History of George Fife Angas and his

contribution to South Australia

Andrew Brown
11/06/2013

This report has been produced as part of the assessment for ARCH8404
Directed Study in Archaeology, in the Department of Archaeology, Flinders
University.

Executive Summary
This project was completed as a part of a Directed Study for the Flinders University Archaeology
Department in 2013. It was commissioned by the National Trust of South Australia and completed
over the span of one semester (4th March to 11th June 2013). The focus of the project was to create
an historical background for one of the founding members of South Australia, George Fife Angas,
and to interpret the importance of his influence for the colonys economy and infrastructure during
its formation and early history. The project was completed as a desktop study using resources from
the State Library of South Australia and the National Library of Australia Trove database.
This project found that Angas had extensive influence throughout the inception of the colony
through his work with the South Australian Company and also through his work on the board for the
formation of a South Australian colony. This work helped bring industry to the state, which helped
stabilise the early settlement. Once he moved to the colony, he also influenced the government and
education of the state through a number of initiatives and also through his astute business sense. He
was not a very popular leader, but he was elected to the Legislative Council because he was a
respected person who was seen to have South Australias best interests in mind. During his life, he
can be seen to have influenced a number of things that today are part of the story of this state. After
his death, his family, who remained in South Australia, continued to work towards improving the
infrastructure of the state.
It is the opinion of this report that, although Angas was an influential man in the inception of the
colony, his achievements were exaggerated shortly after his death. Due to the loss of many
important primary documents, a true account of the man may never actually be able to be deduced.
It would be relevant, however, to take a more in-depth look at his involvement in the economy of
the state, as he heavily invested in banking ventures for the new colony while back in England.

Table of Contents
1.

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1

2.

LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 1

3.

METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................... 4

4.

INTERPRETATION .................................................................................................................................... 5
4.1 HISTORY .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
4.2 PERCEPTION ................................................................................................................................................... 11
4.3 INFLUENCE ON THE ECONOMY............................................................................................................................ 14
4.4 INFLUENCE ON THE COLONY .............................................................................................................................. 15
4.5 INFLUENCE OF FAMILY ...................................................................................................................................... 18
4.6 CURRENT INFLUENCE........................................................................................................................................ 19

5.

CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................... 21

6.

REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 24

1. Introduction
Who is George Fife Angas and what effect has he had on South Australia since the founding of the
state? This and a few other questions will be looked at in this report. The aim of this report is not
only to build an historical background for one of the founding members of South Australia, but also
to see what effect this one man might have had on the future of the South Australian colony. While
doing this, a sub aim is to look at what the publics perception of the man was during his life
compared to how biographical documents have portrayed him since his death. This will hopefully
produce a report that is an unbiased view of who he was and what influence he had during his life.
This will be done through a number of phases of research that will be laid out in the methodology
section of the report. The project was written as a part of a Flinders University post graduate
archaeology topic and was put forth by The National Trust of South Australia in conjunction with
research into George Fife Angas estate, Collingrove, in Angaston. As this is just an historical research
topic, there is no collection of artefacts, or artefact analysis, however a review of newspaper articles
from 1830 to 1880 was carried out. The National Trust of South Australia is a privately run
organisation that preserves heritage in all its aspects. They own and manage a number of historical
places, one being Collingrove Homestead, which was bequeathed to them in 1976 by one of the
Angas family. Being a largely community-driven organisation, it relies on support to complete their
goals, which is one of the reasons that projects like this one are undertaken. The person who both
commissioned this report and also took the time to help in the initial planning of the project, which
was gratefully received, was Eric Heapy, CEO of the National Trust of South Australia.

2. Literature Review
The aim of this projectto build a history of George Fife Angas and identify ways in which he has
influenced South Australia both economically and structurallyhinges on the previous work that has
been completed on him. Multiple histories have been written, including books on his relationships
with other well known South Australians and, of course, he is also predominantly found in books and
1

sources about the colonisation of Adelaide. This section will analyse and review the literature
previously mentioned in order to explain why this study is important and how the literature used
relates to this study.
To first build up an understanding of Angas, the numerous biographies that have been written about
him were reviewed. The first, written by Edwin Hodder (1891), was written just after his death and
because of this, it contained a number of flaws. Specifically, it is enormously biased towards the view
that Angas was the greatest asset South Australia had during its early history. The book also showed
some bias towards his relationships with people he worked with, specifically Charles Flaxman, who
was the man Angas sent to South Australia to support a party of German immigrants. Angas had also
given Flaxman his power of attorney to deal with land purchases in the colony, however, Hodder
(1891: 242-243) argues that Flaxman took advantage of this and caused Angas to go broke in the
1840s through his greed. In later biographies by Price (1929) and ONeill (1972) there is a less
idealistic view of Angas beginning to emerge. This can be found more so in ONeills writing, because
Price still heavily sourced information from Hodders original history. As a result, ONeills biography
is one of the few that actually highlights events or perceptions that may be inaccurate. Prices book
makes an attempt to do this but only in the last few pages and still upholds the majority of the
beliefs outlined in Hodders work. This kind of shift in opinion is important to this study, because it
directly relates to one of the questions that are posed in the aims of this study: the perceptions of
others towards George Fife Angas. Another biography that is heavily referenced in this study is the
Australian Dictionary of Biography (1966) which gives, although brief, an unbiased look at George
Fife Angas and does question how influential he actually was during his life time.
Although not specifically a biography, Charles Bright (1983) dealt with the biased inferences found in
Hodders work. He critically reviewed the more suspect inferences in Hodders work involving
Charles Flaxman, and brings up a point that could be considered one of the most important issues
when dealing with peoples histories. Articles that are written around the death of a prominent

