South Australian Gas Company

Last updated

South Australian Gas Company
Type Public
SuccessorSAGASCO, then Boral
Founded1861 (1861)
Defunct1993 (1993)
FateMerged
Headquarters,
Products Coal gasification, Natural gas

The South Australian Gas Company (later known as SAGASCO) was formed in 1861 twenty-five years after the colony of South Australia was first settled. The establishment of gasworks from 1863 provided not only industry and employment but also street lighting and gas appliances, radiating an aura of prosperity over South Australia and especially Adelaide.

Contents

History

One of the chief promoters of the South Australian Gas Company and first Chairman of Directors was Henry Ayers, a prominent resident of Adelaide who was associated with the Burra Burra copper mines. The first coal gas works was located at Brompton with others located at Port Adelaide, Glenelg, Thebarton, Osborne, and regional areas when the Provincial Gas Company was amalgamated with the South Australian Gas Company in 1878. [1]

Regular coal gasification began in September 1863. Shovelling coal into the retorts was arduous work as was the use of hand pumps to clear blockages in the gas plants. In 1890, company gas workers formed the South Australian Gas Company’s Employees’ Association committed to an eight-hour day. In 1914, members joined the Federated Gas Employees Industrial Union. Industrial relations remained relatively smooth up until 1937 when workers at the Brompton works halted production by locking themselves in to force management to increase the industrial allowance. A prolonged strike during 1946-1947 seriously disrupted gas supply within the state for almost two months. [2] Improved conditions and facilities were part of the return to work agreement and included blowers designed to remove impurities from the gas pipes.

Home services

To promote the use of gas, the South Australian Gas Company opened a showroom in its Grenfell Street headquarters in 1892. With the move to King William Street in 1903, the company employed female instructors to give cooking demonstrations and to visit the homes of people who had purchased stoves. The publication of the South Australian Gas Company Cookery Book provided advice on stoves as well as a range of recipes. The Home Services Division, operating from the Waymouth Street office from the 1920s, continued to employ women to conduct cooking demonstrations and competitions and to broadcast regular radio programs. In 1961, the South Australian Gas Company was one of South Australia’s major industries serving 130,000 consumers and employing more than 1,200 workers. [3]

Natural gas

In November 1966, the South Australian Gas Company took a new direction entering a contract to purchase natural gas, the first such contract to be signed in Australia. This coincided with the building of the Moomba Adelaide Pipeline System from Moomba to Adelaide. With the South Australian Gas Company becoming a distributor of natural gas from 1969, physical and sectional changes quickly followed including the dismantlement of plant and the reduction of the workforce.

Merger and takeover

In 1988, the South Australian Gas Company merged with the South Australian Oil & Gas Corporation Pty Ltd to form the SAGASCO Holdings Group. [4] In October 1993, SAGASCO Holdings became a wholly owned subsidiary of Boral Limited. [5] The SAGASCO business became part of Origin Energy following its demerger from Boral Limited in 2000.

Related Research Articles

Kerosene, also known as paraffin, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from Greek: κηρός (keros) meaning "wax", and was registered as a trademark by Canadian geologist and inventor Abraham Gesner in 1854 before evolving into a genericized trademark. It is sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage. The term kerosene is common in much of Argentina, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, and the United States, while the term paraffin is used in Chile, eastern Africa, South Africa, Norway, and in the United Kingdom. The term lamp oil, or the equivalent in the local languages, is common in the majority of Asia. Liquid paraffin is a more viscous and highly refined product which is used as a laxative. Paraffin wax is a waxy solid extracted from petroleum.

Kitchen stove Kitchen appliance designed for the purpose of cooking food

A kitchen stove, often called simply a stove or a cooker, is a kitchen appliance designed for the purpose of cooking food. Kitchen stoves rely on the application of direct heat for the cooking process and may also contain an oven, used for baking. "Cookstoves" are heated by burning wood or charcoal; "gas stoves" are heated by gas; and "electric stoves" by electricity. A stove with a built-in cooktop is also called a range.

Santos Ltd. is an Australian energy company, the country's second-largest independent oil and gas producer. In the 2020 Forbes Global 2000, Santos was ranked as the 1583rd -largest public company in the world.

Gas stove

A gas stove is a stove that is fuelled by combustible gas such as syngas, natural gas, propane, butane, liquefied petroleum gas or other flammable gas. Before the advent of gas, cooking stoves relied on solid fuels such as coal or wood. The first gas stoves were developed in the 1820s and a gas stove factory was established in England in 1836. This new cooking technology had the advantage of being easily adjustable and could be turned off when not in use. The gas stove, however, did not become a commercial success until the 1880s, by which time supplies of piped gas were available in cities and large towns in Britain. The stoves became widespread on the European Continent and in the United States in the early 20th century.

Electric stove Stove with an integrated electrical heating device to cook and bake

An electric stove or electric range is a stove with an integrated electrical heating device to cook and bake. Electric stoves became popular as replacements for solid-fuel stoves which required more labor to operate and maintain. Some modern stoves come in a unit with built-in extractor hoods.

