Who was Peter Lalor?
Peter Lalor was the Irish-born leader of the miners at the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat in 1854. He lost his arm in the battle, escaped capture and later became Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.
Born in Ireland in 1827, Lalor trained as a civil engineer and arrived in Melbourne in 1852 during the gold rush. He became a digger at Ballarat, where anger was growing against the licence system.
On 1 December 1854, he led miners in swearing an oath under the Southern Cross flag: We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties.
After Eureka
Badly wounded in the attack on the stockade, Lalor was hidden by supporters and smuggled away. His arm was amputated. A reward was offered for his capture, but he was never arrested, and the reward was later withdrawn.
In 1855, after reforms, Lalor was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council as a member for Ballarat. He later served as a minister and then as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1880 to 1887.
Surprisingly to some, he became a conservative politician who opposed some democratic reforms. He died in 1889.
Did You Know?
The Melbourne suburb of Lalor is named after him.