person are to be distrusted because they resemble lapidary inscription (a style of writing that
inflates or exaggerates the achievements of individuals) (Bright 1983: 1). This type of writing was
avoided during this study and is the basis for the next type of literature to review.
A review of material related to the colonisation of South Australia and the early experiences of those
who emigrated was completed as part of this project. This included books and journal articles that
ranged from general observations of the colonisation process, such as Gibbs (1984), Howell (1991)
and Price (1973), to subjective evaluations of early colonial life, such as Blacket (1979) and Bull
(1884). The review also briefly researched the opinions or findings of other projects in reference to
influential parties in South Australia, particularly Nicholas (2009).
Newspaper articles, although typically biased, were used in this study to try and get a perspective of
Angas that might not have been available in the history books. Covering every single article written
about Angas would be impossible in this time frame, therefore, only South Australian articles were
reviewed, which produced sufficient information. The information found that was pertinent to this
report related to his political career for the Legislative Council, from 1851 to 1866, and also the
various organisations that he worked with or formed during his life. A number of articles were found
that fit the criteria and showed a very wide range of activities. These include his work with the South
Australian Company, Union Bank of South Australia, Legislative Council, South Australian School
Society and also a number of articles relating to events and functions that he attended. They portray
how he affected the economy and industry and also, again, look at how he was perceived during his
life. As stated before, these articles are likely to be biased towards one view of him but it meant that
a primary source of information could be gathered without requiring access to his letters and
journals. Some of these documents are missing, like his lifetime journals, which disappeared after
Hodder finished the biography; while other documentation is thought to be stored somewhere in
the UK National Archives (Bright 1983: 14).

The final type of literature analysed were studies that covered only one aspect of Angas life. This
may have been in reference to his business dealings, his charitable contributions or even his dealings
with specific people. Brights (1983) biography, for example, primarily analysed Angas relationship
with Charles Flaxman. Although the events recounted in Bright are not directly relevant to this study,
his speculations about Angas true nature are. Among the other resources used for this project,
some relate specifically to the colonisation effort, including Price (1924) and Whitelock (1985) and
these hold importance for historical reasons. They outline in detail the effects that Angas had on the
colonisation effort, which helped to identify how he influenced industry in South Australia
(Sutherland 1898). The other resources relate to industries that Angas had an effect on, specifically
mining (Linn 1979) and education (Petersen 1988; Trethewey 1998).
All of the literature that was reviewed for this project showed differing levels of bias in their
portrayal of Angas. It was important to differentiate opinion from fact and this study attempted to
critically analyse the sources to produce an unbiased reflection of the information.

3. Methodology
This project was limited to a desktop study that was conducted using a number of different
techniques and sources. Firstly, the biographies of George Fife Angas were reviewed to identify the
important avenues of research to focus on during the later phases. During this time, specific
organisations that he was affiliated with and his more important life events were noted. These
references were primarily used in section 4.1 of the report, as they formed the basis for
understanding the extrapolated information contained in later sections.
The second phase of the research consisted of a review of the National Library of Australia Trove
database, which holds online copies of most of the newspapers from the time period relating to the
study (1830 1880). As the articles numbered nearly seven thousand, it was decided that only
articles published in South Australian newspapers would be reviewed. This reduced the number

down to around three thousand, which was a sufficient number for this report. For all of these
articles key words were used to identify those of interest. These were the items identified in the
review of the biographical resources. Along with the Trove database, the State Library of South
Australia Encore database was also used to identify resources that may have been relevant, while
also identifying articles that may have been absent in the other database searches. It also served as a
good source of images for the study, as the majority of them are available to view online. This phase
of research either directly or indirectly relates to the entirety of section 4 of this report.
The third phase of the research consisted of a review of academic writing, journal articles, books and
other sources that outlined the different aspects of Angas life that were identified in the initial
research phase. During this phase, a number of new pieces of information were found about his
involvement with mining in South Australia and the annexation of the Northern Territory. This led to
another brief search of the online databases in order to see if they held any documentation related
to for this. This stage relates mainly to sections 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5 of this report.
The final phase of the investigation was comprised of research into the generations of the Angas
family that were left behind after his death. This was done in an attempt to determine how they
might have affected the growth of South Australia and also to determine if, and how, George Fife
Angas might have influenced their actions. This was done by tracing the lineage from Angas and his
children to the current generations that are still living in the state. Only the lines that remained in
South Australia were researched and of those researched only blood relatives were included in the
review. This was due to time constraints as it only had bearing on a single section of the report (4.6).

