City marks 171st Eureka anniversary

THE community has commemorated 171 years since the Eureka Stockade with a range of events across the city.

The program of events began on Sunday 30 November with a community day of stories, songs, face painting, craft activities, and lawn games in the Eureka Stockade Gardens.

There were walking tours from the site of the Old Government Camp to the Eureka precinct and a rehearsed reading of Florence Spriggins’ The Silver Stars of Freedom.

Cultural historian Peter Freund spoke about the Eureka Stockade in art, literature and performance.

On Wednesday 3 December, the anniversary of the attack on the Eureka Stockade, a commemorative service was held at the Eureka Stockade Monument honouring those who died.

A second commemorative service was held at the Ballarat Old Cemetery organised by Ballarat Cemeteries.

It included speeches, costumed volunteers from Friends of Sovereign Hill, a bagpipe procession to the diggers’ and soldiers’ historic graves, the reading of names of those killed in the battle, and the raising of flags.

“Cemeteries are the keeper of stories,” Ballarat Cemeteries CEO Annie De Jong said.

“We have two significant monuments that acknowledge the people who lost their lives to fight for democracy.

“Cemeteries are for remembering people’s contributions for individuals lives and I think that’s why we put this ceremony on no matter what.”

Author and political commentator George Megalogenis presented the annual Peter Tobin Oration entitled Eureka: the rise, fall and return of Ballarat as a population magnet at the Eureka Centre.