Ballarat to celebrate 157th Anniversary of Eureka

A range of events will take place around the city over the coming week to celebrate the 157th Anniversary of the Eureka Rebellion.
The ill-fated uprising by a group of miners, defending their rights against a harsh regime on the goldfields of the 1850s is widely regarded as a turning point for Australian democracy.
The Australian Constitution is built on many of the principles outlined in the Ballarat Reform League charter, as over 10,000 diggers spelt out their political demands in a mass meeting at Bakery Hill on 29 November 1854 before the uprising.
From the bloody battlefield emerged the qualities frequently associated with our national identity; among them mateship, multiculturalism and the notion of the right to a fair go for all.
The 1850s were a tumultuous period in Australian history and the lure of gold had drawn people from around the world, many from countries which had undergone revolutions triggered by a sense of injustice.
They came to Victoria, primarily Ballarat, to find themselves under another harsh and corrupt administration, forced to pay a crippling gold tax without any representation in the colonial administration which administered it.
Many were well-educated and their calls for an end to the tyranny attracted tens of thousands of disgruntled miners to mass meetings, a show of people power unimaginable today.
Efforts to negotiate change proved futile, with the diggers deciding they had no choice but to take up arms. They raised their flag, the Southern Cross, swore an oath and marched to Eureka, where they built their stockade.
The battle, when it came, was short-lived. A surprise dawn attack on December 3 lasted just 15 minutes as troopers quickly overran the stockade. More than 30 miners were dead, along with six troopers.
Despite the passage of time, the legacy of that defining moment in history echoes just as strongly today.
Ballarat proudly lays claim to the honour of being the birthplace of the Australian spirit and the influence of Eureka can be seen all around this City.

Eureka 157th Anniversary Events

Tuesday 29 November
Raising of the Eureka Flag. 2.00pm. Bakery Hill roundabout.

Friday 2 December
Eureka 157 Schools Event. 9.00am-12:30pm. Art Gallery of Ballarat.

Saturday 3 December
‘Reclaim the Radical Spirit of the Eureka Rebellion’ event. 4.00am – 10.00pm. Various venues.
Eureka Graves Ceremony. 12 noon. Ballarat Old Cemetery.
Eureka Mass. 6.00pm. St Alpius Church.
Eureka 157 Pacing Cup. 6.30pm. Bray Raceway.
‘Reclaim the Radical Spirit of the Eureka Rebellion’ annual dinner. 7.00pm to 10.00pm. Stockade Hotel.
Eureka’s Children’s Annual Dinner. 7.00pm. Celtic Club, Queen St, Melbourne.

Sunday 4 December
Eureka Sunday Luncheon. 12.00 noon. Old Colonists Club, Lydiard St.
For more information on any of these events visit www.eurekaballarat.com

Other Eureka activities

Eureka Stockade site – Cnr Eureka and Rodier Sts.
The Eureka Centre is closed for redevelopment but visitors are free to browse through the heritage Stockade gardens and to explore the 1884 bluestone memorial and the Eureka Circle, which was commissioned as part of the Eureka 150 celebrations in 2004.

Art Gallery of Ballarat – 40 Lydiard St Nth.
The Gallery, home of the original Eureka Flag, is displaying a full-scale replica while the flag is being conserved. While at the Gallery you can explore one of the nation’s most significant regional art collections including a special Eureka display. www.artgalleryballarat.com.au.
Eureka Trails – The self-guiding Eureka Trails brochure identifies historic Eureka sites and takes you on the paths to the Stockade of the diggers from Bakery Hill and the troopers from the Government Camp. Brochures are available from the Visitor Information Centre.

