Port Noarlunga Through the Eyes of John James Price: A Journey Back in Time

Port Noarlunga, a charming coastal suburb south of Adelaide, South Australia, is celebrated today for its stunning reef, bustling jetty, and vibrant community. But rewind to 1961, when The Seasider published Port Noarlunga’s Early Days Recalled, and the area was a quieter, less polished place—far from the tourist haven it is now. Through the memories of John James Price (Jack), an 81-year-old lifelong resident at the time, we’re transported to the rugged, isolated Port Noarlunga of the late 19th and early 20th centuries—a town shaped by the sea, sand, and the grit of its people. Let’s follow Jack’s story and see how this coastal gem evolved over the decades.

The sea’s destructive side hit hard in 1914, when Jack was 34. A ferocious storm washed away the first Port Noarlunga jetty, built in 1855 and extended in 1878. Jack vividly recalled his friend Frank Townsend’s face—the only mariner visible in the gulf after the chaos. Both had felt a tug on their lines, but Jack, jerking his, found “a lot of fish” he hadn’t expected. The jetty’s loss was a blow to the fishing community, though its remains linger south of today’s jetty, visible at low tide.

That same year, 1914, Jack’s resilience faced a new test: World War I. Enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force, he rose to Sergeant in the 27th Infantry Battalion. He served in Egypt—likely tied to the Suez Canal defense or Gallipoli preparations in 1915—before enduring the Western Front’s brutal trenches in France and Belgium. Battles like the Somme (1916) and Passchendaele (1917) demanded endurance honed by years battling Port Noarlunga’s elements. A photograph from the early 1900s, Jack Price of Port Noarlunga, S. Aust., shows him in uniform outside a local house, pride evident in his stance.

A Post-War Home at 11 Katharine Street

Returning in 1919, Jack turned to rebuilding his life. He’d acquired land at 11 Katharine Street in 1912, and around 1919, he constructed a house there—a modest yet sturdy home that would anchor his next chapter. That year, he married Adelaide May Maynard (1897–1981), daughter of Charles and Eleanor Maynard of Noarlunga. The house became their family hub, where Adelaide’s mother, Eleanor, later lived until her death in 1933. A 1979 photograph, 11 Katharine Street, Port Noarlunga, S. Aust., captures the home decades later—a testament to Jack’s post-war stability.

Jack and Adelaide lived there for the rest of their lives—he until 1971 at age 91, she until 1981. Today, 11 Katharine Street remains a historical touchstone, possibly modernized but still echoing Jack’s legacy as a fisherman, soldier, and family man.

By 1961, at 81, Jack was a local icon, cracking almonds on his verandah as he shared tales with The Seasider. The sand hill and tunnel were gone, leveled by development, and a new jetty, opened in 1921, had replaced the storm-ravaged original. Port Noarlunga was shifting, drawing visitors to its shores, yet Jack’s love for the sea held firm, undimmed by its past fury.

Sgt. John James Price M.M. passed away on March 25, 1971, followed by Adelaide on January 20, 1981. They rest together in the Cemetery on the Hill at St Philip & St James Anglican Church in Old Noarlunga, their gravestone inscribed: “Dearly loved parents of Douglas, Jean, Gladys, and Daphne. Forever in our hearts. In God’s loving care.” His stories, preserved in The Seasider, immortalize a man who shaped Port Noarlunga through a life of adventure and resilience.