Matthew Flinders’ statue, tucked away on North Terrace in Adelaide city, was a long time coming. The anniversary of Flinders’ death in 1914 prompted calls for a suitable monument within the City of Adelaide to honour the great naval explorer. Yet in 1922, journalist Frederick Johns was still urging the city to have a statue of Flinders in a prominent place such as Victoria Square. In the end, Adelaide had to be shamed into action by Melbourne and Sydney getting ahead of it with Flinders statues.