Know Your Park Lands Art: Pioneer Woman
by Chelsea McLean
Our series of stories, Know Your Park Lands Art, guides you through various creative displays within your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.
Located in Red Gum Park / Karrawirra (Park 12), Pioneer Woman of South Australia is an eye-catching sculpture of a female figure, surrounded by a serene garden.
Melbourne artist Ola Cohn carved the figure over 18 months, using a three-tonne block of Waikerie limestone. The memorial sculpture was unveiled by Lady Muriel Barclay-Harvey (the Governor’s wife) on 19 April, 1941.
A distant view of the monument and surrounding garden in Park 12.
The Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden was conceived for South Australia’s centenary celebrations, held in 1936. The women of South Australia raised almost £12,000 to create the garden and the memorial to the pioneering women of the State.
This was more than enough for the purpose. The trustees of the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Trust donated some of the funds - £6,250 - to build the Royal Flying Doctor base at Alice Springs.
The garden came first, before the statue arrived. In 1938, the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Trust commissioned landscape designer Elsie Cornish to design the garden.
Cornish planned a simple layout intended to complement the location where the statue would later be installed.
An expanse of lawn surrounds the sculpture, with a selection of ornamental trees and shrubs and four garden beds.
The four beds contain symbolic plants including holly oak, myrtle, and honeysuckle to represent protection and love, and lilac to represent memory.
Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden and statue in Red Gum Park / Karrawirra (Park 12), pictured in 1941. Photo: State Library of South Australia. [B 10683]
When it was unveiled in 1941, the sculpture wasn’t well received by the public. It was criticised for its “lack [of] femininity”.
However, the sculptor, Ola Cohn argued that the piece represented “the spirit of womanhood, capable of giving birth to a nation”.
Sculptor Ola Cohn, pictured early 1950s. Image: Argus newspaper, State Library of Victoria.
A time capsule was built within the sculpture’s base, containing messages for the women of the future. This is to be opened in 2036.
Pioneer Women of South Australia Memorial in Red Gum Park / Karrawirra (Park 12). Photo: Monument Australia - Roger Johnson / Bryan Cole.
Five Lombarby poplar trees were planted behind the statue, to honour the five original trustees of the Pioneer Women’s Memorial. The poplars were replanted in 2002.
To visit the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden and statue, head to Red Gum Park / Karrawirra (Park 12), next to King William Road, opposite the Adelaide Festival Centre.
The garden is open 24 hours, used for quiet recreation throughout the year, and in March, for Adelaide Writers’ Week.
The poplars, behind the sculpture, pay tribute to the five original trustees of the Pioneer Women’s Memorial.
The garden and statue is one of the stops on our Trail Guide to Red Gum Park / Karrawirra (Park 12).
For more articles in our “Know Your Park Lands Art” series, head here: https://www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/know-your-park-lands-art.
Main photo: Pioneer Women of South Australia monument in Red Gum Park / Karrawirra (Park 12), care of the Adelaide Economic Development Agency.