His impact on eureka
It happened on the 30th of November, 1854: hundreds of diggers assembled and were addressed by Peter Lalor (pronounced lawlor) for the first time. All of the spokesmen of the Ballarat Reform League were absent so Lalor stepped up to rally all of the miners together.
He "knelt down, the head uncovered, and with his right hand pointing to the standard, exclaimed in a measured tone: 'We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other to defend our rights and liberties.' A universal Amen was the determined reply." -Rafaello Carboni, a Eureka Stockade digger. Even though Lalor was reluctant in leading at first because he was often opposed to the rise of working men, it is evident that he had changed his mind. Lalor had a passion for justice and although he was lucky in finding gold, he disagreed with the inequity of the government and wanted, just as much as every other miner, to rebel. All of the diggers were fired up by Lalor and a battle at Eureka was on the cards. Lalor felt inclined to fight because he believed that if he didn't, he wasn't worthy of being a man. His impassioned speech made him liked amongst the miners and he was appointed commander by the leaders. Lalor proclaimed to the miners "I expected someone who is really well known to come forward and direct our movement. However, if you appoint me your commander-in-chief, I shall not shrink. I tell you, gentlemen, if once I pledge my hand to the diggers, I bill neither defile it with treachery, nor render it contemptible with cowardice." And so it was, on the 3 December 1854, Lalor and hundreds of others fought against the police and troops. Keeping his word, Lalor stood his ground but was shot in his left arm and took refuge under some logs nearby and was later smuggled out of the battle and taken to the home of Father Smyth. It was there that his arm was amputated but that didn't dampen Lalor's spirits. A reward of £200 was posted but nobody claimed it out of sheer sympathy towards the brave diggers. Lalor was later proven innocent and became a politician because of his hunger for righteousness. The battle at Eureka had such an impact on the government that the hated Miners' Tax then became the fair Miners' Rights. Lalor took a seat in the Victorian Upper House in Parliament and continued to fight for fair and common working class rights. Lalor's motto was to 'enable the poor man to obtain equal justice with the rich.' Peter Lalor was an inspiring and courageous leader and vital in bringing about a fair system, a democracy. Without this motivating man, Australians today may be suffering from inequity. By Merryn Hughes |