Burra, South Australia Town in South Australia

Burra is a pastoral centre and historic tourist town in the mid-north of South Australia. It lies east of the Clare Valley in the Bald Hills range, part of the northern Mount Lofty Ranges, and on Burra Creek. The town began as a single company mining township that, by 1851, was a set of townships collectively known as "The Burra". The Burra mines supplied 89% of South Australia's and 5% of the world's copper for 15 years, and the settlement has been credited with saving the economy of the struggling new colony of South Australia. The Burra Burra Copper Mine was established in 1848 mining the copper deposit discovered in 1845. Miners and townspeople migrated to Burra primarily from Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Germany. The mine first closed in 1877, briefly opened again early in the 20th century and for a last time from 1970 to 1981.

History of Adelaide

This article details the History of Adelaide from the first human activity in the region to the 20th century. Adelaide is a planned city founded in 1836 and the capital of South Australia.

Moomba, South Australia Town in South Australia

Moomba is a company town located in the Australian state of South Australia within the gazetted locality of Gidgealpa about 770 kilometres (480 mi) north of the state capital of Adelaide. It is operated by Santos Limited for the purpose of exploration and processing of natural gas found in and recovered from the Cooper and Eromanga Basins.

The Electricity Trust of South Australia (ETSA) was the South Australian Government-owned monopoly vertically integrated electricity provider from 1946 until its privatisation in 1999.

Mintaro, South Australia Town in South Australia

Mintaro is a historic town in the eastern Clare Valley, east of the Horrocks Highway, about 126 kilometres north of Adelaide, South Australia. The town lies at the south-eastern corner of the Hundred of Clare, within the Clare Valley wine region. Established in 1849, Mintaro is situated on land which was bought originally by Joseph and Henry Gilbert, which they sub-divided into 80 allotments.

Mining in Australia Overview of mining in Australia

Mining in Australia has long been a significant primary sector industry and contributor to the Australian economy by providing export income, royalty payments and employment. Historically, mining booms have also encouraged population growth via immigration to Australia, particularly the gold rushes of the 1850s. Many different ores, gems and minerals have been mined in the past and a wide variety are still mined throughout the country.

Cooker Index of articles associated with the same name

Cooker may refer to several types of cooking appliances and devices used for cooking foods.

John Langdon Bonython, was a prominent Adelaide businessman.

George Hall (Australian politician)

George Hall, M.L.C., often styled "Captain Hall", was a South Australian shipping agent, company director and politician.

Henry Rymill and Frank Rymill were brothers prominent in business and public service in the 19th century South Australia. Henry "Harry" Rymill and Francis "Frank" Rymill were born in England, sons of Robert Rymill and Louisa Rymill of Shepperton, and migrated to South Australia, arriving at Port Adelaide in the Caucasian on 1 October 1855. Their company H & F Rymill was a prominent financial institution well into the 20th century. Their families included a number of prominent Adelaide citizens.

English and Australian Copper Company

The English and Australian Copper Company was a South Australian based company, established in 1851 from the transfer of assets of the Patent Copper Company. Formed as a joint stock company, with smelting works at Spitty and Kooringa, it also maintained wharves at Port Adelaide and Port Wakefield, where copper ore was largely supplied by the South Australian Mining Association (SAMA).

District Council of Robertstown Local government area in South Australia

The District Council of Robertstown was a local government area in South Australia from 1932 to 1997. The central town and council seat was Robertstown.

District Council of Eudunda Local government area in South Australia

The District Council of Eudunda was a local government area in South Australia from 1932 to 1997. The central town and council seat was Eudunda. It was established on 12 May 1932 with the amalgamation of the District Council of Julia and the District Council of Neales. By 1936, it was divided up into four wards: Brownlow, Eudunda and Neales and Julia. It met at the District Hall at Eudunda, which had formerly been owned by the Neales council, until 1963. The council existed until 1997, when it amalgamated with the District Council of Burra Burra, the District Council of Hallett and the District Council of Robertstown to form the Regional Council of Goyder.

Henry Roach

Henry Roach was a miner from Cornwall who was Captain of the Burra copper mine in Burra, South Australia for many years. In this position he almost always employed Cornishmen as his assistants, and most of the miners were also immigrants from Cornwall.

Frederick Metters was an ironworker, founder of the South Australian company which became Metters Limited, of South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales, known for domestic and industrial cooking ovens and other cooking equipment, and for windpumps. Two of his brothers earlier founded a similarly named company in Victoria known for domestic and industrial cooking ovens.

References

  1. Donovan, Peter; Kirkman, Noreen (1986). The Unquenchable Flame: The South Australian Gas Company 1861- 1986 (PDF). Adelaide: Wakefield Press. pp. 14–88. ISBN   0949268925.
  2. Donovan, Peter; Kirkman, Noreen (1986). The Unquenchable Flame: The South Australian Gas Company 1861- 1986 (PDF). Adelaide: Wakefield Press. pp. 175–213. ISBN   0949268925.
  3. Donovan, Peter; Kirkman, Noreen (1986). The Unquenchable Flame: The South Australian Gas Company 1861- 1986 (PDF). Adelaide: Wakefield Press. p. 250. ISBN   0949268925.
  4. "Boral First 60 Years". Boral.com.au. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  5. King, Stephanie (1996). From the ground up : Boral's first 50 years. Sydney: State Library of New South Wales Press. ISBN   0731066030.