4. Interpretation
This section of the report will cover the research that was conducted as outlined in the
Methodology. It will give a brief history of George Fife Angas, followed by an interpretation of how
he was perceived by his peers and the public. The next sections will identify how he may or may not

have influenced the economy and infrastructure of the South Australian colony. It will also reflect on
how later generations of the Angas family affected the state and will conclude with a look at how
these influences can be seen in the current day. Also outlined will be how George Fife Angas may
have shaped the story of South Australia and in what ways his supporters may have exaggerated or
inflated particular traits after his death.
4.1 History
George Fife Angas was born May 1, 1798, to Caleb and Sarah Angas in Newcastle, England (Hodder
1891: 7). He came from a highly religious family and the ideals that they lived by sculpted the way
that he lived during his life, and also most likely the way that people remember him. The Protestant
ideal that influenced him was to serve God and man and this can be seen throughout his history
(ONeill 1972: 1). At the age of fifteen, in 1804, he began to follow in his fathers footsteps by
apprenticing in the coach building industry and in 1808 he left for London to work in Howes Coach
Factory. This only lasted a year until he returned to Newcastle to work for his father again. Marrying
Rosetta French, daughter of his fathers friend, in 1812 and continuing his philanthropic work with
the Baptist church, he reached a position of overseer (Hodder 1891: 14; Price 1929: 57). He also
started a business, with the help of his father, called Angas and Company and this dealt with
merchandise and shipping (Price 1929: 57-58). During this time, he also widened the scope of his
humanitarianism when he began fighting against slavery in Honduras, a place that his company had
interests. This gave him some notoriety and he met a number of anti-slavery leaders and also
statesmen, like Lord Bathurst (ONeill 1972: 5). Moving to London to conduct business with foreign
parties, the business he started with the help of his father split in 1826 and he formed G.F. Angas
and Company (Price 1929: 58). After his fathers death in 1831, he took control of both businesses
and all other affairs his father was involved in. At the time he founded the National Provincial Bank
with his cousin, Thomas Joplin, in 1833, his health started to deteriorate, and because of this he

moved his family to the town of Dawlish in 1834 and only conducted business in London for sixteen
weeks a year (Hodder 1891: 91).
Referencing his philanthropic work, at the young age of only 18 he was given the position of
secretary for the Newcastle Sunday School Union and continued his very active involvement in his
church (ONeill 1972: 4). In 1820 he formed the Bethel Seamans Union with his brother William to
help bring God to sailors. As was mentioned before, he also fought against slavery in Honduras and
by 1824 an act was written to prohibit slavery, the Slave Trade Act 1824 (Hodder 1891: 33).
By the time he started to get involved with the colonisation of South Australia, in 1832, he was
already a very successful businessman, having control of Angas and Company and the foundation of
the National Provincial Bank. He was also a very charitable and religious man who had the
confidence of the Colonial office (ONeill 1972: 3).
Angas became interested in the colonisation of South Australia in 1832 and this led to his association
with the Provisional Committee of the South Australian Land Company. It can be inferred that he
was taken into the project as he offered them use of his London office (Hodder 1891: 114-115; Price
1929: 58-59). Also during this time, he was urged by people around him to run for parliament in
Newcastle, however he declined this offer, with the reason being stated as declining health (Hodder
1891: 80). As part of the colony movement, he put forth the view that the founding ideals of this
new colony should be free of governmental pressures. This implies that he wished, along with
Wakefield, for the colony to have civil and religious liberties along with the right to free trade, free
government and free religious idealsall things which he had not had during his young life (ONeill
1972: 6; Price 1929: 59). Angas idealistic version of the colony was blocked by Lord Goderich and
shortly after Angas withdrew from the movement, leaving the other members to complete it (Howell
2004: 143).

In 1834, the same year he moved his family to Dawlish, the South Australian Act was secured and
Robert Gouger asked Angas to join the commission appointed by the liberal ministry. He did so with
the aims of making a settlement that was not only a religious refuge, but also a place that children of
farmers could make their own living farming (Hodder 1891: 99). He also aspired to be able to lay a
foundation of good education and religious instruction for the poorer settlers families (ONeill 1972:
6). Along with this, Angas wanted to help the Indigenous population, as he had in Honduras. Sitting
on the commission were other famous South Australian figures, including Torrens, Hutt and Wright.
The members consisted of prominent businessmen like Angas and also theorists in colonisation and
finally people who were appointed by the Colonial Office (Whitelock 1985: 23-25). Although Angas
agreed to join the board, he was vocal about the weakness of the members and was less than
confident about their experience. His efforts were hindered due to him being trapped in Dawlish for
months in 1835 as a result of illness (Price 1929: 60). It was around this time as well that it can be
inferred that Angas started to view the South Australia settlement in a more methodical way and
with the help of a few other board members, began the foundation of the South Australian Company
(Hodder 1891: 112). This company was not only to handle the distribution of land, but also to work
in trade and other fields to promote the colony. The major fields that were put forth were that of
whaling, fishing and banking, hoping that this would catch the attention of those with mercantile
interests, as this was the only way he could see the colony working (Price 1929: 64).
Fluctuations of success were to continue for the commission as dissent brewed between the
business-minded members and the theorists (ONeill 1972: 8). This had much to do with the sale
price of land. They had to sell 35,000 worth of land to go forward with the colonisation, which they
just received after finally conceding to Angas South Australian Company plan to stimulate the
purchase of land through commercial enterprise. In 1836 the South Australian Company was offered
colonial banking rights, which became very successful, making nearly 250,000 per annum during its
peak (Price 1929: 83). During 1841, the banking portion of the company split away to form the South
Australian Banking Company and this is attributed to Angas advice and persuasion (ONeill 1972: 8;
8

