South Australian Company
The South Australian Company was an organisation formed on 9 October 1835 to develop the new settlement in South Australia. Its purpose was to build a new colony in South Australia. The South Australian Company ended business in its own right on 17 March 1949 when its management was transferred to Elders Trustee.
The founding shareholders were George Fife Angas, Thomas Smith and Henry Kingscote, who were soon accompanied by some 300 additional shareholders. Among these were John Rundle, Charles Hindley, Raikes Currie, John Pirie and Henry Waymouth, whose names adorn Adelaide's city streets.
In January 1836 four ships sailed from England, on behalf of the Company. They developed a settlement at Kingscote, on Kangaroo Island, in July 1836, but when farming proved unviable, they transferred their settlement to the mainland. The Company provided basic infrastructure for the new colony, as well as sold or leased land to immigrants who came to settle.
In its early years, the Company was managed by Samuel Stephens (1836 to 1837), David McLaren (1837 to 1841) and William Giles (1841 to 1861). [1]