All children are taught in history class about the Eureka Stockade but they do not learn about the Darwin Rebellion. The Northern Territory was annexed by South Australia in 1863. In 1911 the federal government took control of the NT. Dr John Gilruth was appointed administrator. He had great plans to develop the territory, but he was aloof and would not listen to the community. The administrator was involved in opening a meat works and would not negotiate pay. Consequently Vesteys Meatworks failed.
On December 16, 1918 Dr Gilruth refused to allow two bartenders working at the Victoria Hotel the night off to go to a party celebrating the end of WWI. The union leader Harold Nelson went to the police station and got a permit for a protest. A month after the hotel incident a group of men marched from Vesteys Meatworks to Government House. The small group of protesters grew into a crowd of thousands.
Things got out of control. People demanded the resignation of the administrator. Dr Giruth came out and spoke which made matters worse. The crowd moved into the grounds of Government House and an effigy of him was burned. To quell the disturbance the Royal Navy took control to protect the administrator and he remained a virtual prison there for the next two months.
Dr Gilruth quietly departed in the night, late February. The situation remained bad for Territorians. Strikes continued. People left to pursue work elsewhere. The only real benefit was that the NT gained a non-voting seat in the federal House of Representatives.
There can be no doubt that other factors contributed to the rebellion. The price of beer had risen by 30 percent from 1915 to 1918 due to nationalizations of hotels in Darwin. Legislation in 1911 preferenced white workers over Chinese. This strengthened the trade unions.
Dr Gilruth quietly departed in the night, late February. The situation remained bad for Territorians. Strikes continued. People left to pursue work elsewhere. The only real benefit was that the NT gained a non-voting seat in the federal House of Representatives.
There can be no doubt that other factors contributed to the rebellion. The price of beer had risen by 30 percent from 1915 to 1918 due to nationalizations of hotels in Darwin. Legislation in 1911 preferenced white workers over Chinese. This strengthened the trade unions.
◆ HISTORY ◆
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