District Council of Enfield Historical Records 1853 - 1935

re-naiiK'd Kohandilla. It is interesting" to note that the Government has recently intimated that it proposes to restore the old historical name of Klemzig, together with other towns founded by German pioneers. Enfield. Ifntield was originally known as "Poor Man's Section" for a reason that is rather interesting. In the early days, when South Australia was severely afflicted with a financial depression, employment became very difficult to obtain, and many settlers were compelled to olitain Government relief. Instead of applying to the Government for rations, a small band of industrious men exerted their spirits of independence by taking up a section of land about four miles north of .\delaide. The district at this time was thick with native pines, and the land was considered to be particularly good. The men lived in dug-outs and obtained casual eiuployment from Charles hfi-ench l"-olland. senr., Edmund Bowman, and lolin Ragless, senr. One of the proprietors of "Poor Man's Section" was Mr. M. Hecose, a vendor of cordials in Adelaide, and the name of the section was later changed to Enfield, after the birth place of Mr. Mecose, a small town near London. The .'Vngmering Section (Enfield Park) was taken up by john Ragless, senr., and his seven sons in 1839, and in 1840 •'.Vngmering House," the first house north of Adelaide, was built on the Great North Road. This road, now known as the Main North Road, from the River Torrens to Enfield, was blazed mainly by the Ragless family. Mr. Ragless, senr., a pitsawyer, was born on July 14th, 1791, at Angmering, a small country town in Sussex, and ai rived in the barcjue "Eden" on June 24th, 1838. Having" brought his jjitsaws with him. he supplied timber for the earlv buildings in Adelaide, and in fact he cut timber from this'section for over forty years Some of the timber used in the construction of the first (lovernment House \\"as taken from this section. His eldest son, John Ragless, junr., built a flour mill at Gepps Cross in 1846, and he supplied the district for over twelve years and sent large fiuantities of flour to X'ictoria 11