A round trip more than 160 years in the making has returned a 400-tonne chunk of maritime history home to Port Adelaide.
Jarrah pylons salvaged from the Port River wharves – which inspired the club’s iconic guernsey - are now standing tall in The Precinct at Alberton.
The late 1800s timber, which features weathering and wave damage, lay untouched in a Port wool store for 25 years before collector Tim O’Callaghan tracked it to a farm in Dublin.
"It’s come full circle,’’ said Tim, who travels the country to procure the best old timber he can find.
"Something that was a fundamental part of our maritime history now returns as something functional; something that will always be remembered, and I hope will remain.’’
The pylons are at the heart of The Precinct’s modern-industrial design, a homage to the state’s maritime expansion and development which gave rise to the football club in 1870.
Port Adelaide was initially formed for the benefit of local wharfie and industrial workers whose labour and link to the waterways came to exemplify the club’s on-field ambition, grit, and hard work.
"When I look at them now, I think of the windy, horizontal rain; salt flowing over them all the time; boats bumping into them and cracking them,’’ Tim said of the pylons.
"The colours, the patina that’s created in the weathering process, you can’t create that. It’s why we love old stuff, isn’t it? It has meaning.’’
A chance phone call from friend and builder James Marshall, who has worked on The Precinct for the past year, paved the way for Tim to bring the pylons back to the Port from his home at Melrose in the state’s Mid North.
"James was hoping I still had some left,’’ Tim said. "Did I set out for this to be a story? No. But when the glove just fits… well, there’s some austerity there.’’
The pylons feature throughout The Precinct, set to open early June.
They mark the entry to the new museum and flank the honour board and giant trophy cabinet.
Timber cut from the pylons forms the treads on the venue’s vast staircase and the balustrade posts on the upstairs entertainment deck, which overlooks Alberton’s hallowed turf.
It also features in the new Port Store, which opened in 2021 with a larger space and enhanced retail experience.
"It is special that we can celebrate our history and honour our club’s success using the wharf pylons, which are such an iconic feature of our heartland,’’ said Port Adelaide Chief Executive Matthew Richardson.
"Our history is entwined with that of the Port and its wharves, so it is fitting that the two will come together as part of the redevelopment of our social club.’’
*Bookings for The Precinct at Alberton are now being taken. For all private event enquiries please email functions@pafc.com.au
