Welcome to Adelaide - Australia and to the 154th edition of the Forum Song Contest (FSC).
Theme: ‘Australia: The Grace of Christmas’
Winner FSC November 2021
Congratulations! ^^
The Host city for this FSC #154-edition is: Adelaide - Australia, the capital city of South Australia
region , the state's largest city, & the fifth-most populous city of Australia . "Adelaide" may refer to
either Greater Adelaide ( including the Adelaide Hills located in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges
east of the city ) or Adelaide city . It is situated on the Adelaide Plains north of Fleurieu Peninsula
It is between the Gulf St Vincent in the west and the Mount Lofty Ranges in the east. Its metropol
itan area extends 20 km from the coast to the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges, and stretches
96 km from Gawler in the north to Sellicks Beach in the south. Named in honour of the Queen Ad
elaide ( Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover , 1830 to 1837 ), the city was founded in 1836
Before its proclamation as a British settlement, the area around Adelaide was inhabited by the In
digenous Kaurna people, one of many Aboriginal nations in South Australia. The city & parklands
area was known by many names, f.ex. Tarntanya andTarndanyangga (now the dual name for Vict
oria Square) in Kaurna language. A surrounding area was an open grassy plain with tree-patches.
Within a few decades of European settlement of South Australia, Kaurna culture was almost com
pletely destroyed; the last speaker of Kaurna language died in 1929. Extensive documentation by
early missionaries & other researchers has enabled a modern revival of both , which has included
a commitment by local/state governments to rename / incl. Kaurna names for many local places
The first governor , proclaimed the commencement of colonial government in South Australia on
28th December 1836, near The Old Gum Tree in what is now the suburb of Glenelg North . The ev
ent, is commemorated in South Australia as " Proclamation Day ". The site of the colony's capital
was surveyed and laid out by Colonel William Light , the first Surveyor-General of South Australia.
Adelaide was established as a planned colony of free immigrants , promising civil liberties and fr
eedom from religious persecution , based upon the ideas of Edward Gibbon Wakefield . He realis
ed that the eastern colonies suffered from a lack of available labour, due to the practice of giving
land grants . As a result Adelaide does not share the convict settlement history of the other cities
Adelaide's early history was marked by economic uncertainty &, according to some, questionable
leadership. Adelaide's early economy started to get on its feet in 1838 with the arrival of livestock
from Victoria, New South Wales & Tasmania. Wool production provided an early basis for the Sou
th Australian economy. By 1860 , wheat farms had been established from Encounter Bay to Clare.
Trade links with the rest of the Australian states were established after the Murray River was suc
cessfully navigated, in 1853 by Francis Cadell , Adelaide resident . South Australia became a self
-governing colony in 1856 with the ratification of a new constitution by the British parliament. Se
cret ballots were introduced , and a 2-chamber style parliament was elected, on 9th March 1857.
In 1860 the Thorndon Park reservoir was opened , finally providing an alternative water source to
the now turbid River Torrens. Gas street lighting was implemented in 1867, the University of Adel
aide was founded in 1874 , the South Australian Art Gallery opened in 1881 and the Happy Valley
Reservoir opened in 1896. In the 1890s Australia was affected by a severe economic depression.
‘Australia: The Grace of Christmas’
‘Australian Christmas Traditions & Celebrations’
Historically, the first recorded Christmas Celebrations in Australia date back to 1788 and were in
troduced by English settlers, of the First Fleet , who arrived in the country early same year . From
the 19th century onwards, the traditions of putting up Christmas trees, the sending of Christmas
cards and decorations spread throughout Australia. Today , Christmas acts as a public holiday &
is observed / celebrated during summer despite Australia's position in the southern hemisphere.
Christmas traditions in Australia do have many similarities to British, Irish, American & Canadian
traditions , including traditional Christmas symbols featuring winter iconography . This means, a
red fur-coated Father Christmas or Santa Claus riding a sleigh, songs such as "Jingle Bells", and
various Christmas scenes on Christmas cards & decorations . However, the timing of Christmas
occurring during the Southern Hemisphere's summer season has resulted in the development of
some local traditions as a result of the warmer weather . There may not be snow in Australia dur
ing the dec holiday season, but there are just as many Christmas lights as anywhere in the world.
The traditional Christmas tree is central to Christmas decorations and strings of lights and tinsel
are standard . Many homeowners decorate the exterior of their houses , some modestly & others
more elaborately sometimes with hundreds of lights &decorations depicting seasonal motifs like
Christmas trees , Santa Claus , reindeer , or nativity scenes. Particular regions have a tradition for
elaborate light displays , and attract a great amount of traffic/visits during the Christmas season.
On Christmas Eve, as the children are told, Father Christmas or Santa Claus visits houses placing
presents for children under the Christmas tree or in stockings or sacks which are usually hung by
a fireplace . In recent decades many new apartments & homes have been built without traditional
combustion fireplaces , however with some innovation the tradition persists . Snacks / beverages
may be left out for Santa to consume during his visit , often milk & cookies , or a beer. Carrots are
also commonly left for Santa's reindeer. The gifts are opened the next morning on Christmas Day.
