Renmark was established by the Chaffey Brothers in 1887 as an irrigation settlement. In 1893, when the settlement was beset with problems, the SA Government stepped in and set up the Renmark Irrigation Trust to oversee the supply of irrigation to the fledging settlement. The Trust engaged the Chaffey Brothers to supply water, but after their bankruptcy in 1895, the Trust took over the full management of the irrigation supply. The Trust office is on the SA heritage register.
Trust records have been kept since 1893 and include records which cover the following areas (amongst others): finance, human resources, land and ratepayer records, water management, irrigation supply, drainage records, maps, oral histories, Trust buildings, the Rehabilitation scheme, the Comprehensive Drainage Scheme, District council records, the 1956 Flood, documents relating to supplying Electricity (1926-1973) and Trust correspondence.
Events have included tours of the SA heritage listed Trust office, a talk on the relationship between the Trust and Woolenook Bend internment camp in WWII and a panel event on The Trust’s role in the rehabilitation of Renmark after the 1956 Flood. As part of the Trust’s engagement activities, we have interviewed members of the Renmark community about their memories of Renmark and the Trust. These oral histories form an important part of the Archive collection and one which connects the community to the Trust.
At present the Trust archive is not open to the public, but enquiries are welcome.