Salisbury founder John Harvey's African descent left out of history books
0#multicultural #council #gawler #salisbury
The name John Harvey used to be synonymous with the City of Salisbury - after all, he was its founder. Key points John Harvey arrived in Australia from Scotland in 1839. John Harvey arrived in Australia from Scotland in 1839, founded the City of Salisbury and built a number of important buildings. He founded the City of Salisbury and built a number of important buildings, but his African heritage has often been overlooked in South Australian history. But there was one fact about Mr. Harvey that most people never k a fact that shocked even his descendants. John Harvey was a man of African descent, but history often leaves this detail out. In 1839, Mr. Harvey traveled to South Australia from Wick, a small town in the northernmost part of Scotland. He was just 18 years old when he arrived on the Australian shores, and nine years later he set about building the city we know today as Salisbury. He was a landowner built a number of important buildings, including the Salisbury Hotel and St John's Church, sank the first well at Gawler. John Harvey was a member of the SA Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society. His African heritage came as a surprise to his great-great-grandson Paul Harvey. "I learned that the early years, John Harvey was interviewed shortly before he in 1899, and he mentioned that his family originated St Helena, an island off the coast of South Africa," Harvey said. "And... that came as a bit of a surprise to us." Paul Harvey, pictured in 1972, grew up in the city his great-great-grandfather helped build. As time passed, knowledge of Harvey family and John's legacy seemed to be lost in the growth and development of city he founded. "I think it's probably not common knowledge these days because Salisbury has gotten so big, but in my days everybody knew about John Harvey," Harvey said. Mr. Harvey remembered growing up, asking stores and owners if he was related to John Harvey, and often received great service as a result. But he said it was a small community back then and times have changed. John Harvey built a number of important buildings north of Adelaide. Inheritance not yet accepted According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Salisbury has a population of 148,003 by 2022. Mayor Gillian Aldridge, who has held the position for 15 years, said he owed this growth to the community's "warm and welcoming" attitude. “There are about 34 percent of people born overseas [in Salisbury], and 70 percent of newcomers to the state choose to make Salisbury their home,” Aldridge said. Salisbury Mayor Gillian Aldridge said the municipality's website needed updating. The diversity of the city of Salisbury is something that is well known. But the municipality's website has yet to acknowledge its founder's multicultural background, which the mayor says needs revision. "The time has come for change, we have just understood and accepted the truth," said Aldridge. Uncovering multicultural history It was not common practice in the past to accept t