tiabunna's photos with the keyword: memorial

This statue is holding the remains of a Eureka Flag (since the 1853 miners' uprising at Eureka the "go to" flag for protests in Australia - 1st PiP). Forgotten by many, the second largest uprising in Australia was, of all places, set in the little town of Barcaldine in 1891, when the shearers formed a union and refused to take pay cuts imposed by the large pastoralists. There were opposing marches through towns by shearers and the Queensland militia, some wool sheds were burned, and finally the pastoralist-led Queensland government had the strike leaders arrested (see PiPs) while scab labourers were imported from southern states. You can read more about it here, but maybe faster to listen to this song which tells the story. Wishing everyone a Happy Fence Friday and a good weekend.

The two aircraft in this image were water-bombers, working on the huge fires in south-east Australia during late 2019-early 2020. The nearest aircraft, on the left, was a C130 with the identification "Bomber 134" and had come from the USA with its 3 man crew. Memorialising its sad loss with its crew shortly after, three years ago on 23 January 2020, in a combination of huge fires, bad winds, and mountainous terrian. Brave men and a sadly remembered event. In the PiP, smoke from nearby fires at the time.

Almost three years ago, I posted a series of images from a little village called Nerrigundah and put them into an Album. The village was built following a gold rush here in 1861. In 1866 while holding up the whole town and making a gold robbery, a gang of bushrangers killed a local policeman here. This is the memorial to him (click on the PiP to read the story) . Sadly, the vast bushfires of late 2019-early 2020 almost destroyed Nerrigundah entirely. Many of the locals sheltered in the Fire Shed (the green building at right) and only a handful of houses survived. The base around the memorial has been replaced, but the historic shops and other buildings have all gone - this was taken from about the same angle as the PiP. I had intended to post this on a Friday, but it really doesn't feel right for HFF.... For the next few days I shall be almost entirely offline due to other commitments (all good). Best wishes all, especially to Andy for your ongoing recovery. Once was ...

With the wisdom of hindsight, the Special Constables (bounty hunters) should have seen the warning signs. Finally, they literally walked into an ambush in January 1867. After interviewing several people on rural properties they walked in from the top left of the scene in the first PiP. Several people, hiding in the trees to the right, promptly shot two of them (second PiP). The remaining two retreated down hill, but were stopped and shot in the right of the main image (also third PiP). Their deaths were discovered the following day. Given the (at best) frosty relationship between the Specials and the regular police, I find it slightly ironic that, after 150 years, the NSW police have now claimed the Special Constables as their own (fourth PiP).

Nerrigundah gained a place in history on the night of 9 April 1866, when Tom Clarke and his gang of bushrangers rode into town, leaving their horses at about the position of the letterboxes in my previous images. Then they took over the building central to this image (at that time a store and gold dealership) and a hotel (no longer there) to the right of the image, proceeding to rob the local community. The Sergeant in charge of the police station was away on patrol, leaving only a new recruit and Constable Miles O'Grady who was confined to bed with a fever. Staggering from his bed, Constable O'Grady said "I will do my duty" as he and the recruit went to confront the bushrangers, two of whom were keeping guard at the hotel. Constable O'Grady fired, killing one bushranger, while the recruit missed. With their single shot pistols needing reloading, the police then began a retreat, but the other bushrangers came from the hotel and one shot Constable O'Grady. The bushrangers then left for the mountains inland. More images in PiPs. This memorial to Constable O'Grady (foreground) is believed to be the only memorial in Australia to an individual policeman. I think this is an appropriate musical link. HFF, everyone. Explored.