"Standing on Montefiore Hill, looking out over the city of Adelaide, one is met with the towering bronze figure of Colonel William Light, immortalised in a pose of vision and authority. This place, known as Light’s Vision, celebrates the man credited with designing the city—yet from an Aboriginal perspective, and through a feminist lens, this monument raises deep and complex emotions.

For the Kaurna people, the traditional custodians of this land, Light’s “vision” was not one of untouched wilderness awaiting European civilisation, but of displacement, dispossession, and irreversible change. The very hill on which this statue stands is part of Tarntanya, the red kangaroo place—land that had been home to the Kaurna people for thousands of years before Light arrived in 1836. His carefully planned city did not account for the thriving Kaurna culture that already existed here. Instead, it laid the foundation for their forced removal, the destruction of their economy, and the suppression of their language and traditions.

From the colonial perspective, Light is revered as a forward-thinking surveyor who defied orders to place the city on a flood-prone coastline, instead choosing the plains along the River Torrens (Karrawirra Pari). His grid-like design, wide boulevards, and green parklands are often praised as visionary. But for Aboriginal people, these same parklands became sites of exclusion—where Kaurna people were forbidden from practicing culture and their presence in the growing settlement was increasingly policed.

There is no doubt that Light played a critical role in the development of modern Adelaide. However, his legacy—like that of all colonial figures—must be viewed in the full context of history. His name, his statue, and his vision are celebrated, but where is the equal recognition of Tjilbruke, the Kaurna ancestor whose stories are deeply connected to this land? Where are the monuments to the Kaurna leaders who resisted dispossession, or the unmarked sites where their communities suffered?

And where is the recognition of Maria Gandy—Colonel Light’s devoted companion, housekeeper, and likely spouse—whose presence and contribution have been all but erased from the official record? Gandy accompanied Light to South Australia, cared for him during his final illness, and was buried beside him in Light Square. Yet history books, statues, and public commemorations fail to honour her. A modest memorial to Maria Gandy does exist—but it is tucked away on the corner of Albert Street and Maria Street in Thebarton, virtually hidden from public view. I’ve made multiple attempts to have her memorial recognised on Google Maps, but each of my submissions has been declined.

Like the Kaurna people, Maria Gandy has been written out of South Australia’s founding story—a story told largely through the deeds of powerful white men. Both deserve greater visibility, not only as historical footnotes but as central figures in the real, complex story of this place.

Today, Light’s Vision remains a popular landmark, offering a striking view of the city. But as I stand here, I wonder: what would this place look like if we truly honoured all histories? If alongside Light’s statue, there stood an equally commanding figure of a Kaurna Elder, and perhaps a dignified monument to Maria Gandy—reminding us that this land was never empty, that its history did not begin in 1836, and that both Aboriginal culture and the contributions of forgotten women continue to shape this city today.

Perhaps then, we would have a vision worth celebrating."

C P

"A must see experience when visiting Adelaide to appreciate the vision and foresight William Light had when commissioned to find an ideal location for the capital of South Australia in the early 1800s, without any of the technology of the present day."

Nicholas Butler

"We can have a wide view at Light's Vision, just as Colonel Light looked down on the Adelaide plain nearly 200 years ago. Full of respect!
It's not too big. We can have a short leisure and sightseeing here. In front of it is a wide sloping lawn, not far away is Adelaide oval, and in the distance is sweeping views of the park lands and the city. St Peter's Cathedral is nearby."

Lu Liu