# City of Salisbury

The City of Salisbury is a local government area (LGA) located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Its neighbours are the City of Playford, City of Tea Tree Gully and City of Port Adelaide Enfield.
Encompassing an area of 158 square kilometres (61 square miles), the city is one of the most populous and fast-growing council areas in South Australia: the local government area's population in 2021, of 145,806, was an increase of 32% over the 2001 population of 110,676 and of 13% over the 2011 population of 129,109.
The Local Government Area's main town centre – Salisbury City Centre – is on the main street of the town of Salisbury, John Street. The centre also hosts the council's principal office, council chambers and library, on Church Street. There is also a centre at Mawson Lakes, a master-planned development that surrounds the large Sir Douglas Mawson Lake.

## History

For millennia, the Aboriginal Kaurna people were custodians of the Adelaide Plains, including the Salisbury area.
The township of Salisbury was laid out by John Harvey, who had migrated from Scotland in 1839. He named it after the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, near where his wife was born. Harvey purchased land beside the Little Para River in 1847 and in the following year sold allotments in the town. It became a service centre for surrounding farms and by 1881 the population was close to 500.
The District Council of Salisbury was formed in 1933 by an amalgamation of parts of the abolished District Council of Munno Para West and the District Council of Yatala North. The population of the township at incorporation was 2385, but almost doubled from 1940 when the federal government built a munitions factory at Penfield, reaching 4160 by 1947.
The town council was briefly renamed the District Council of Salisbury and Elizabeth in August 1963, but reverted to its former name after the Elizabeth area was severed to form the new town of Elizabeth in February 1964.
City status was granted as the City of Salisbury on 6 July 1964.

## Culture and events

Since 2005, the annual Salisbury Writers' Festival has been held in the city, co-hosted by the City of Salisbury, Writers SA and the Salisbury Library Service.
The city has many recreational facilities and parks. The large St Kilda adventure playground, with its wheelchair-accessible picnic settings, barbecues, shaded area, toilets and parking, is very popular: there is a huge castle with slides and a draw bridge, a bouncy boomerang, flying fox, pirate ship, a large "volcano" with multiple slides, swings and a basketball court. On the afternoons of most Sundays and public holidays, the nearby tramway museum displays all types of trams that operated in Adelaide and has unlimited tram rides included with admission. The St Kilda Mangrove Trail and Interpretive Centre includes an elevated walkway over a flooded mangrove forest that meanders through tidal salt marshes, mangroves and sea grass channels to a lookout that has scenic views across the Barker Inlet.

## Sister City

The City of Salisbury has a sister cities relationship with: Mobara, Japan (since May 2002)
Mobara Park in Mawson Lakes acknowledges their relationship.

## Councillors

Council consists of 16 Elected Members comprising a Mayor, and 15 Ward Councillors. The Council area is divided into seven wards, with two Councillors elected from each ward.
Elections were last held in 2022 to cover the period to 2026. The City's Mayor and Councillors as of July 2023 (after removal of two Councillors) were as follows:
| Ward | Party Affiliation | Councillor | First Elected | Notes |
| Mayor | Labor | Gillian Aldridge OAM | 1988 | |
| Central | Labor | Chad Buchanan | | Deputy Mayor |
| Central | Vacant | | | Severina Burner (independent) was removed from office at a special meeting of the council in June 2023 on account of non-attendance. |
| East | Independent | Johnny Chewparsad | | |
| East | Independent | Moni Mazzeo | | |
| South | Labor | Lauren Brug | | |
| South | Independent | Alan Graham | | |
| Hills | Labor | Peter Jensen | | |
| Hills | Independent | Shiralee Reardon | | |
| Para | Independent | Kylie Grenfell | | |
| Para | Labor | Sarah Ouk | | |
| North | Labor | David Hood | | |
| North | Vacant | | | Grace Bawden (independent) was removed from office at a special meeting of the council in June 2023 on account of non-attendance. |
| West | Labor | Beau Brug | | |
| West | Independent | Sharon McKell | | |

## Council chairpersons/mayors of Salisbury

Council chairpersons/mayors since 1933 have been as follows:
| Years | Chairperson/Mayor |
| 1933–1934 | Henry John Wynter Griffiths |
| 1934–1935 | Harold Lockheart Martin |
| 1935–1939 | Arnold Godfrey Jenkins |
| 1939–1942 | Harold Lockheart Martin |
| 1942–1953 | Andrew Thomas Goodall |
| 1953–1955 | Leslie Paul McIntyre |
| 1955–1957 | Keith Neil Davis |
| 1957–1961 | Harry Lyle Bowey |
| 1961 | Stewart Lynn Gilchrist |
| 1962–1965 | John Lawrence Lindblom |
| 1965–1978 | Harry Lyle Bowey |
| 1978–1983 | Ronald Thomas White |
| 1983–1987 | David Allen Plumridge |
| 1987–1993 | Patricia St Clair-Dixon |
| 1993–1997 | David Allen Plumridge |
| 1997–2007 | Tony Zappia |
| 2008– | Gillian Aldridge OAM |