life this was the site of the first race-course in Adelaide. It was actually the second Town Hall as the first burnt down. Weslo Holdings took over the lease of the Town Hall in 1981 and have worked on restoring it to the former beauty and style of the early years. There are only four of this beautiful style of theatre left in Australia. Robbie Robinson, one of the theatre's promotors, is absolutely passionate about the history of the building and gave the tour group some wonderful insights into things that have happened in and to the Theatre over the years. These anecdotes were added to by local people who had also been involved in the research. The Thebarton Historical Society have worked hard to retain their district's heritage. They also do a great afternoon tea. Another tour, this time by the West Torrens Historical Society in the same council area, is running next Sunday afternoon. I recommend you check your guide for details and book in.