Anniversary, Eureka; Australia’s Declaration of Independence.

Picture; Left, the Eureka Flag,  Centre, Peter Lalor (the leader),  Right, painting of The Battle.

By JimFryar

On the 3rd of December 1854 a battle was fought which remains part of the Australian psyche and helped establish the character of a nation, Eureka.

From “The Bulletin”.

‘Australia began her political history as a crouching serf kept in subjection by the whip of a ruffian gaoler, and her progress, so far, consists merely in a change of masters. Instead of a foreign slave-driver, she has a foreign admiral; the loud-mouthed tyrant has given place to the suave hireling in uniform; but when the day comes to claim their independence the new ruler will probably prove more dangerous and more formidable that the old’. 

Rather than 'the day we were lagged', Australia's national day should be December 3, the anniversary of the Eureka rebellion, 'the day that Australia set her teeth in the face of the British Lion'. 

British rule in Australia From the latter part of the 18th century through to the mid 19th century was a corrupt dictatorship. The country was a group of colonies, each ruled by Governors appointed by the British crown who had absolute power including life or death, over the population.

These were backed up by British troopers, under the charge of dissolute and corrupt officers, who, having unlimited power tended to use it to further their own ends. A military dictatorship is bad enough in its own right, but when you add to that the British class structure with its belief that ‘Colonials’ were inferior, rebellion is the only way out.

In this political climate, all sorts of toadies and shysters find advantage in cozying up to the state apparatus to advance their own interests at the point of a gun, and of course this happened here. The authorities victimized the general population to further the interests of these people as well.

In 1853, gold was discovered an event which sparked massive waves of immigration. Miners from all over the world descended upon Australia bringing with them ideas of liberty, and equality into an environment where, as a totally foreign concept it was bound to inflame the existing resentment into rebelliousness.
The authorities, however in their arrogance treated the new arrivals in the same manner they had been treating the existing population. They levied a crushing license tax on the prospectors and troopers used whips, musket butts and bayonets to collect it. Mounted troopers would engage in "Digger hunts" through the goldfields where prospectors would be ridden down in front of their comrades.
Open rebellion was sparked when a publican murdered James Scobie a miner, and despite the evidence of other diggers the subsequent inquiry deemed that the evidence was inconclusive. Those who pressed for the arrest of the publican were themselves arrested, as were the miners who burned down the hotel to avenge their mate.
Peter Lalor, roused the diggers to build a stockade for their defense and raised the Eureka Flag. Raffaello Carboni, called on the crowd, "irrespective of nationality, religion and color", to salute the Southern Cross as the "refuge of all the oppressed from all the countries on earth".
The stockade lasted only a short time, within an hour against overwhelming odds it was all over. No ruling class has ever regarded its downtrodden with anything but contempt, and this attitude leads to savagery when that class stands up and cry “No more”. The resistance was crushed with the utmost brutality, but as is the case in such events, only at that place, and only for that moment in time.
The diary of Samuel Lazarus describes the events: -

I entered (the stockade) and a ghastly scene lay before me, which it is vain to attempt to describe — My blood crept as I looked upon it. Stretched on the ground in all the horrors of a bloody death lay 18 or 20 lifeless and mutilated bodies — some shot in the face, others literally riddled with wounds — one with a ghastly wound in the temples and one side of his body absolutely roasted by the flames of his tent. 

Another, the most horrible of these appalling spectacles, with a frightful gaping wound in … his head through which the brains protruded, lay with his chest feebly heaving in the last agony of death. One body pierced with 16 or 17 wounds I recognized as that of a poor German whom I have often joked with. 

Newly-made widows recognizing the bloody remains of a slaughtered husband — children screaming and crying around a dead father — surely the man that polluted the early dawn of a Sabbath's morning with such a deed of blood and suffering must have a stony heart if he does not think with keen remorse on the desolation of many a widowed heart his merciless work has left. 

But this sanguinary carnage, revolting as it is to the mind, is not half so sickening as the savage wanton barbarity of the troopers. Did not turn their swords on armed men, but galloped courageously among the tents shooting at women, and cutting down defenseless men … 

A trooper galloped up to Mr. Naslam (reporter for one of the papers) and ordered him to join the government force. He … gave an excuse (which was strictly true) that he was unwell, when the wretch at once leveled his carbine and shot him in the side. Not content with this wanton barbarity he handcuffed him and left him on the ground weltering in his blood. 

Another man … awoke by the firing, went out of his tent in his shirt and drawers and seeing the savage butchery going on cried out in terror — "for God's sake don't kill my wife and children". He was shot dead."

The battle in all of its futility, made the British realize that they were seeing the beginnings of what happened in America. They were up against an entire population aggrieved to the point of rebellion, and were aware that more armed resistance was on the way.
Fortunately they had the sense to back off, caving in to the miners demands. Those arrested were not prosecuted, and Peter Lalor who managed to escape after loosing an arm in the battle was subsequently was elected to parliament.
British colonial attitudes are well portrayed in Bruce Beresford’s excellent movie “Breaker Morant”, made on the subject of the execution of two Australian soldiers during the Boer War. Lt Harry (Breaker) Morant and Lt Peter Handcock. From the evidence I can find the film appears to be remarkably accurate historically.
A mate of mine who saw it before me said, “ It made me want to go out and find a Pommy."