The Eureka Council Inc. is an Australian organisation dedicated to the social, cultural, and heritage needs of Colonial and Anzac Australians. It promotes national pride, preservation of heritage and history, and Australian arts.
History
The Eureka Council was conceived in 1998 and registered in January 2003. It is an incorporated association or government-registered non-profit group.
Activities
Most recently, the Eureka Council has been involved in the fight to save a national treasure from property developers. Rose Cottage and the Australian Pioneer Village in Hawkesbury, NSW is currently being threatened by a local council resolution to sell the artefacts contained in the village. A rally was held on the 28 June 2009, with an expected attendance of 1000 people - over 5000 people attended on the day which is a clear indication of the level of support from the general public. The Eureka Council Executive has petitioned the local council using 'moral-force' persuasion, a style used by
John Basson Humffray
John Basson Humffray (17 April 1824 – 18 March 1891) was a leading advocate in the movement of miner reform process in the British colony of Victoria, and a member of parliament.
Humffray was born in Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales. He ...
who headed up the
Ballarat Reform League
The Ballarat Reform League came into being in October 1853 and was officially constituted on 11 November 1854 at a mass meeting of miners in Ballarat, Victoria to protest against the Victorian government's mining policy and administration of the ...
during the
Eureka Stockade
The Eureka Rebellion was a series of events involving gold miners who revolted against the British administration of the colony of Victoria, Australia, during the Victorian gold rush. It culminated in the Battle of the Eureka Stockade, wh ...
rebellion of 1854. Through this 'moral-force' approach, it is expected the decision will be reviewed and overturned by the local council.
Currently, the Eureka Council, through their Victorian Representative, is working with the Hepburn Shire Counci
on several gold history related projects. The Hepburn Shire Council encompasses the area to the north of Ballarat including the towns of Creswick, Clunes, Daylesford and Trentham. All these towns have a rich gold history with
Clunes, Victoria
Clunes is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 36 kilometres north of Ballarat, in the Shire of Hepburn. At the 2016 Australian census, 2016 census it had a population of 1,728.
Clunes is best known as the site of Victoria's ...
taking the claim of being the place where gold was first discovered in Victoria. The projects involve such initiatives as storyboards at the New Australasian Mine No. 2 shaft, the scene of Australia's
worst gold mining accident where in early December 1882, 22 men lost their lives when water broke through to where they were working from an adjacent mine. Other projects include creating a gold trail linking Geelong, Ballarat, Creswick, Clunes and Bendigo, as well as restoring the quartz crushing battery in Creswick.
Historical significance
The Eureka Council web site is indexed as "a site of cultural and historical significance" by the National Library of Australia, in Canberra.
[https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/tep/53891 National Library of Australia listing]
References
External links
Official website
Culture of Australia