Eureka Australia Descendants and Supporters in West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Non-profit organisation

Eureka Australia Descendants and Supporters

Locality: West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 3 8535 4506

Address: 1st floor, 420-424 William Street 3003 West Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.eurekaaustralia.org.au

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25.01.2022 The results of the Annual General Meeting held last week The new Committee is: President Eric Howard Vice President Michael van Leeuwen Treasurer Leigh Callinan ... Secretary Peter Gavin Committee Rosemary Callanan John Capp Nicola Cousen Maurice Hanrahan Adele Howard Mary Howlett Peter Lalor Philp Graeme McGregor Geraldine Moore Margaret O’Brien Welcome to Nicola and Graeme the new members of the Committee.

25.01.2022 The annual Eureka Democracy Dinner which was to be held on Saturday 28 November has been postponed to Saturday 27 November next year. The pandemic and the restrictions on holding events in Melbourne meant it could not be held this year, so we will hold the event at the Amora Hotel again on the Saturday before the Eureka Day 3 December next year. We will approach the proposed guest speaker and the proposed Eureka Democracy awardee to see if they are available on this new date.

24.01.2022 An additional federal electorate is being proposed for Victoria because of population growth. Eureka Australia has agreed that we write to the Australian Electoral Commission seeking that the new electorate be named Chapman after Henry Samuel Chapman. This would honour Chapman for his commitment to democracy and social justice, through representing the black American John Joseph at the Eureka Treason Trials, his election to the Legislative Council in the 1855 election, for confronting Governor Hotham about his Minute where he wanted to appoint the Ministers (along with support from George Higinbotham and others), and his efforts in personally devising the administrative arrangements for the secret ballot, used for the first time in the world in 1856. Our submission needs to be finalised by 16 October.

23.01.2022 EUREKA MUGS We have two lots of mugs. The first mug has our name Eureka Australia Descendants & Supporters. The second says Eureka Democracy. They are available from our office Level 1, 420-424 William Street West Melbourne 3003 costing $15 each if you call in.... Or if you want a mug posted to you it costs $20 each. Our account with Bank First is BSB 704 191 Account # 90789. See more

21.01.2022 We are finalising the text and photographs for a Eureka Melbourne Democracy Walking App which we plan to have operational and available later in 2020. While still in draft form App content has been developed for the following matters of interest: 1. Introduction to the Walking App (at Old Melbourne Gaol) 2. Old Melbourne Gaol (where the 13 rebels faced the charge of High Treason, which on the statute books, rendered them liable to be hung drawn and quartered if found guilty) ... 3. Statue of George Higinbotham, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, at Collins and Spring Sts. intersection. He was an insightful commentator/ anonymous journalist who visited Ballarat and wrote extensively on events in the lead up to and following Eureka. 4. Victorian Parliament (Eureka participants were elected to serve there in the first fully elected Legislative Assembly responsible for the first time to the people of Victoria from November 1856, and a copy of the Ballarat Reform League Charter from November 1854 hangs there. There are also some other Eureka related memorabilia there) 5. St Pauls the site of several Monster Meetings in the days immediately after Eureka. 6. Eureka Tower (to look at from St Pauls, not walk there) which has the symbolism of the Eureka story in its design. 7. Statue of Redmond Barry outside the State Library - he presided over several trials of the rebels 8. State Library - a repository of Victorian including Eureka - History, with portraits of political leaders involved in the pre and post-Eureka events period 9. St Patricks Hall Home of the Legislative Council from 1851 to 1856, which refused on numerous occasions to reduce the miner's license fee and was the site of the first and last meetings of the Goldfields Commission of Inquiry, which included Legislative Councillors John O’Shanassy (from 1856 Victoria’s first Chief Minister/ Premier and John Pascoe Fawkner among its seven members and where the Final report was tabled in March 1855. We think this will be enough for a general tourist or local student of history, taking about 1-1.5 hours to complete. Each app segment will have about 300 words of text, a voice-over of that text, plus pics. Anyone wanting to know more can of course go to our website. We want each site to be interesting in its own right but also the overall story to directly convey the unprecedented democratic development journey that this City and State went through at that time. It was a time for political reform that is unlikely to be matched in its scope and scale ever again in our country. It embodied a series of remarkable changes that are evident in Australia’s journey to Federation in 1901. See more

