Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Australiana: The Eureka Oath


“(Peter Lalor) knelt down, the head uncovered, and with 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 well-rounded Amen was the determined reply.”
– Raffaello Carboni (1817-1875), the author of the main eyewitness account of the Eureka Stockade, writing about the oath taken by Peter Lalor, leader of the rebelling miners, on the 29.11.1854, the evening before the assault by Government troops.

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