Club History
1836
Colonists arrived from England
A good place to begin is back in July 1836. On July 20th of that year, the good ship Tam O’Shanter set sail from England.
On December 14th, the Tam O’Shanter arrived in South Australia. The passengers landed at what would become known as Port Misery, toward the upper end of the Port River.
It’s hard to imagine what those early settlers felt, arriving in such an environment after leaving a well-established country and their families behind. They were indeed brave souls who came to establish this new colony.
1836 – 1877
A colonist, John White, developed the area as Fulham Farm
Among its passengers was John White. He was born and raised in Fulham, a suburb of London. The Anglo-Saxons called this area “Fullen-Hame”, which means “home of the waterfowl”.
Having settled in and viewed the lay of the land, White purchased a large area around the Reedbeds and named it Fulham Farm. Many early settlers were to name their new surroundings after their place of birth in those early years.
1877
Fulham was established
John White’s two sons followed their father to South Australia in 1842 and it was William that established Fulham in 1877.
It is worth noting here that Samuel White, who had been born in the “home of water fowl” was to become in later years one of Australia’s most successful ornithologists.
1970’s
A young man, Garth Palmer, with passion to support local communities
Around this time, the West Torrens area was known as Airport Ward and ideas were starting to come to fruition for one Garth Palmer.
Garth, having lived in the Airport Ward of West Torrens Council for a number of years, had decided he would like to represent the people of this district and so ran for local council.
1973
Garth Palmer became a councilor of West Torrens
Garth Palmer, who had lived in the Airport Ward of West Torrens for years, was elected for its council.
Garth soon found out that Airport Ward was sorely lacking in facilities for its senior citizens, while other wards of the council, such as Cowandilla, Lockleys, Keswick, and Hayhurst had established senior citizen clubs in their areas.
Introducing Proposal to Establish a Seniors Club
Garth proposed an idea of establishing a senior citizen club in the Airport Ward area. However, some councillors were against the younger person coming in with what they saw as grandiose ideas and were soon trying to push his ideas to one side.
Nevertheless, Garth persisted. Soon after, he discovered that the Mayor of West Torrens, Steve Hamra, was a great supporter of the older citizens in the council district. He also found an ally in Harry Boyce, Town Clerk.
Building a Support Network
Soon after, he discovered two great supporters, the Mayor of West Torrens, Steve Hamra, and Town Clerk, Harry Boyce.
Also, He had shown by his door knocking of the area that the residents wanted their own club and he was more and more determined to follow his resolve through.
Proposal Approval
Later, Garth, having put forward his proposal to establish a senior citizens club within the Airport Ward was given the go ahead to come up with plans and costing as well as location for such establishment.
However, finding the right location and building was going to be, as Garth soon realised, a major hurdle.
The Challenge of Securing a Venue
Garth spent a lot of time going around the district hoping to seek out a venue. At this time, there was only one building in the Fulham area, which was not suitable as a venue.
It was obvious that he would need to fund from State and Federal Governments to build a venue for establishing a seniors club in the area.
Built a Partnership with an Experienced Builder, Wally Satterley
Garth was not put off by this because he had the right man in mind who could do exactly what was needed to get this project up and running and that man was held in high esteem by the Council. His name was Wally Satterley, a local builder who lived in Lockleys.
Moving Forward with Satterley’s Expertise
Wally Satterley had carried out quite a number of building projects within the West Torrens Council district, a lot of them on behalf of the Council. A lot of these projects involved Senior Citizens Clubs and also a number of sporting club buildings.
And so it was that when Garth Palmer fronted the Council meeting and informed the other Councillors that he had approached Wally Satterley to design and oversee the building of this club the Council were all for it going ahead.
1981
Airport Over 50’s Club was established
Mayor Steve Hamra officially announced the establishment of seniors club in Airport Ward. He also added that they helped maintain a good relationship between the council and residents and that the council was proud to have the older residents in the area. Garth Palmer had done it. Success was his.
Supporting Local Senior Community
Since then, the Airport Over 50’s Club has been offering various activities including fitness classes, board game sessions, and social events, becoming a hub for senior citizens to connect with others as well as staying healthy.