Ballarat Old Cemetery – Cnr Macarthur and Drummond Sts.
Many of the Eureka dead were buried in a mass grave but in 1856 a memorial was erected to the fallen diggers and later local citizens and the Victorian Government decided to mark the soldiers’ graves. Explore the memorials and other old graves in this heritage cemetery.
For more information go to www.eurekaballarat.com

The Eureka Centre redevelopment
The Eureka Centre is currently closed, due to major redevelopment works being undertaken by the City of Ballarat in partnership with the State and Federal governments.
The result of these works will be the new Centre for Australian Democracy at Eureka, a state of the art education and community space that acknowledges the educational, historical and cultural importance and significance of the Eureka Stockade, within the context of our nation’s overall democratic history.
The proposed development will dramatically change the nature of the building from an inward-focused layout to one that embraces and engages the entire Eureka Stockade site, drawing the local community in and leading Centre visitors out into the site.
Some of Australia’s best regarded museum and education specialists are involved in the project to ensure that visitors to the Centre have an experience that is authentic, unique, memorable and evolving.
The redeveloped Centre is expected to open in mid 2012. The Eureka Education Program will continue to operate from the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

Sebastopol Hall Open Day

The Sebastopol RSL Hall will open its doors to the community this Saturday (19/11), between 11am and 3pm.
A range of hall user groups will be present offering displays and demonstrations including:
· Dance Plus 2 – ballroom dancing demonstrations
· Ballarat Goju Ryu Karate – karate demonstrations and BBQ
· Zumba demonstrations
· Ladies Indoor Carpet Bowls – free bowling activities
· Ballarat Caravan Club – information stall
· Blue Light Disco – information stall
· RSL Women’s Auxiliary – Devonshire tea
City of Ballarat Portfolio Councillor for People and Communities Des Hudson said the open day would be a fantastic opportunity to showcase the Sebastopol RSL Hall and its various uses.
“The Sebastopol RSL Hall is used for a wide range of recreational activities which many local residents may not even know about.
“I encourage members of the local community to come along and have a chat to the diverse range of Hall user groups who will be there on the day.”
The Sebastopol RSL Hall is owned by the City of Ballarat.

Unearthing Goldfields Gems With New Online Project

Mark Twain’s writings about Maryborough Railway Station and Australia’s first cold beer being poured in Bendigo are amongst the fascinating stories from Victoria’s Goldfields region being shared with Victorians online.
Premier and Minister for the Arts Ted Baillieu has invited Victorians to delve into history through Goldfields Stories, a new online project presented by Culture Victoria.
“Goldfield Stories is a collection of nine online videos that follow local pioneers and detail the history of key events and significant sites,” Mr Baillieu said.
The project is the result of creative collaborations between Victorian artists and staff and volunteers at nine community museums throughout the Goldfields, who created videos as part of a pilot program that provides support for local museums in the Goldfields region. The program supports local and community museums to bring their collections to life and share them with new and wider audiences.
Goldfields Stories was officially launched last weekend at Ararat’s Langi Morgala Museum by Member for Western Victoria, David O’Brien MLC. The event also marked the centenary of the birth of botanical illustrator and Ararat resident Stan Kelly – whose story is captured in Goldfields Stories.
“I was very proud to launch this project which has brought together a range of people within Goldfields communities,” Mr O’Brien said.
“This project has resulted in an ongoing legacy of our history and produced media-rich resources for tourism, education and general audiences.
“I thank and congratulate all involved for bringing our stories to life and encouraging greater participation in local cultural and heritage activities.”
To find out more, or view the Goldfields Stories, visit the Culture Victoria website www.culturevictoria.com Goldfields Stories will also be screening on the big screen at Melbourne’s Federation Square.

The 2011 Landscape Art Prize Exhibition

Dulux, The Pantechnicon and the Swiss and Italian Festa present The Hepburn Springs Swiss Italian Festa is entering its 19th year and the Landscape Art Prize Exhibition is one the event’s most loved highlights.
The Pantechnicon Gallery, Daylesford will host the 2011 Landscape Art Prize
Exhibition opening on Wednesday 19th October and continuing until the end of the Festa on Sunday 30th October.
The 2011 Landscape Art Prize is proudly sponsored by Dulux, who are offering prizes of $1000, $500 and $250 for the top three works.
The Landscape Art Prize is open to all and the Swiss & Italian Festa is now seeking entries which represent a sense of place in the landscape around Hepburn Springs (within 25km radius of Hepburn Springs Post Office).
For entry forms go to the website: www.swissitalianfesta.com
Entries close at 5pm on 6 October 2011.
The Swiss Italian Festa acknowledges our history, celebrates our lifestyle, and nurtures our cultural heritage for tomorrow.
The Festa runs from 19 to 30 October 2011.

Old TV’s recycled for free

Ballarat residents have embraced the opportunity to recycle unwanted analog televisions at the Gillies Street Transfer Station for free.

