Eureka

Peter Lalor, 1827-89, was leader of the rebel miners at the Eureka Stockade, Ballarat, and later a respected politician in Victoria. Brother of James Fintan Lalor, a Young Ireland leader, Peter came to prominence as a leader of the miners at Ballarat who were aggrieved over taxes and official restrictions on mining licences. The agitation for mining-system reform led to some of the 12,000 miners, or 'diggers', turning to physical resistance in late 1854. They designed their 'Southern Cross' flag - now incorporated into the Australian national flag - and made their stand at the Eureka Stockade.

On 3 December the authorities launched an attack. The troops easily took the miners' position. Thirty miners were killed and one hundred taken prisoner. Lalor escaped with £200 on his head and evaded capture for a period. A wound to his arm led to its loss. While in hiding he was married to the sweetheart who was also his nurse. He was eventually tried with thirteen others for treason and acquitted amid popular acclaim. Public subscriptions helped him become a representative of the Ballarat area in the Victoria Legislative Council, enlarged as a matter of reform to include mining representation. The Eureka Stockade incident was a major step, by instigating political change, on the Australian road to responsible self-government. Lalor became an established politician and served Victoria in government.