Glover playground in the North
Lefevre Park / Nantu Wama (Park 6)
Did you know that Adelaide was a leader in providing playgrounds for children?
Glover Playground North Adelaide was funded by Lord Mayor Glover, designed by August Pelzer (City Gardener (1899-1934)) and opened by the Governor Sir Archibald Weigall on 14 December 1920. The advocacy of social reformer Catherine Helen Spence (1825-1910) led to the opening of the first Glover Playground in 1919 on South Terrace. Following the success of that playground, this playground on Lefevre Terrace was the second of five playgrounds the Council opened over the next ten years.
These early playgrounds show the increasing interest at the time in children’s welfare and the leading role which Adelaide took in providing facilities for children such as kindergartens and playgrounds. The playgrounds all included a shelter shed which housed a supervisor, funded by Council or the Education Department, to promote the health, welfare and safety of children.
The Kaurna people are the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Adelaide Plains. Nantu Wama is a word from the Kaurna language, meaning “horse plain”. The language was last spoken on a daily basis in the 1860s, and has been revived in recent times.