Sutherland 1898: 101). Around 1836, there was some controversy arising about where the colony
should settle. The original plan to settle on Kangaroo Island was found to be unsustainable, so a
number of other choices were brought forward, one being Adelaide, which Angas opposed for
several reasons. He did, however, concede to the other members of the board, and he was also not
above acknowledging his faults in this opposition after the decision (Price 1929: 84).
The same year as this was happening, while handling the formation of the colony, Angas designated
time to assist in some charitable endeavours. He helped form the South Australian School Society,
which went on to create the first school in South Australia (Trethewey 1998: 373). The second event
is arguably one of the most important events in his life. Not only did it begin his descent into debt
and health problems, which forced him ultimately to move to South Australia, but it also served as
one of the biggest charitable moments in his life and still affects the state today. After being
persecuted in Germany for their religion, a group of German Lutherans approached him to enquire
about settlement in the new colony with the help of the South Australian Company (Monteath 2011:
18-19, 174; Whitelock 1985: 54). Angas recognised their plight and agreed to help them. After failing
twice to get the company to foot the bill for immigration to Australia he decided that he would
finance the endeavour personally (ONeill 1972: 12). This decision relates to one of his ideals in life,
to serve God and man. He paid 20,000 to achieve this, after a number of setbacks both with the
German government and with the timing of a mass movement. Once they arrived in South Australia,
they settled originally in Klemzig, which was land Angas owned, and then later moved out to
Hahndorf, which today still holds onto its German heritage (Monteath 2011: xi). Angas knew that
this investment would be profitable in the future, as these settlers would become a valuable source
of labour, but prior to becoming profitable this, along with a number of other factors, would put him
in a financially unstable position for a number of years (ONeill 1972: 12; Price 1929: 88).
Through 1838 to 1839, Angas took part in two major events outside of the South Australian
founding: he founded the Union Bank of Australia with a few other people and also assisted in

England taking control of New Zealand. He was the person who initiated England forming a hard
attachment to the islands, as, once he discovered that France had shown interest in the area, he
wrote a letter to the government about how dangerous this could potentially be and also how
profitable an investment this land would be (Hodder 1891: 212-214; ONeill 1972: 19). This
ultimately landed him an offer of a baronetcy for his part in getting the settlement approved, which
he declined due to various personal reasons (Hodder 1891: 224).
It was in 1840 that George Fife Angas decline in England began (ONeill 1972: 13). He had already
sent a man named Charles Flaxman to conduct business for him in Australia and to attend the
German settlers (Bright 1983: 24-25). To do this, he gave Flaxman power of attorney, which Flaxman
used to the fullest extent to purchase as much land as he could acquire. This was part of a rise in
sales across the state from a number of parties and by Angas own admission he thought that
Flaxman had land fever (Hodder 1891: 242-243). This forced Angas to get a loan for the first time in
his life and also required him to sell off holdings in the Union Bank and other assets. Due to a clerical
issue he could not sell off the land that he now owned to regain his financial standing, so he
continued to lose assets through to 1843 when stability returned (Price 1929: 88-89). During this
time there was also a depression in the British economy, and because he used his funds with the
idea of future financial stability he now had no buffer to counter it (ONeill 1972: 18). 1843 also saw
Angas send his eldest son, John Howard Angas, over to South Australia to control his local interests
(ONeill 1969).
As time went on, Angas lost more and more of his assets in England and owed a large amount of
money to both the South Australian Company and his bank. This affected both his health and his
standing within the English social scene (Price 1929: 89). In 1847 he decided he was going to leave
England for the colony he helped found, so he sold off his house and any other remaining assets and
in 1850 he sailed for Australia with his wife and youngest son (Hodder 1891: 307).

10

After his move to the colony, which by this time was well established, he continued to be very
involved with the running and overall progress of the state. A year after he moved he joined the
Legislative Council as member for the Barossa and stayed a member for sixteen years (Howell 2004:
144). It was during this time that he regained the respectability he lost during those years of
hardships in the 1840s, and he achieved this through his keen sense for business and commonsense,
which in his opinion was lacking in one or more of the other council members (ONeill 1972: 24;
Price 1929: 90). Two notable actions that he managed to stop during his time serving on the
Legislative Council were the efforts to equip Port Elliot as a harbour for the Murray, and stopping the
acquisition of the Northern Territory (Price 1929: 90; Whitelock 1985: 103). His views for the colony
were more conservative, choosing to develop what already existed and accrue wealth rather than
expanding. This was directly opposed to his opinions while in England, where he was labelled a
radical, which may have directly related to his loss of wealth during his later life (Price 1929: 90). It
can be seen that he did not change in his views towards charity and education. He continued his
work as the treasurer for the School Association and by the end of his life he was estimated to be
donating 10,000 annually to charitable organisations (Price 1929: 90). Angas health started to
deteriorate again and on May 15, 1879, he passed away, just after his ninetieth birthday (Hodder
1891: 410).
4.2 Perception
This section will look at two aspects of George Fife Angas: how he was viewed or portrayed in the
media during his life; and how he was portrayed after his death. The reasoning behind this relates to
the aim of trying to produce a wider understanding of George Fife Angas identity and from this,
there can be an understanding of why he was so influential during his life and beyond. The next
sections of this report will talk about what influences he had on industry and the economy. To put
this information into context, however, it is important to understand how he was viewed by his
peers and the public he served. This section will cover the time period during colonisation before

