Our speakers will cover the story of Chiverton from 1880 when it was built as a grand two-storey bluestone family home in Stonyfell until its present day usage at the heart of St Peters Girls School. Reference will also be made to Chiverton’s relationship with Ferguson Park and to the School’s Museum.

The Millicent National Trust Museum, formed in 1965, houses what is regarded as Australia’s finest horse-drawn vehicle (HDV) collection – holding some 90+ restored and conserved items. The collection has its roots in 1955 due to 3 visionary collectors determined to save the final vestiges of the previous all-encompassing transport system. Joining the Millicent NT branch in 1987, Peter Foster became the Honorary Curator in 1990, due to his love of HDVs and his accumulated ‘hands on’ restoration skills, including coach painting, trimming, period painting, sign writing and wheelwrighting.

For over 40 years, Peter has dedicated his life and labours to researching, and authentically restoring and conserving a broad range of HDV types and associated items. He published the book ‘Coaches, Carriages and Carts, HDV in Australia’ in 2011. He was awarded an OAM in 2020 for his services to community history. His presentation will highlight some of the finest and interesting vehicles in the Millicent Collection and the stories behind them.

Grant will speak on the “Life of Sir Henry Ayers” who was the dominant figure in South Australia in the second half of the 19th century. He was Premier of SA five times between 1863-1873 and his influence touched so many aspects of life in South Australia over a long period, in such areas as mining, agriculture, politics and much, much, more.

Grant has been a guide at Ayers House for 26 years and during this time has conducted extensive research into the life of Sir Henry Ayers and the history of the period.