20.01.2022 LETTER TO YOUNG SUPPORTERS Greetings I am writing to you to seek your help and advice. We are passing through an era of great concern. Not only are we all faced with the effects of COVID 19 but we are witnessing major international instability in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America as well in places least expected, Europe, the USA and the United Kingdom.... All of this has an impact of our lives in Australia. In addition to these international events, we are being confronted daily with examples of injustice and inequality in our own communities, generally having the greatest impact on society’s most vulnerable people. The democracy fought for and won at the Eureka Stockade is highly treasured by most of us today. However, any thorough examination of recent events will remind us that our democracy is fragile, our freedom of expression is under attack and the continued health of our democratic society should never be taken for granted. All Australians have a role to play to preserve and improve it and to hold our governments to account to strengthen it. Many of you had relatives who participated in or supported those at the Eureka Stockade and will be proud of the courage and commitment made by those people. If you do not have a connection with Eureka, it doesn’t matter the issues are the same. Eureka Australia is an active group which honours the achievement of the Eureka Uprising in 1854 but it is equally determined that those substantial rights gained are not lost to our present and future society. Following the Eureka battle, people without property were given the right to vote, to stand for Parliament, oppose unjust laws and argue for fairer outcomes. The birth of Australian democracy was a major outcome of Eureka 1854. Therefore, I am eager to hear your opinions about how the Eureka spirit can be kept ablaze today. I would welcome your thoughts on: The rights won at Eureka, how relevant are they today in Australia? What key issues of social injustice are you concerned about that are eroding our democracy? What are your expectations of Eureka Australia? Would you like to find out more about Eureka Australia? If you are aware of our mission, would you like to become an active member and support the ideals of Eureka? Let me emphasize again - your input is important. Your active participation is crucial. I welcome your comments. Remember, tomorrow is yours. Our email address is below. Regards, Eric Howard, President, EUREKA AUSTRALIA [email protected]

17.01.2022 The Committee of Eureka Australia decided at its February meeting to invite members who have ancestors who participated in the struggle at Eureka in December 1854 to write a short summary of their ancestor’s involvement as passed down to them by earlier generations of their family. It does not matter if the family’s view of the ancestor differs from the accepted view of historians who may have written about this person. In fact, it is more interesting if there is controversy.... Members were asked also to provide a photo of the ancestor, or if this is unavailable, a photo of any other relevant memorabilia connected with the person, e.g. an entry in the family Bible, a newspaper obituary, a photo of their grave, a photo of the home they lived in, their tools of trade, their miner’s licence, etc. In addition, the members were invited to send a photo of themselves or any of the descendants who agrees to be associated with this account of the family’s memories of the ancestor. They were invited to include some reflections on how the descendants feel about the ancestors and their involvement in the events of Eureka. This was originally intended to be used for a panel display which could be exhibited in a place such as the Eureka Centre in Ballarat, or a municipal library, particularly on a relevant date such as History Month, or the anniversary of the battle at Eureka. Because of the lockdown for Covid19, the idea of a panel display has not progressed so far, but we plan to put the papers received on the Eureka Australia website. So far five papers about ancestors have been submitted. All are excellent and make interesting reading. They have been put onto recent editions of our newsletter. We hope to hear from more descendants.

15.01.2022 Dear Member, Our Annual General Meeting for 2020 will take place on Thursday 23 July at 4 pm. Eureka Australia cannot hold our AGM at the Celtic Club Administrative Centre 420-424 William Street, West Melbourne, because of the current restrictions on indoor gatherings and have been granted permission by Consumer Affairs Victoria to hold the AGM via Zoom. As a practical measure, members will need to notify the secretary that they wish to participate via zoom by notifying the s...ecretary by email [email protected] at least 48 hours beforehand so that the host can email the directions for you to join the AGM. If members cannot join in by Zoom you should complete a proxy form which is attached. We encourage members to attend the AGM and in particular to consider nominating for a place on our Committee. We are always looking for fresh ideas and enthusiastic input. Please give attention to paying your membership fees for 2020 with current paid up membership status being essential for membership and therefore for election to the Committee. In addition with the exciting new projects we have underway we need new members to assist with building the Eureka message and values. Consider who among your family and friends would find the Eureka Australia activities a welcome and positive influence in their lives, and ask them to consider becoming members. Please give attention to paying your membership fees for 2020 with current paid-up membership status being essential for membership and therefore for election to the Committee. In addition to the exciting new projects we have underway we need new members to assist with building the Eureka message and values. Consider who among your family and friends would find the Eureka Australia activities a welcome and positive influence in their lives, and ask them to consider becoming members.ail the directions for you to join the AGM. If members cannot join in by Zoom you should complete a proxy form that is attached. led by our Vice-President Michael van Leeuwen; the launch of the Eureka Pathway of Remembrance project which was to take place on Friday 3 April but has been postponed because of Covid 19 to a date to be determined by the City of Ballarat, which has been ably guided by Philip Moore; and more when the COVID 19 threat has been diminished and we have finalised current projects. Anyone considering nomination could always discuss their nomination with the Secretary or current committee members beforehand. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible via Zoom at our July 23rd AGM. Eric Howard, President, Eureka Australia 1 July 2020

