Peter Lalor: His Impact on Eureka
Peter Lalor was an Irish migrant who lead the rebellion of eureka stockade. In his early days he was not interested in politics at all. The eureka rebellion sparked a passion for justice that began his career.
Born in Ireland in 1827, Lalor migrated to Australia in 1852. He headed to the Ballarat goldfields in 1854. Lalor was not initially involved with the miners rebellion, however, on 29th November 1854, 12,000 diggers met under the southern cross flag pledging to unite in protest against the unfair laws they faced. The next day with none of the regular spokesman present Lalor reluctantly stepped up as a leader railing up the miners and calling on them to arm themselves for battle. According to one observe Lalor: Knelt down, the head uncovered and with the right hand pointing to the stranded flag exclaimed in a measured tone: 'We swear by the southern cross to stand truly by each other to defend our rights and liberties.' |
Bradfield S. (2014). Gold Rushes . Australian Geography Education, Australia.
Australia National University. (2006).Australian Dictionary of Bibliography online. Canberra. April 2001. http://adb.anu.edu.au/bibliography/lalor-peter-3080 |