Proclamation Day is the day on which the South Australians celebrate the proclamation of the colony of South Australia. The first Proclamation Day was held on Dec. 28, 1836. It was celebrated under a gum tree, now known as the Old Gum Tree. The remains of the tree are preserved in a small park surrounded by houses in the Adelaide suburb of Glenelg. John Hindmarsh, the first governor of the colony, read the royal order that made South Australia a province of the United Kingdom. Oaths of office were taken in the presence of 200 colonists. Most of the first proclamation was concerned with the proper treatment and protection of the Aboriginal population. An annual ceremony, held at the Old Gum Tree, honors the first proclamation. 
