| The Name of South Australia |
| Wednesday, 19 August 2009 01:20 |
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I want to float an idea which cuts to the heart of who we are in South Australia. It was raised with me by a senior international marketing executive who does a lot of work for South Australia. He raised a valid point in that we do need to think about our branding. We need to make people overseas aware of where we are. When you ask people if they know anything about South Australia, they say ‘Where’s that? Is it next to Melbourne?’ It’s the old story. We need to be identified and it wouldn’t be our first name change. In 1627 the Dutch explorers called South Australia ‘Pieter Nuyts Land’, then in 1802 Baudin called it ‘Terra Napoleon’. It was only in the 1830s when it became South Australia. Now, the issue is about our identity. The biggest event we have in South Australia is the Tour Down Under and their website says ‘Adelaide, Australia’ it doesn’t say ‘Adelaide, South Australia’. We need to get the message out there saying this is where we are, this is who we are, come and see us because there’s a huge opportunity with millions of tourists coming from around the world in the future. The 100 million people who will be travelling from China and India and other parts of the world in the next 10 or 20 years want to know where they are coming; they hear of South Australia, but which part? Is it Melbourne? Is it Adelaide? I want them to come here because they’ve got big money to spend and they want experiences that are unforgettable. We’ve got them here and if you provide five star experiences you’ll have five star jobs, five star wages and this economy will really kick along for the future. Whether it’s the Tour Down Under, whether it’s the Flinders Ranges or whether it’s Kangaroo Island, which is probably better known than the rest of South Australia. We’re not the southern most state on the continent. It’s a geographical description but it’s not really a location or a destination. South Africa is the bottom tip of South Africa. South Australia is the bit at the bottom in the middle if you know where that is. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and even Western Australia - they are names that people recognise. Western Australia really is almost the western half of Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria - they are locations that you would identify by that name. South Australia, well where is it? I know where it is and I’m proud of it and I want people to come and see it. What about an Aboriginal name? Canada has Saskatchewan - a fantastic name. Is an Aboriginal name a practical idea? I don’t have any particular agenda - but whether it’s South Australia, whether it’s Adelaide, what I do know is that the future of South Australia is in the 'experience industry' - the arts, sports and tourism - and they employ more people than the motor vehicles and mining industries put together. We need to keep those jobs here and we need to say, "Come and experience South Australia". I would be interested in your comments. Duncan
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577 hits and yet there are no comments. I would expect that this would be about as popular as Ray Martin suggesting a new flag. South Australia is permanently stuck in a state of inaction. I propose a change of slogan for our State- "the if you propose change we will complain State". Look no further than the inaction by the government in making Victoria Park a user friendly space where people can go rather than a home for vagants, prostitutes and homosexuals (before you laugh actually go there... alone... in the early hours of the morning and see for yourself). We have so much to be proud of, our ability to be progressive and innovative, however, is part of our proud heritage, not part of our culture. |
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