11

and after his immigration to Adelaide and briefly reviews perceptions after his death. As stated in
the methodology section, it relies heavily on information found in newspaper articles.
Firstly, to look at the public opinion of him during the colonisation process, there are two different
groups of people who will be defined and reviewed. These are the people running the colonisation
process and the settlers themselves. These are the two different groups who would have relevant
perceptions of him. The first of these groups was researched using documentation and letters
detailing their relationships. It could be seen that Angas was respected by his peers, his advice was
accepted when it came to matters of business and even after he ceased affiliation with the group, he
was given the opportunity to rejoin once there was confirmation that the building of the colony was
going to proceed (Hodder 1891: 104-106; ONeill 1972: 7; Price 1929: 82). Numerous times before he
moved to the colony, organisation members would drink to the health of Angas and even though
this might be a simple ceremony, the articles indicate that it was done with great respect towards
the man (Anon. South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register, 15 September, 1838b: 3; Anon.
Southern Australian, 23 January, 1839a: 3). On the other side of this, however, he was a difficult
person to work with and was referred to as a pious hypocrite (Linn 1979: 55; ONeill 1972: 28). An
issue that arises frequently throughout the historical documentation is that, rather than speaking in
a persuasive manner to board members, he would often lecture or dictate his views (ONeill 1972:
24). This kind of attitude was not appreciated by the board during colonisation or the Legislative
Council after he arrived in Adelaide (Price 1929: 89-90). This kind of impression was prevalent
throughout his life amongst his detractors. His loyalty to his religion and his lifestyle offended many
of the board members, especially Robert Torrens who was the chairman (Price 1929: 91). The
opinions of his peers suggest that Angas was respected and a trusted business partner, however he
was also seen as an individualistic, stubborn man.
Through this investigation, it can be seen that Angas public image had three phases of portrayal.
Before he arrived in Adelaide, he was respected and, with the successes of the South Australian

12

Company, he was seen as sympathetic to the ideals of the people (Howell 2004: 143-144; Anon.
Southern Australian, 26 November, 1841: 2; Anon. South Australian Register, 30 October: 3). When
he arrived in Adelaide in the early 1850s, the attitude towards him changes: though he is still
respected and seen as a successful businessman, his cold demeanour towards his constituents in the
Barossa was not considered attractive to the masses (Price 1929: 91; Anon. South Australian
Register, 8 February, 1851: 2). This, along with his tendency to pursue any debts he was owed with
overwhelming tenacity, caused him to become very unpopular with the public (ONeill 1972: 26).
Even with this, he managed to remain in the Legislative Council for sixteen years and only retired
due to his failing health. As Price (1929: 91) establishes, this is presumably because the public was
able to ignore his failings and still believed that he was high minded and pure in his motives, which
were driven by his deep seeded faith in his religion. The final shift in perception can be observed
after his death. During this time, the newspapers published numerous tributes to Angas and the
portrayal of him was as an old style puritan, making reference to his religious nature, frugality,
aversions to frivolity and his shrewd business sense (ONeill 1972: 28; Anon. South Australian
Chronicle and Weekly Mail, 17 May, 1879a: 4; Anon. The South Australian Advertiser, 17 May, 1879b:
6). Also, during this time the biography by Edwin Hodder (1891) was being written, with the
assistance of John Howard Angas and other close acquaintances, and also produced a biased
account of his life (Bright 1983: 14). This final impression would persist for many years after his
death and it would not be until the 1970s that a less biased investigation would be conducted into
his life.
Through this small investigation into the perception of George Fife Angas it can be seen that there
were two reasons that he was considered so influential. First, he was considered a well respected
gentleman and had true and pure motives, which related to his ideals of freedom and opportunity
above his own wealth. Second, however, he was also perceived as difficult to work with and this was
due to his predisposition towards dictating his strong views.

13

4.3 Influence on the Economy

There are two ventures that George Fife Angas was affiliated with that influenced the economy in
South Australia. The first was the South Australian Company, which he created with a few other men
interested in the colony, and the second was his work in the Legislative Council. He did invest a
significant amount of money to obtain land title agreements during the initial foundation of the
colony, however this did not have a definitive effect on the economy of South Australia. He would
also give generously to several organisations, but, again, the act of donating money did not shape
South Australias economy into its present state.
The South Australian Company, as stated in previous sections of this report, was an organisation
created to assist with land ownership and the development of industry in the new colony. The
company was responsible for sending several industry professionals and labour workers to stabilise
the future of the state (Anon. South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register, 18 June, 1836: 6). In
the first years they sent four ships containing these individuals and once Kangaroo Island was found
unsuitable, the company moved to the mainland and conducted a number of surveys to find viable
land for the settlement (Hodder 1891: 232; Sutherland 1898: 70). The most significant benefit was
that the company was allowed to act as the bank for the colony. This was a very successful venture
and after a short time this section split from the company to form the South Australian Banking
Company, which would supply loans that the main company controlled for the purchase of land.
Although Angas did not deal directly with the business aspect of the bank, he initiated the split and
was considered forceful when securing Stephens, the directors, agreement to the proposal (Price
1929: 84).

14

An important influence is his achievements in the early government of Adelaide. He was a

conservative who used his commonsense and business savvy while he was a member of the
Legislative Council (Hodder 1891: 339). He always directed the council not to borrow money for any
reason, as his view was that the colony, at such an early stage, could not support such processes. He
also opposed subsidies for precious mineral searches in South Australia, as he thought that such
ventures would not be profitable in the future (Hodder 1891: 285-286; Linn 1979: 56). This does not
appear to be the case, however, as he was involved with at least one mining venture through the
South Australian Company and there are letters indicating that, while he was not interested in
mining, he did not oppose it either (Linn 1979: 65). The largest economical infrastructure venture
that he opposed was the acquisition of the Northern Territory for South Australia. He was very vocal
about what he perceived would be the failure of the colony if it were to proceed (Price 1929: 90). He
did manage to convince the Legislative Council of the mistake, and it can be assumed that, if the
matter had proceeded, the economic stability and infrastructure of the state may have been
different (Hodder 1891: 375).
Through this research, it seems that George Fife Angas influence on the colonys economy was
limited to advice that was not always listened to and not as significant as supporters such as Hodder
claim. While he was an integral part of the colonys formation, his influence was most apparent in
the colonys industry and infrastructure and not merely the economic successes of its individual
ventures.
4.4 Influence on the Colony
Unlike his effect on the economy of South Australia, Angas influence on the colony as a whole was
significant. This included his work with the South Australian Company and various school
organisations. Along with his introduction of the German labour forces and his seat in the
government, he was a successful and diligent worker, however sometimes his personal opinions
obstructed the colonys growth (ONeill 1972: 24).
15