Although old televisions can be equipped with an inexpensive set-top box to receive digital broadcasts, many people are buying new digital television sets.

The increasing levels of e-waste such as old analog television sets today contribute around 5% of the material sent to landfill.

Analog televisions contact heavy metals such as lead which have the capacity to leach into the ground water and potentially pollute the environment. They can also contain chemicals such as cadmium, mercury and arsenic.

Residents will have the opportunity to recycle their television free of charge until August 2012.

All televisions will be disassembled with 98% of the parts being recycled.

For more information contact the Gillies Street Transfer Station on 03 5334 2257.

City of Ballarat

The City of Ballarat is divided into three municipal wards with three councillors elected to represent each ward.

Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month.  All council meetings are held at the Town Hall (cnr Sturt and Armstrong Street South, Ballarat) and start at 7pm.

In person:  The Phoenix Building, 25 Armstrong St Sth, Ballarat
Postal address:  City of Ballarat, PO Box 655, Ballarat 3353
Phone: 5320 5500
Email:  ballcity@ballarat.vic.gov.au
Website:  www.ballarat.vic.gov.au

Golden Plains Shire Council

Golden Plains is a vibrant and progressive municipality situated between Geelong, Ballarat and Melbourne, offering residents and businesses access to the city services while enjoying a country lifestyle.
Ordinary meetings of Council are held on the fourth Thursday of each month (except for December – third Thursday) commencing at 4.00 pm and alternate between the Bannockburn Shire Hall and the Linton Customer Service Centre. Ordinary meetings of Council are open to the public and residents are welcome to attend.
Bannockburn Customer Service: 2 Pope Street, Bannockburn, Vic, 3331
Phone: 03 5220 7111 – Local call: 1300 36 30 36
Fax: 03 5220 7100
Postal Address: Golden Plains Shire Council, PO Box 111, Bannockburn Vic 3331
Linton Customer Service Centre: 68 Sussex Street, Linton 3360
Phone: 03 5344 6444
Fax: 03 5344 7302
Web: www.goldenplains.vic.gov.au

Hepburn Shire Council

The elected councillors of the Hepburn Shire are responsible for making important decisions about Shire on behalf of the community. Council decisions are made at Council meetings which are open to the public and generally held on the third Tuesday of every month. The location varies, so please visit the Council Meetings Dates and Locations link for further information.
Postal Address: Hepburn Shire Council, P.O. Box 21, DAYLESFORD 3460
Town Hall: 76 Vincent Street, Daylesford
Phone: (03) 5348 2306
Fax: (03) 5348 2911
Email: shire@hepburn.vic.gov.au
Opening Times: 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday – Friday
Website: www.hepburn.vic.gov.au

Check out their Calendar of Events within the Shire from their website:

Moorabool Shire Council

Set amid picturesque rolling hills only 45km west of Melbourne CBD, Moorabool Shire combines country living with easy access to the city. An attractive mix of open spaces, friendly towns, orchards, deep gorges and forests. One of Moorabool’s greatest attractions is its diversity.  Straddling the Western Freeway in the heart of an important agricultural region, the 2110 square kilometre Shire is a commuter settlement, popular tourist destination and centre of a large agricultural industry made up of 64 localities, hamlets and towns.
Ordinary Meetings of Council are held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month (excluding January) and alternate between the Council Chambers, Stead Street, Ballan and the Public Hall – Supper Room, Main Street, Bacchus Marsh.
Principal Office: 15 Stead Street, Ballan Victoria 3342
Telephone: (03) 5366 7100
Facsimile: (03) 5368 1757
Emergency After Hours: 0419 887 065
Postal Address for all Offices: PO Box 18, Ballan Victoria 3342
You can email Council via this email address: info@moorabool.vic.gov.au
Website: www.moorabool.vic.gov.au

Pyrenees Shire Council

Council generally meets at 6:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month (with the exception of December, which may be on the second Tuesday and January, when no meeting is held).
Beaufort Office: 5 Lawrence St, Beaufort, VIC 3373
Phone: 03 5349 1100
Fax: 03 5349 2068
Email: pyrenees@pyrenees.vic.gov.au
Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5.00pm
Website: www.pyrenees.vic.gov.au