Ceremony marks 157th anniversary of Eureka rebellion

By Tom McIlroy
Updated November 2 2012 - 6:23pm, first published December 4 2011 - 11:26am
SALUTE: Troops from the Victorian Re-enactment Society fire a volley in salute of the men and women of Eureka.
SALUTE: Troops from the Victorian Re-enactment Society fire a volley in salute of the men and women of Eureka.

THE winds of rebellion blew across Ballarat once again this weekend, as the city paused to mark the 157th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade on Saturday. A special ceremony was held at the Ballarat Old Cemetery to remember the diggers and soldiers killed in the bloody battle of December 3, 1854.Despite cool conditions, about 50 people attended the event, which included a march through Ballarat, flying Eureka flags and banners in the wind, as drivers slowed to read the slogans. To begin the ceremony, City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Craig Fletcher inspected the troops from the Victorian Re-enactment Society.He declared them to be a “very good and fine bunch” and worthy of taking part on the important day. Cr Fletcher later delivered the annual Peter Tobin Oration at the Soldiers Grave, named for the longtime funeral director and Ballarat identity who helped establish the event. He said the region had caught the attention of the world during the Gold Rush period, and the diggings had become Australia’s first multicultural community. “These men built a belief and a spirit which we now know to be Australian,” Cr Fletcher said. “In the decades since, we have forged a nation on the spirit of those men who fought under the flag of the Southern Cross.” Speaking among the graves of many who played a role in the Eureka Stockade, Cr Fletcher said the anniversary was an appropriate time for the historic flag to return to Ballarat after restoration. The ceremony is one of Cr Fletcher’s last events as Mayor, with tonight’s City Council statutory meeting expected to elect Cr Mark Harris as his successor.

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