The largest influence that he had was on the initial colonisation effort for South Australia. He
invested large sums of money and also, with the formation of the South Australian Company, helped
the conception of the colony advance through English Parliamentary proceedings (Nicholas 2009:
86-87; Price 1973: 30-32; Sutherland 1898: 5-6). He worked closely with people, such as Wakefield,
to create the state that he believed would be the archetype for all future settlements (Blacket and
Way 1979: 47; Howell 2004: 143). There are two reasons for this. First, without the support of the
South Australian Company, the land would not have been sold (Hodder 1891: 108; Nicholas 2009:
86-87) and second, by the time the company was formed, the sale of the land and interest in the
colony was already increasing (Price 1973: 34).
The largest influence that he had on the colony that is still visible today, is the assistance he afforded
to German settlers in commissioning their passage to the new colony. At the time, Angas paid out
approximately 20,000 to expedite their passage on South Australian Company ships to work as
labour for the fledgling state (Monteath 2011: 174). Although this did not culminate successfully
initially, they did ultimately become an integral part of the society. Today their influence can be seen
in the towns of Bethany, Hahndorf and to a lesser extent, Klemzig. They also quickly became very
successful agriculturalists and would supply vegetables to the township of Adelaide and ran laundry
businesses for the town (Hodder 1891: 334; Monteath 2011: 176). They received the attention of
the governor, who said that he would like to see many more of them settle in the state (Price 1973:
156; Anon. Southern Australian, 1 May, 1839b: 3). They did not suffer from the monetary difficulties
of their English counterparts, and this helped somewhat and allowed Angas to receive his
investment back with interest (Monteath 2011: 176).
The next item that will be discussed refers to Angas work on education for the colony during his
residence. He was initially involved in the creation of the South Australian School Society, which
notably built the first school in the colony (Anon. Southern Australian, 21 July, 1838a: 3; Tretheway
1998: 373). The introduction of a graduated system of education, based on clear age distinctions,

16

was proposed in the societys prospectus, although this was not successfully incorporated until later
in the colonys history (Anon. South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register, 4 May, 1839c: 23;Trethewey 1998: 373). Angas also became a member of the Board of Education when he moved to
the colony and spearheaded the campaign to get bible readings into the school system (Hodder:
385). He was the treasurer for the school society up until his death, and he continued to make sure
that education was a cornerstone of society in Adelaide. He also acted as the treasurer for the South
Australian High School, St Peters Collegiate and Prince Alfred Wesleyan College, and also invested a
significant amount of his own money in these schools (Hodder 1891: 385). The latter two of these
schools are still active today and St Peters is ranked in the top four schools in the country. As Angas
gave generously, the building of two large day schools in the state catered to families who could not
afford more expensive, upper class schools (Hodder 1891: 385). Education for all classes was
something that he fought for throughout the initial colonisation and his time on the Legislative
Council.
As has been stated before, he was a member of the Legislative Council and this allowed him to
influence the states infrastructure. One of his most significant campaigns was the separation of
government from religion. This concluded with South Australia being the first branch of the British
Empire to have this distinction according to Hodder (1891: 321), however, this likely is just hype and
not the reality. Many of his government decisions were based on the belief that the colony should
be the standard by which future colonies should be established and a great reward for those who
founded it (Hodder 1891: 345). Relating to this was his opposition to elected officials while the
colony was still small, preferring people who showed an educational requirement to be allowed
delegation of authority (Hodder 1891: 357-358). He opposed the introduction of railways, instead
putting forward proposals for improved road systems. His most vehement request, however, was for
more skilled labour to be enticed to the colony and he continued this appeal until he retired after
sixteen years in office (Howell 2004: 144).

