Australian History
Saturday, September 17, 1853. : Australia’s first paddle steamer, the ‘Lady Augusta’, reaches Swan Hill on its maiden voyage from Goolwa.
In 1828-29, Captain Charles Sturt became the first explorer to follow the course of the Murray River down to its mouth at Lake Alexandrina in South Australia. In doing so, he opened up the possibilities for a new means of transporting goods and passengers through inland NSW to the southern coast.
In 1851, the South Australian Government offered 2,000 pounds reward to the first two steamships to reach the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers. 31-year-old Scottish shipbuilder, Francis Cadell, had the 32m iron paddle steamer, ‘Lady Augusta’, built in Sydney with 2x20hp steam engines. He departed Goolwa on 25 August 1853, travelling 2,200 km upstream, reaching Swan Hill on 17 September 1853. Cadell’s competitor, William Randell, built his own 17m paddle steamer ‘Mary Ann’ at Gumeracha and Mannum, with a single 8hp engine and a square boiler. Randell reached Swan Hill several hours behind Cadell, after the two had raced neck-and-neck most of the way.
Cadell went on to carry cargo mostly along the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers; the small Murray River town of Cadell in South Australia now bears his name. Randell plied his trade along the Murray-Darling system. The town of Mannum grew up around his boatyards and docks at his Reedy Creek station.
Australian History
Saturday, September 17, 1892. : The Coolgardie, WA, gold rush begins.
The small town of Coolgardie lies about 570km east of Perth, Western Australia. The gold rush began when prospectors Arthur Bayley and William Ford found a rich reef of gold in 1892, which they named “Bayley’s Reward”. On 17 September 1892 they carried almost 16kg of gold into a bank in Southern Cross, 368km northeast of Perth. Thousands departed Southern Cross that very night, sparking a huge gold rush to Coolgardie.
Coolgardie grew rapidly, becoming the third largest town in the state after Perth and Fremantle. However, within a few years, nearby Kalgoorlie was attracting more interest, as the gold deposits were much larger. The population of Coolgardie dropped dramatically, falling to below 200 at one stage. Now the town stands as a monument to its gold rush days, with a steady population of around 1300.
Australian History
Monday, September 17, 2001. : Today is Australian Citizenship Day, inaugurated in the twenty-first century.
Australian Citizenship Day was first celebrated in Australia on 17 September 2001. The date chosen as 17 September was the day that the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 was renamed, in 1973, to the Australian Citizenship Act 1948.
Australian Citizenship Day is an opportunity for Australians to take pride in their citizenship and consider what it means to be Australian. Australians are encouraged to reflect on the history and changes that have shaped the nation, and on the individuals’ roles in shaping the country’s future. This is a time to uphold Australia’s values of democracy and the concept of a fair go, as well as equality and respect for each other. Common venues for Australian Citizenship Day include the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra, the Sydney Opera House, Government House in Tasmania and the Adelaide Zoo.
World History
Thursday, September 17, 1908. : The first air fatality occurs when a plane being piloted by Orville Wright crashes, killing his passenger.
Orville and Wilbur Wright are credited with being the first to build a flying machine. After several years of building and selling airplanes, the Wright brothers had attracted interest from the army. As Orville Wright was demonstrating his airplane to Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge at Fort Meyer, Virginia, on 17 September 1908, the propeller cracked. The plane plummeted to the ground, injuring both men. Selfridge died shortly afterwards, whilst Wright suffered a fractured thigh and ribs, from which he later recovered.
World History
Sunday, September 17, 1939. : The Soviet Union joins Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland.
World War II was a bitter time for countries experiencing invasion by Nazi Germany. On the last day of August 1939, Germany staged an attack by Poland, dressing Nazi S.S. troops in Polish uniforms and leaving behind dead German prisoners in Polish uniforms as evidence of the ‘Polish attack’. Using this as propaganda served to pave the way for Germany to invade Poland the next day.
On 17 September 1939 the Soviet Red Army also invaded eastern Poland. This was in co-operation with Nazi Germany, as a means of carrying out their part of the secret appendix of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which involved the division of Europe into Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence. Later in September that year, Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union.
World History
Tuesday, September 17, 2013. : Stricken Italian cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, is set upright in the largest salvage operation of its kind to date.
The Costa Concordia was a massive cruise ship which ran aground off the coast of Italy in January 2012. The vessel was 290.20 metres long, had a beam of 35.50 metres, and 1500 cabins across thirteen decks. It departed Civitavecchia, Italy at 21:18 local time on 13 January 2012, with over 4000 passengers and crew on board. Shortly afterwards, at 21:45, it hit a rock off Isola del Giglio, after Captain Francesco Schettino ordered an unauthorised deviation from its planned route, steering the vessel close to the island in a salute to the locals. The impact created a 53 metre long gouge in the port side hull along 3 compartments of the engine room, causing the ship to take in water and list to one side. It finally rolling over onto its starboard side, where it lay atop an underwater rocky ledge at a depth of about 20 metres of water, from where it was feared it could sink into deeper water.
Captain Schettino gave the order to evacuate over an hour after the initial incident. Many passengers were able to escape in lifeboats, although this was rendered difficult by the angle of the listing ship. Rescue crews were quickly dispatched, but 300 passengers remained aboard after both the captain and the second master abandoned the vessel. 32 passengers perished, with two not being found until some time after the rescue operations ended. Rescue operations were hampered by the shifting of the vessel several times in the shallow water.
Costa Concordia was officially declared a “constructive total loss” by the insurance company, while Captain Schettino was later charged with failing to describe to maritime authorities the scope of the disaster, and for abandoning incapacitated passengers. In May 2012, the decision was made to salvage the ship, rather than break it up. Around 2200 tonnes of fuel were removed. The parbuckle salvage of the ship was commenced on 16 September 2013. In what was the largest salvage operation of its kind to date, the Costa Concordia was set upright shortly after midnight on 17 September 2013. In July the following year, the vessel was refloated and towed to Genoa, where the dismantling process began.