City of Onkaparinga
The City of Onkaparinga () is a local government area (LGA) located on the southern fringe of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the Onkaparinga River, whose name comes from "Ngangkiparinga", a Kaurna word meaning women's river. It is the largest LGA in South Australia, with a population of over 170,000 people in both urban and rural communities and is also geographically expansive, encompassing an area of 518.3 km². The council is headquartered in the Noarlunga Centre with area offices situated in Aberfoyle Park, Woodcroft and Willunga. History. The council was formed on 1 July 1997  as the City of Happy Valley, Noarlunga and Willunga from the amalgamation of the former City of Happy Valley and City of Noarlunga with part of the District Council of Willunga. It adopted the City of Onkaparinga name from 22 December 1997. Culture. The South Australian Writers' Centre and the City of Onkaparinga co-hosted the biennial South Australian Writers' Festival (2001–2011), renamed the South Australian Readers' and Writers' Festival from 2013 to 2015. Governance. The council meets at the chambers in Noarlunga Centre on Hannah Road every four weeks on a Tuesday for Council meeting, and on the alternate  Tuesday for Strategic Directions Meetings. The City of Onkaparinga has 13 elected members (including the mayor). The city is divided into six electoral wards, with two councillors representing each. The mayor is elected at large by all electors. The current council was elected in 2018 for a four-year term. Suburbs. That is, postcodes 5047, 5051, 5153, and 5157–74 (inclusive). Freedom of the City. The Freedom of the City is reserved for military units which have, through their command, a significant attachment to the City of Onkaparinga. Freedom of the City is the highest honour the City can confer on  a military unit. Recipients. Three military units have been awarded Freedom of the City: Key to the City. The Key to the City recognises exceptional, outstanding achievement and is Council’s most prestigious award. The award acknowledges the outstanding contribution of an individual or organisation in furthering the ideals of the city or to recognise outstanding achievement.