District Council of Neales

The District Council of Neales was a local government area in South Australia from 1878 to 1932. The main town and council seat was Eudunda.{{cite book | title=The Civic record of South Australia, 1921–1923 | publisher=Associated Publishing Service | year=1924 | pages= 469}}

The council was proclaimed on 15 August 1878, comprising the cadastral Hundred of Neales.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207580743 |title=THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. |newspaper=The Express and Telegraph |volume=XV |issue=4,371 |location=South Australia |date=16 August 1878 |access-date=5 May 2016 |page=2 (SECOND EDITION) |via=National Library of Australia}} The first meeting was held at the Eudunda Hotel on 29 August.{{cite web | url=https://www.lga.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/LGA-89938_-_2011_18_-_FINAL_History_of_SA_Councils.pdf | title=A History of South Australian Councils to 1936 | publisher=Local Government Association of South Australia | date=2012 | access-date=30 October 2015 | author=Marsden, Susan | pages=11}} It was initially divided into four wards: Dutton, Eudunda, North and South.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92295259 |title=NEALES. |newspaper=South Australian Chronicle |volume=XXXV |issue=1,775 |location=South Australia |date=27 August 1892 |access-date=5 May 2016 |page=23 |via=National Library of Australia}} Ratepayers in the Hundred of Brownlow in the District Council of Morgan had advocated to be included in the Neales council from the early 1890s, and this was successful on 30 July 1904, when it was severed from Morgan and attached to the District Council of Neales as its new fifth ward.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48532817 |title=DISTRICT COUNCILS. |newspaper=South Australian Register |volume=LVII |issue=14,305 |location=South Australia |date=17 September 1892 |access-date=5 May 2016 |page=2 (Supplement to the South Australian Register.) |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite web | url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/sa_gazette/1902/36.pdf | title=Thursday, August 14, 1902 | publisher=Government of South Australia | work=The Government Gazette of South Australia | access-date=3 December 2016}}

The early business of the council has been described as an "almost entire preoccupation with clearing land". It initially rented the "White Iron House", owned by J. Hannon, for use as a council office, and from 1886 rented a room in the Eudunda Hotel.{{cite book | title=Hills, Valley and Plains: History of the Eudunda District | author=Dreckow, Betty | year=1986 | pages=344}} In 1916, the council purchased the Century Hall at Eudunda from the Eudunda Unterhaltungs Club, renaming it the District Hall; they were based out of the hall for the remainder of their existence. It was renovated and extended in 1925 at a cost of more than £2,000.{{cite web|url=http://www.goyder.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/HAC_Minutes_30_March_2011.pdf |title=Minutes of Special Meeting 30 March 2011 |publisher=Regional Council of Goyder Heritage Advisory Committee |access-date=4 May 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319231852/http://www.goyder.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/HAC_Minutes_30_March_2011.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2012 }}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60632935 |title=COUNTRY NEWS. |newspaper=The Register (Adelaide) |volume=XC |issue=26,500 |location=South Australia |date=2 December 1925 |access-date=5 May 2016 |page=18 |via=National Library of Australia}}

In 1923, it had an area of 100 square miles, with a population of 1,950, including 485 ratepayers. The capital value of ratable property in the district in that year was £363,560. The revenue of the council in 1924 was £3,100, having increased from £1,090 in 1894.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165707959 |title=EUDUNDA. |newspaper=Observer |volume=LXXXII |issue=6,097 |location=South Australia |date=5 December 1925 |access-date=5 May 2016 |page=48 |via=National Library of Australia}}

It ceased to exist on 12 May 1932 when, as part of broad local government amalgamations in South Australia, it merged with the District Council of Julia to form the District Council of Eudunda.