Eureka 167: Ballarat remembers the Eureka Stockade

Preparations are well underway to mark the 167th anniversary of one of the most significant events in not only Ballarat’s history, but nationally. 

Each year on 3 December people gather to mark the anniversary of the attack by Victorian Colonial Military Forces on protesting miners at the Eureka Stockade.  

Known as Eureka Day, this occasion has a long commemorative history, being remembered across Australia, and especially in Ballarat. 

Under the auspices of the City of Ballarat, a program of events will be presented at the Eureka Centre to mark the anniversary. To encourage community involvement, entry fees to the Eureka Centre will be removed from 3-5 December. 

The Eureka Day program begins with the Eureka Stockade Commemorative Service at the Eureka Centre on Friday, 3 December at 8.30am. A complimentary breakfast will follow.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Daniel Moloney will lead the community in remembering those who died at the Eureka Stockade.  

“I truly believe the events of 1854 at the Eureka Stockade propelled the development of the fair and open democratic Australian society we cherish today,” Cr Moloney said. 

“The Eureka Stockade is of undeniable national importance, but it is also a beloved Ballarat foundation story that resides deep in our hearts. 

“On Eureka Day, across the City of Ballarat – at Bakery Hill, at the Ballarat Old Cemetery, and at the site of the Eureka Stockade – people will gather to remember Eureka and those who died defending their rights or doing their duty.” 

The annual Peter Tobin Oration, a longstanding Eureka Day institution, will be presented at the Eureka Centre on Friday 3 December at 5.30pm.  

This event honours the contribution of the late Peter Tobin OAM to the commemoration of the Eureka Stockade. 

This year’s speaker is acclaimed singer-songwriter and Eureka descendant, Shane Howard OAM, who will speak about his songs of protest and social justice that embody the spirit of Eureka. 

A limited number of tickets to the Peter Tobin Oration will be released on 29 November at 9am via the Eureka Centre’s website. 

This event will also be livestreamed from Eureka Centre’s Facebook. 

Mr Howard will return to the Eureka Centre stage at 8pm with accompanist Richard Tankard to perform, ‘Rebel Songs: Shane Howard in Concert’. 

“This unique evening of story and song celebrates Shane’s ancestral connections and honours Eureka’s legacy,” Cr Moloney said. 

Through iconic songs including ‘Solid Rock’, ‘Let the Franklin Flow’ and the spark of Eureka captured in ‘Rebel Song’, Mr Howard has created a uniquely Australian voice that reaches across the globe, so we are very lucky to have him perform in Ballarat to commemorate the day. 

Tickets to Rebel Songs: Shane Howard in Concert are available via Eventbrite at rebelsongs.eventbrite.com.au.

Eureka Centre’s anniversary program continues Sunday, 5 December from 10am to 2pm.  

This traditional Eureka Community Day is an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about and reflect on the Eureka legacy and come together as a community whose identity is forged by this great historical event.  

Eureka Sunday features a program of free talks, live music, and creative activities for the whole family. 

Throughout the day children can drop-in and help build and decorate a cardboard Eureka Stockade, while Hedley Thompson and Ken Prato will discuss the contemporary resonance of bush poetry at 10.30am, and Indigenous R‘n’B singer deborahN will share her soulful, heartfelt songs and stories from 1pm.  

There will also be a sausage sizzle and Eureka Flag talks on the hour. 

Visit www.eurekacentreballarat.com.au for more details.