COROMANDEL 1837
from London under the command of Captain William Chesser, arrived Holdfast Bay, Adelaide on January 12th 1837
with 156 passengers (124 adults and 32 children). The first migrant ship to arrive in South Australia, after proclamation of the province.

We have been told that Edward Angas (brother of George Fife Angas) sailed to Adelaide on board the COROMANDEL, and became the cashier and accountant of the South Australian Company. Our research disagrees with this, but agrees with the following: He was accompanied by William Malpas, a clerk, a prefabricated banking house, iron chests, ledgers and everything necessary to establish South Australia's first bank, including $20,000 in bank notes and coins.

The three CHAMBERS brothers, James, John and Benjamin and their sister Priscilla arrived in South Australia in January 1837.

James CHAMBERS
came out first on the COROMANDEL which left England in September 1836. It was his responsibility to find some sort of accommodation for his wife Catherine, brother John with his wife Mary and brother Ben and sister Priscilla. They would sail six weeks later on the JOHN RENWICK which arrived only three weeks after the Coromandel.

It was James who built the first cart to transport goods from the beach to the tents and he also carved out a road from Glenelg to Adelaide and from there to Port Adelaide.

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On board the COROMANDEL were also some other migrants who were to play an important part in the colony's early days. They were Edward STEPHENS and his wife Emma and Docter Thomas Young COTTER. When James CHAMBERS arrived, all migrants, including Governor Hindmarsh, were still living in tents on the sand dunes at Glenelg.


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