11.01.2022 We are working on a project of ancestors and descendants. Some Committee members have provided the following information which we intend to publicise. Descendant’s name and a little about their background + photo Ancestor’s name, country of birth, dates of birth and death, + photo What the Ancestor did at Eureka in 1854 + photo What the ancestor did after Eureka + photo... Sources for further reading Anyone else wanting to participate please let us know, even if you do not have all of the above. See more

10.01.2022 Members of the Committee have been testing out the new Melbourne Eureka Walking App that tells the story of what happened in Melbourne from 1854 to 1856 after the Eureka events, ie the Treason Trials, the public meetings, the Goldfields Commission Report, the campaign for the secret ballot and the elections in 1856 where the miner's right was accepted as a right to vote. There is plenty of recently researched information included. Some music is to be added before it becomes operational.

10.01.2022 The secret ballot was a Victorian invention, by Henry Samuel Chapman for the 1856 Victorian elections and should be better known by people. It was at the post-Eureka time where democracy and chartist principles flourished. Chapman devised a system where the government printed ballot papers with the names of all nominees and distributed them through its election officials. The voter would then delete the names of candidates he did not support (women did not get a vote then). Reluctantly, William Haines, the then-premier agreed to let the re-worded electoral Bill be brought before the Legislative Council. It was passed and the new law took effect 19 March 1856. The election of the first Victorian Parliament for the Assembly and the Council by this system was held between August and October 1856.

06.01.2022 Eureka Australia is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $3,980.00 funding under the Local History Grants Program 2019-2020 for its Walking App. In making the recommendation for funding, the assessment panel unanimously supported full funding for this worthy project to develop a Walking App that will promote the importance of Eureka related events in Melbourne. We thank the Public Records Office of Victoria, which administers this Grants Program. The PRO plays a v...ital role in ensuring that Victorian stories are shared, preserved and recorded for current and future generations. The Eureka Australia Committee has been working hard on finalizing research and accompanying photographs for the Walking App for use in the Melbourne CBD that will allow users to witness the various sites for relevance to the development of democracy in Victoria and Australia of events after Eureka. We now have more than twelve stops on the Walking Tour. It will start at the Old Melbourne Gaol, go to the State Library and then on to St Paul’s Cathedral. It goes past the site of the old Legislative Council at St Patrick’s Hall; up to Parliament House and finally concluding at Peter Lalor‘s (leader of the Rebellion) House in East Melbourne While many of the sites have been altered, photos, text and a voice-over will allow users to envisage what it was like as the events unfolded. Some new sites are being included, such as the Eureka Tower in Southbank, the tallest residential building in the Southern Hemisphere. See more

04.01.2022 We have submitted our view to the Australian Electoral Commission that the new federal electorate in Victoria. It was mainly written by Geraldine Moore who has recently written a book on the noted democratic reformer George Higinbotham and his role in the Eureka events and the aftermath. Henry Chapman (1803-1881) was a Victorian barrister who, we believe, deserves greater recognition today. The principal reasons are: 1. He was a pivotal figure in the introduction and successf...ul passage of the secret ballot legislation in Victoria in 1855, despite the determined opposition of the Government. Victoria was the first Australian colony to have secret voting. 2. Chapman personally drafted the provisions of the electoral act that related to the introduction of the secret ballot after it had been passed by the original Victorian Legislative Council, and after the legal officers of the Government of the day refused to draught the provisions of the statute. 3. Chapman was responsible for the invention of the accoutrements of elections that are familiar to us today, here and in many other countries. They are the voting paper prepared by the Government with the names of the candidates printed upon it, the private stall for marking of the ballot paper and the sealed box to hold the completed ballot papers. 4. Chapman acted pro-bono as counsel for John Joseph, the Afro-American man who was the first of the prisoners from Eureka to be tried and acquitted on a charge of high treason. Joseph’s acquittal undermined the entire prosecution case, and the ensuing trials of eleven others on the same charge all ended in acquittals. See more