6 November 1988      Barbara Polkinghorne

On 6 November 1988 a memorial service for Barbara Polkinghorne was held at the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Gardens. She was accorded this honour for her work over many years in women’s affairs. The Garden, just below the grounds of Government House near the Torrens Parade Ground, called the Garden of Remembrance and the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Statue, was unveiled by Lady Muriel Barclay-Harvey, wife of the Governor, on 19 April 1941. The inscription on the pedestal of the statue reads:           

This Garden of Remembrance and the Flying Doctor Base at Alice Springs were established in the Centenary Year of 19356 by the women of South Australia as a tribute to the pioneer women of the State.

Money for the Garden and the Flying Doctor Base was raised through various activities conducted by women of the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Trust, set up in 1935. The land for the Garden was donated by the City Council and the statue, in Waikerie limestone, was sculptured by Ola (Carola) Cohn of Melbourne. Also on the pedestal is a sun dial, designed by George Dodwell, the government astronomer, and the words ‘The hours vanish yet they are recorded’.

M. Broughton, Chronicle Cameos, Nadjuri, Jamestown, 1977, pp.19-23.