17

Many of his ideals were instilled into his children and the few who remained in South Australia
continued the work Angas started.
4.5 Influence of Family
This final section of the report will examine how George Fife Angas future generations continued his
legacy within South Australia. There were four main people who continued to influence the state
after George Fife Angas death: they include John Howard Angas (son), Herbert Angas Parsons (great
grandson), John Keith Angas (great grandson) and Edward Angas Johnson (great grandson). These
men influenced the state in different ways, and to varying degrees of importance, however, all of
them had one quality inherited from George Fife Angas: their sense of philanthropy and their
dedication to furthering the South Australian cause.
The fifth child and second son of George Fife Angas, John Howard Angas, was a man resembling his
father. He was a great businessman, highly religious and a generous philanthropist. After his father
dispatched him to the colony to manage his business interests it appeared that he was financially
astute and as altruistic as his father (ONeill 1969). This was evident through his agricultural
interests, via which he imported high quality stock. During his time his livestock won hundreds of
prizes from all over Australia (ONeill 1969). Much like his father, he was an astute businessman and
that is why, during Georges years in Adelaide, John was still in control of a majority of his business
affairs. This is not where John Howard Angas influenced the state the most, however. His charity
included funding the construction of new wings on the childrens convalescent home and also on a
home for incurables (ONeill 1969). He gave generously to Dr Barnados Homes, which is still
functioning today, and also donated money to found the Angas Engineering Exhibition and for a
Chair of Chemistry at the University of Adelaide. He assisted in the founding of a retreat for
inebriates and also institutions for the blind and deaf (ONeill 1969). As for his work in the Legislative
Council, his achievements are few, as he did not much care for the time wasting procedures within
Parliament and never sought out more power within the ministry (ONeill 1969).
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Sir Herbert Angas Parsons, the son of John Langdon Parsons and George Fife Angas granddaughter,
Rosetta Angas Johnson, was a very influential South Australian. He was a lawyer but also spent time
working with John Howard Angas in both pastoral and financial avenues (Kwan 1988). He was a very
communicative member of society, publishing pamphlets on everything from criminal law to
imperial expansion (Kwan 1988). He acted as both the Attorney-General and Minister of Education in
1915 and, during this time, he had a belief that social solidarity was the most important thing in
politics, rather than class distinction (Kwan 1988). He advocated extending the maximum ages for
education, increased teachers salaries, campaigned for the rehabilitation of drunkards, and various
prisoner reforms rather than punishment, as well as the introduction of judges and expert panels in
courts rather than juries. Once he became a judge, he was known for his kindness and
commonsense during the judgement process (Kwan 1988). Of the many organisations he created,
the most influential was the Penal Reform Association that lobbied for the previously mentioned
prisoner reform rather than punishment of criminals (Kwan 1988; Anon. The Advertiser, 28 January,
1910: 8).
Sir John Keith Angas and Edward Angas Johnson were both affiliated with many organisations in
South Australia. They were not as influential in shaping the state as their predecessors, nevertheless
they still exemplified the philanthropic attitude of the family by working on a number of
organisational boards for health care and other industry sectors and were respected for this (Hughes
1983; Linn 1993). Their generational affiliation with charitable behaviour is one of the reasons that
the family name has so much status within the state of South Australia even today. The family is
synonymous with educational reform, for children, adolescents and adults, and for the improvement
of society and policy.
4.6 Current Influence
The final part of this report will talk about how this influence can be seen today and infer how
influential Angas was during his life. It can be seen that he made a significant contribution to helping
19

build the colony. He gave generously to the cause and used his business sense and contacts to
ensure settlement proceeded. He sent skilled workers and handpicked industries that he thought
would help stabilise the colony during the initial years of settlement (Sutherland 1898: 2-4). His
respected voice quashed many endeavours that he considered risky in the early government periods
and his generosity brought diversity to the state (Nicholas 2009: 86-87). South Australia has its
German settlements and cultural areas that are a hallmark of our historical heritage today and we
still have a clear separation of religion and state (Monteath 2011: 238; ONeill 1972: 27). The state
also has the individual achievement of being started as a free settlement with no criminal labour
being used (Blacket and Way 1979: 63). This was the objective of a majority of the colonisation
board, so Angas was the only one of many influential parties in this endeavour, but he does deserve
acclaim in helping to make this a plausible proposition through his business savvy and the workings
of the South Australian Company, which he formed (Howell 2004: 143).
To his credit, Angas played a significant role in earning Adelaide the name City of Churches. He
contributed a generous amount of money to the construction of places of worship throughout the
city, such as the Old Union Chapel in Angaston, and some of these churches are still present,
although they are not all currently used as religious buildings (Hodder 1891: 384).
George Fife Angas was a man who could envision the extensive implications and influences of a
single idea, which he exhibited through his ideas for the colonisation of South Australia. He would
form organisations while he lobbied for support from English and other investors, leaving issues with
settlement to other members of the society (ONeill 1972: 9). It is for this reason that he did not
directly have influence on the colony like Hodder would have people believe (Bright 1983: 1). It can
be seen that the next generation of the Angas family did have a direct effect on more specific
aspects of the state, like agriculture and law. Angas played a significant role in initiating South
Australia as the state it is today, a role he shared with the numerous other members of the colony
society. He is an important figure in our history but exaggerations of his influence seem to have been

20

made by certain biographers and confidants in the years following his death (Bright 1983: 1-2;
ONeill 1972: 30; Price 1929: 90-91). As more research is done, and with the reclamation of primary
documents, it will be possible to find out more about who the real George Fife Angas was and what
specific influence he had on the colony after settlement.

5. Conclusion
George Fife Angas has been touted as the father and founder of South Australia. This report aimed
to critically reflect on the validity of this statement based on a variety of sources. It presents the
history of the man, followed by the perception of him during his life and after, from both the public
and affiliated people, and from this his influence was inferred. This was completed through a
desktop study using academic resources, consisting of books, journal articles and biographical
writings, and also primary documentation as represented in South Australian newspaper articles
from the 1800s. There was one observable trend found during the research phase of this report,
which was a tendency on the part of his opposition to dismiss his achievements and on the part of
his supporters to exaggerate them. However, throughout the research an unbiased line of inquiry
was attempted between these opposing factions, as this investigation discovered a number of key
details about the influence of Angas and his family.
The main detail found was that Angas was not as influential as previously thought. While he played a
significant role in the foundation of the colony, the monikers describing him as the father of the
colony were exaggerated. As for the influence he did have, he was responsible for South Australias
rich German heritage (Monteath 2011: ix). His generosity towards the inception of places of worship
helped the city of Adelaide to gain its city of churches reputation; something that was closely
connected to his belief in religious freedom (Hodder 1891: 384). His formation of the South
Australian Company brought industry and skilled labour to the colony, while also acting as a

