Corporation and District Council of Clare explained

Type:	lga
District Council of Clare
State:	sa
Pop:	5800
Pop Year:	1936
Est:	20 July 1853
Abolished:	1997
Area:	662
Seat:	Clare
Map Type:	state
Coordinates:	-33.8333°N 138.6°W
Near-N:	Hutt and Hill Rivers Spalding
Near-Ne:	Hanson Burra Burra
Near-E:	Hanson Burra Burra Stanley Robertstown
Near-Se:	Upper Wakefield Stanley Robertstown
Near-S:	Upper Wakefield Auburn Saddleworth Saddleworth and Auburn
Near-Sw:	Hall Blyth
Near-W:	Blyth
Near-Nw:	Hutt and Hill Rivers Georgetown Rocky River

The Corporation and District Council of Clare were twin local government areas in South Australia centred on the town of Clare. The district council existed from 1853 until 1997, while the town corporation existed from 1868 until 1969.

History

The District Council of Clare was proclaimed in 1853 and the council area was specified as the entirety of the hundreds of Clare and the Upper Wakefield.^[1] The inaugural councillors were Edward Gleeson, founder of Clare, William Slater, Dr. Charles Webb,^[2] Anton Sotolowsky and Patrick Butler.^[1]

The following year, in October 1854, the District Council of Upper Wakefield seceded from Clare district to provide dedicated local government to the Hundred of Upper Wakefield.

In April 1868, the township of Mintaro in the south east of the district seceded from Clare to form part of the new District Council of Stanley. Later that year the township of Clare also seceded from the district as the Corporation of Clare. The corporation was a separate local government body working closely with the district council for just over 100 years before the two civic bodies rejoined in 1969.

In 1932 the district council annexed the District Council of Stanley to the south east, and three years later annexed the northerly adjacent Hundred of Milne from the abolished District Council of Hutt and Hill Rivers. In 1936 the corporate township was reported as being 500acres in size while the surrounding district, which was to remain stable in extent for more than a half century, was reported as being 162000acres.

In 1997 Clare council amalgamated with the District Council of Saddleworth and Auburn and District Council of Riverton to the south to form the new District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys.

Notes and References

Proclamation . . 21 July 1853 . 470 . 1853 . 29 . 13 November 2017 . [...] Bounded on the south and south-east by the Counties of Gawler and Light; on the east and west, by the east and west boundaries respectively of the Hundreds of Upper Wakefield and Clare; and on the north by the boundary of the Hundred of Clare. And I do hereby appoint E. B. Gleeson, William Slater, Dr. Webb, Anton Sotolowsky, and Patrick Butler, to be the first District Council of the said District of Clare. [...].
News: NEWS OF THE WEEK. . . XII . 617 . South Australia . 11 June 1870 . 13 November 2017 . 10 . National Library of Australia . The Northern Argus records the death of Dr. Charles Hamilton Webb, at Clare, on the 9th instant, in his 52nd year. "In all movements," says the Argus, "for the benefit of the town and district Dr. Webb took a prominent part; and no better proof of the high estimation in which he was held by his fellow townsman could be given than the fact of his election in November last to the office of Mayor, previously held by the late lamented Mr. E. B. Gleeson. [...].