Once again council has lost an opportunity to further promote Eureka, celebrate small business as the backbone of the region and to support the promotion of Ballarat as the place to shop for Christmas.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
At its council meeting on Wednesday, councillors agreed to move the Ballarat public holiday to Melbourne Cup Day.
Why do council and also Commerce Ballarat who have pushed for a long time for the public holiday to be on Mebourne Cup Day? On that holiday, people will simply go to Melbourne to shop with many taking the Monday off and making for a longer weekend, a trip to the beach or elsewhere, thereby escaping Ballarat.
I, again, say the public holiday should be on December 3 - Eureka Day. Some say a public holiday for Eureka is too close to Christmas. Again, let me remind you Eureka was a small-business revolt. For many, the Eureka Rebellion is Australia's greatest story. To my mind, it must be acclaimed as a founding story, perhaps the founding story, of this nation.
In the USA, Americans have their Thanksgiving public holiday on November 26 - is that too close to Christmas?
If we seriously want to maximise the opportunity to be many things to many people, I would have thought, considering the experience in the USA with Thanksgiving Day, Eureka Day on December 3 is that day to celebrate the Australian story and the birthplace of the Australian spirit - the spirit of fairness and a fair go, and what it means to be Australian.
We would encourage people to stay in Ballarat on Eureka Day as we celebrate small business and its contribution to our economy - a chance to showcase all Ballarat has to offer. I simply cannot accept that a horse race, even the race that stops the nation, is celebrated when it encourages gambling and profits from people's misery.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW
If this was anywhere else in Australia, Eureka Day would be celebrated across the nation. Surely it is time that our unique Eureka story has the recognition it deserves as a seminal event in the shaping of Australia's democracy and way of life.
Not to mention as Federal MP Andrew Leigh said: Eureka should be re-elevated to its previous position as a central legend of Australian nationalism, standing for those distinctly Australian values of egalitarianism, mateship, fairness, together with democracy, freedom, republicanism and multiculturalism.
Ballarat/Eureka - this land is freedom's home. Taking the easy way out is another major opportunity lost. When will we learn?
Ron Egeberg is a Eureka descendant.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW
