Remembering the Eureka Stockade

DECEMBER marks 170 years since the Eureka Stockade and Sovereign Hill is hosting two events to commemorate the occasion.

On Friday 29 November, author, historian and filmmaker Santilla Chingaipe will be launching her book Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped Australia at the Australian Centre for Gold Rush Collections.

Ms Chingaipe will discuss Australia’s Black convicts, including John Caesar who became Australia’s first bushranger and Billy Blue, the namesake of Sydney’s Blues Point.

“I hope people learn that Australian colonial history is incredibly multicultural,” Ms Chingaipe said.

“Many of them are enslaved on the other side of the world and then they become convicts.

“The prominent story around transportation for petty crime is part of the story as well, but some people were being punished for resisting the fact they were enslaved.”

On Saturday 7 December, a curator’s tour will be held at the Australian Centre for Gold Rush Collections to see objects such as the parliamentary chair belonging to Eureka Rebellion leader Peter Lalor, Wadawurrung artist Aunty Marlene Gilson’s painting Surviving the Goldfields and a collection of miner’s licences.

Sovereign Hill head of collections and curatorial Lauren Bourke said it is important to tell the diverse stories of Eureka.

“We’re really hoping to not only share with the public our collections, but we’re also hoping to share the diversity of stories there are associated with the battle of Eureka,” she said.

“The goldfields were a really multicultural place and there were more than 20 nations that are represented in the story of Eureka.

“For people today, we want to be able to see ourselves reflected in the stories we hear about the past.”

To find out more information or to book a ticket, visit the Sovereign Hill website.