Families traditionally gather for a Christmas Day lunch . Traditions include decorated hams, roast
turkey, roast chicken, salads & roast vegetables. Christmas crackers are pulled before eating. Mo
re recently , as appropriate to the often hotter weather of the day , it has become popular to serve
local seasonal produce such as cold meats, seafood and salad. Similarly, dessert also includes a
mix of traditional winter Christmas food alongside local traditions, making for a delicious course
The tradition of sending Christmas cards is widely practised in Australia. Additionally there are lo
cal Christmas traditions in regions of Australia incl the famous Adelaide Christmas Pageant para
de. 'Carols by Candlelight' is an annual Australian Christmas tradition, that has spread around the
world and involves people gathering , often in parks , to sing carols by candlelight with musicians
Adelaide was Australia's 3rd largest city for most of the 20th century. The city enjoyed a post-war
boom, entering a time of relative prosperity. Its population grew , and it became the 3rd most pop
ulous metropolitan area in the country after Sydney and Melbourne. Its prosperity was short-lived
with the return of droughts, & the Great Depression of the 1930s , but it later did return to fortune.
Flinders University & the Flinders Medical Centre , were established in the 1960s at Bedford Park,
south of the city. Today , Flinders Medical Centre is one of the largest teaching hospitals in South
Australia . In the post-war WW2 years in the early 1960s , Adelaide was surpassed by Brisbane as
Australia's 3rd largest city. The Governments of the 1970s saw an Adelaide cultural/social revival
The city became noted , for its progressivism , in the 1970s . It also became a centre for the arts,
building upon the biennial " Adelaide Festival of Arts " that commenced in 1960. Adelaide hosted
the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix , between 1985 and 1995 . In the early 21st century a signific
ant increase in the state government's spending, & focus, on Adelaide's infrastructure took place.
The Adelaide Convention Centre was redeveloped & expanded. Three historic buildings were ada
pted for modern use: the Torrens Building in Victoria Square , the Stock Exchange building , & the
Glenside Psychiatric Hospital. The government invested more than A$2 billion to build a desalina
tion plant powered by renewable energy as insurance against droughts affecting the watersupply
The Adelaide Festival , Fringe , and Womadelaide became annual events . Today many would say
Adelaide is best known for its festivals , incredible food , and premium wine regions nearby. They
might add that with a packed eventscalendar and some of the country's best restaurants & small
bars there's always something exciting happening there. It has become a popular city for tourists
City sights: North Terrace boulevard (with Parliament House, State Library of South Australia, So
uth Australian Museum , Art Gallery of South Australia , University of Adelaide), Adelaide Botanic
Garden , Adelaide Oval stadium, Adelaide Central Market, Adelaide Zoo, Cleland Wildlife Park, Ad
elaide Festival Centre (with theatres), Victoria Square, Port Adelaide, and the Migration Museum.
Adelaide is also a city of sports. The main sports played professionally are Australian Rules foot
ball, association football (soccer) , cricket , netball , and basketball . Adelaide is the home of two
Australian Football League teams: the Adelaide Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club, &
one A-League soccer team, Adelaide United . Adelaide are proficient at attracting sports crowds.
The Host venue for FSC #154 December 2021 is : the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide , Australia.
It is a sports ground and stadium located in the parklands between the city centre and North Ad
elaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also pl
ayed host to rugby league , rugby union , soccer , tennis among other sports as well as regularly
being used to hold concerts. Adelaide Oval has been headquarters to the South Australian Crick
et Association since 1871, and South Australian National Football League since 2014 . The stad
ium is managed by the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority. Its record crowd for crick
et was 55.317 for the Second Ashes Test on 2 December 2017, and its record crowd for an Aust
ralian rules football match was 62.543 at the 1965 Grand Final between Port Adelaide and Sturt.
The popstar Adele held a music concert here in 2017, in front of a 70.000 people crowd which is
a record. Other popstars who have held big concerts here are Ed Sheeran, The Rolling Stones, Mi
chael Jackson , AC/DC. They are proud to host this evening’s edition of the Forum Song Contest.
Our lovely Hosts this evening are:
John Farnham and Vanessa Amorosi
John Farnham is an Australian singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979 but has since
forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. In 1986 his single " You're the Voice " peaked at
No. 1 on the Australian singles charts. He's been called the most successful solo artist in Austral
ian rock and pop history. He is proud to co-host this evening’s edition of the Forum Song Contest.
Vanessa Amorosi is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her combined album &
single sales have reached over 2 million worldwide. She rose to fame in 1999 & performed at the
2000 Olympic OpeningCeremony. She has had a long music career and has covered many music
genre re pop/rock/jazz. She is proud to co-host this evening’s edition of the Forum Song Contest
And we are now pleased to announce
The Opening Acts
Exclusive International Guest Appearances
Passion Fruit (The Netherlands/Spain)
Orion’s Reign ft. Minniva (Greece)
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’I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas’
’Joy To The World’
(#justice4Jade)