21

controlling party behind land ownership and trade. His experience working with banks and trade
back in England helped the colony form these same industries itself. His work in the Legislative
Council acted as a calm guiding force with the relatively new members and he managed to bring his
business sense and commonsense to the young council. He also helped integrate education into the
state, when he helped form the Schools Society and also gave generously in both time and money to
the formation and running of two of the pre-eminent schools in the state today. His influence was
continued through the contribution of his family to various reformations and improvements in the
state.
Consequently, it can be suggested that he had an impact on the colony through a number of
different avenues and he does deserve the acclaim for his philanthropic attitude towards
organisations. However, the assumption that the colony would not been have successfully initiated
without his help, as Hodder suggests, is an erroneous conclusion to draw from the given
information.
Referring back to the aims of the project, an unbiased look at who George Fife Angas was and what
influence he had on the colony of South Australia, both during his time and after, was produced. This
should only be considered an overview of the influences of George Fife Angas on the colonisation of
South Australia, however, and there should be more in-depth research done into this area. As this
report was a broad investigation it would be beneficial to begin looking more closely at how he was
effective on an economic level and also to look more specifically at trying to form a clearer, unbiased
view of the man. The disappearance of a significant amount of George Fife Angas personal
correspondence and his diaries referenced by early biographers makes it very difficult to ascertain
more details about him, and this report ultimately was an evaluation of his achievements through
second hand knowledge. Objectivity was attempted and future research into this area should be
more comprehensive.

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23

6. References

Blacket, J. & S.J. Way 1979 History of South Australia: A Romantic and Successful Experiment in
Colonization. Adelaide: Hussey & Gillingham.
Bright, C.H. 1983 The Confidential Clerk: A Study of Charles Flaxman in South Australia and His
Relationship with George Fife Angas. Adelaide: Gillingham Printers Pty.
Bull, J.W. 1884 Early Experiences of Life in South Australia and an Extended Colonial History.
Adelaide: E.S. Wigg & Son.
Gibbs, R.M. 1984 A History of South Australia: From Colonial Days to the Present. Mitcham: Southern
Heritage.
Hodder, E. 1891 George Fife Angas: Father and Founder of South Australia. London: Hodder and
Stoughton
Howell, P.A. 1991 New approaches to the first century of South Australias political development.
History Forum 13(1): 34-44.
Howell, P.A. 2004 Angas, George Fife (1789-1879): Promoter of the Colonization of South Australia.
Retrieved June 11 2013 from http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/537.
Hughes, J.E. 1983 Johnson, Edward Angas (1873-1951). Retrieved 11 June 2013 from
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/johnson-edward-angas-6852.
Kwan, E. 1988 Parsons, Sir Herbert Angas (1872-1945). Retrieved 11 June 2013 from
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/parsons-sir-herbert-angas-8501.
Linn, R. 1979 George Fife Angas: On mining operations. Journal of the Historical Society of South
Australia 6(1): 55-66.
Linn, R.W. 1993 Angas, Sir John Keith (1900-1977). Retrieved 11 June 2013 from
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/angas-sir-john-keith-9366.
Monteath, P. 2011 Germans: Travellers, Settlers and their Descendants in South Australia. Kent
Town: Wakefield Press.
Nicholas, J. 2009 The founders of South Australia: Who should we venerate? South Australian
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ONeill, S. 1969 Angas, John Howard (1823-1904). Retrieved 11 June 2013 from
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/angas-john-howard-2890.
ONeill, S. 1972 Great Australians: George Fife Angas. London: Oxford University Press.
Petersen, B. 1988 Fellenberg, Angas, Sheperdson: The men involved in the proposed South
Australian Schools Society educational scheme. Australian and New Zealand History of
Education Society Conference Proceeding 1(1): 1-22.
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Price, A.G. 1929 Founders & Pioneers of South Australia: Life studies of Edward Gibbon Wakefield,
Charles Sturt, George Fife Angas, Sir John Hindmarsh, William Light, George Gawler, David
Mclaren, Augustus Kavel and Francis Cadell. Adelaide: FW Preece & Sons.
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Colonization Movement, Based in the Records of the South Australian Government and on
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Trethewey, L. 1998 Infants, graded schooling and the transition to real studenthood in colonial South
Australia. History of Education 27(4): 371-390.
Whitelock, D. 1985 Adelaide from Colony to Jubilee: A Sense of Difference. Adelaide: Savvas
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Anon. 1838a South Australian School Society. Southern Australian 21 July: 3.
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Anon. 1838c South Australian Company. South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register 1 December:
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Anon. 1839a Dinner to Robert Gouger, Esq. Southern Australian 23 January: 3.
Anon. 1839b The Village of Klemzig. Southern Australian 1 May: 3.
Anon. 1839c South Australian Schools Society. South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register 4 May:
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Anon. 1841 G.F. Angas Esq. and the South Australian News. Southern Australian 26 November: 2.
Anon. 1844 Geo. Fife Angas, Esq South Australia and the Press. South Australian Register 30
October: 3.
Anon. 1851 Public Dinner to George Fife Angas, Esq. South Australian Register 8 February: 2.
Anon. 1879a Death of Mr. George Fife Angas. South Australian Chronicle and Weekly Mail 17 May: 4.
Anon. 1879b The Late Mr. G.F Angas. The South Australian Advertiser 17 May: 6.
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Anon. 1910 Prison Reform. The Advertiser 28 January: 8.

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