Hamilton, South Australia

Hamilton is a small township in the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia. It is about 120 km northeast of Adelaide, South Australia, about 23 km north of Kapunda. Once a stop for the mining carts going from Adelaide to Burra, but now just a small agricultural district. Hamilton was the birthplace of Albert Percy Blesing in 1879, MP for Northern from 1924–1944. He served as Minister for Agriculture, Local Government and Afforestation in the government of Thomas Playford IV. This now shrinking town used to be a very vibrant one with its own football, netball and cricket teams all of which now are non-existent. The Hamilton tennis club is still running and plays in the Julia & Light Tennis Association. The park at Hamilton is called Gill Park and is named after the Gill family which was prominent in the district.The Hamilton school opened in 1860 by the local residents. The school contributed to the development of the township, as it provided local access to primary education. The nearest town, Kapunda, was too far to travel daily to school with 19th century transport. The Hamilton school closed in 1948 and the remaining students and teacher transferred to Kapunda Primary.The Dutton Memorial Church of St Matthew was built in 1896 and financed by one man, Henry Dutton of nearby Anlaby Station as a memorial to his brother Frederick, and to Henry's wife Helen and their daughter Ethel, who died accidentally on Granite Island. Henry Dutton was occasional lay reader and, an accomplished musician, played the organ, a magnificent instrument for such a small town. The church is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.