Stobie Poles and Jane Doyle – Why SA is still Heaps Good

It was with some sadness that I read recently that veteran newsreader Jane Doyle would step away from the Channel 7 Adelaide news desk at the end of the year. For 33 years, Jane and her colleagues kept the city and its suburbs up-to-date with the happenings of the world. News of her impending departure led me reflect on how South Australians tend to remain loyal to the various things that make the state so great in its own unique way.

After spending some of my fledgling years travelling the nation as part of a military family, I spent the majority of my childhood growing up in the Tea Tree Gully area, where I attended the local schools and played for the various sporting teams (Go Gullies!). One of my earliest memories of Jane Doyle was watching the news broadcast of ‘The Year That Was’ for 1991 – a highlight of noteworthy events from the past year that Channel 7 in Adelaide played annually. The main news event for that year, apart from the Crows debuting in the AFL, was the First Gulf War.

Like many other young South Aussies at the time did after completing their formal schooling, I moved away from the state when, like several generations of my family had prior, I too joined the military. I eventually saw war service myself, and during the past 20 years I have been fortunate enough to see much of the world, and to have lived in or visited most of our great country. Despite military service requiring me to frequently be away, I would return home to SA as often as possible to visit family and friends. Just seeing the ubiquitous Stobie pole, watching a game of amateur footy, or heading to Semaphore beach for well-priced and generously salted fish and chips quickly reminded me that I was back home.

My experiences of seeing the best and worst parts of the world, and humanity in general, has helped me to genuinely appreciate just how great a place South Australia really is. There are many factors that have led to Adelaide, and by extension the entire state, to consistently be voted one of the most affordable and livable cities globally. From my perspective, one of the key reasons is the fact that South Australians are generally conservative in their approach to most things; not in a political sense but through the mindset that if something works then why change it. This holds true for both tangible and non-tangible things such as architecture, culture, values, and way of life.

Unlike some other places, where arbitrary and forced change – often under the guise of ‘progress’ – has in some instances resulted in a loss of a sense of community, over-development, and a reduction of standards in general, South Australia has found a nicely balanced approach to the development of the state, and ourselves as a populace, whilst paying homage to its past and without undermining the very things that make it such a great place to live and work. Take for example the redevelopment of the Adelaide Oval. I was one of the many who were initially against the development of it, perhaps concerned that my childhood memories of watching the middle order warm up in the nets whilst Boonie smashed another test century would be ripped away. However, the Oval redevelopment has proved to be a real asset to the state and managed to do so whilst keeping the nostalgic elements, like the scoreboard and the grassy hill so cherished by locals and visitors alike, in place for future generations.

Building developments aside, it’s the general culture of community, pride in the state, and general respect that South Australians still show each other that I have noticed quickly diminishing in other parts of the world, even in some parts of the rest of Australia. Whether it be a friendly nod from the bus driver, a pub bouncer genuinely looking after patrons on their night out, or local shop owners deciding they won’t open every single day so that their workers can spend time with their families or following their own pursuits, I have often felt that SA just does common sense, fairness, and friendliness just a little bit better. These might appear to be small and inconsequential things, but it’s always the little differences that aggregate into determining whether a society, where individuals and families can feel safe and valued, is a good one or not.

This article isn’t to say that it’s perfect, and I’m sure other experiences of our state will differ. However, we still have much to be thankful for, and much to be proud of.

Although I now split my time between Canberra and Adelaide, where work in my post-military life requires me to spend significant time within our nation’s capital, I still have an anticipation for the sense of familiarity and comfort that comes from returning home, and I hope that I always do. We can only trust that the next generation will maintain the pride that South Australia rightly has in who it is, and who we are, as a state.

Just some random thoughts...

Best of luck in your retirement Jane!

Josh Francis manages the consultancy and recruitment company Green Door, in between writing independently published books and articles.