Central Ward councillor Houssam Abiad proposed that the acknowledgment be “reduced to one sentence” at a last night’s meeting.

There was almost no debate on the motion. Even councillor Alex Antic, who originally proposed the obligatory homage, had little to add when Lord Mayor Martin Haese asked: “Colonel Antic, do you wish to speak to it?”

The motion was defeated, five votes to four, after North Ward councillor Phil Martin appeared to be persuaded by fellow doyen of the north, councillor Sue Clearihan, to change his vote at the last moment.

During the brief debate, no-one noted that the current acknowledgement of Light’s “vision” already only runs for a single sentence (an extended run-on sentence though it may be).

Councillor Martin told InDaily this morning he was not, in fact, persuaded to change his vote, but instead he was “confused” by the motion.

He said he voted against it because the council had only recently begun acknowledging Light at every meeting, and changing it now would be inconsistent.

“That is the kind of constantly-changing-your-mind process that the Adelaide City Council is renowned for,” he said.

“We need to be much more reasoned and disciplined in our decision-making.”

He said despite the fact the acknowledgement was already a single sentence, “any proposal that appeared to change the measure would have been inappropriate”.

Haese’s “Colonel Antic” quip was the second uncharacteristic break from convention he ventured during the meeting.

After delivering Light’s acknowledgement at the beginning of the meeting, Haese read aloud a letter to the editor that had appeared in The Advertiser last week.

It was from Marjorie Brown, of Glenunga.

“It’s an ode to Adelaide members, and let me read it to you,” Haese began.

“Our Colonel, Who art in Adelaide, Light be thy name.

Thy parklands come, Thy will be done, In North Adelaide as it is in Adelaide.

Give us this day our daily commute, And forgive us our cyclists,

As we forgive those who cycle against us.

Lead us not into excess food trucks, But deliver us from Anne Moran. Amen.”

That final line drew an “ooohhh” from some councillors.

Marjorie’s verse appears to be inspired by a post on the popular Opposing Everything Because I’m From Adelaide Facebook page, from December 2016:

Colonel Light was the first Surveyor-General of the Colony of South Australia.

The council’s required reflection before every meeting remains: “The council acknowledges the vision of Colonel William Light in determining the site for Adelaide and the design of the City with its six squares and surrounding belt of continuous parklands which is recognised on the national heritage list as one of the greatest examples of Australia’s planning heritage.”

British military officer and the first Surveyor-General of the Colony of South Australia, Colonel William Light, self-portrait c.1815.

Save

Save