Peter Lalor (1827 – 1889) gold miner and politician
Peter Lalor, the Irish leader of the Eureka Stockade rebellion at Ballarat in 1854 was Catholic and indeed had his arm amputated in the Ballarat East presbytery after the fighting. Subsequently as a politician, although a devout Roman Catholic, he opposed state aid to religion and supported a national education system provided that provision was made for religious teaching.
Peter Lalor (pronounced “Lawler”) creates a problem for those who wish to interpret a complex three dimensional world into the highly limited and simplistic one dimensional concepts such as “left” and “right”. Like many significant Australians, he thought deeply about the issues of his day, formed deeply held beliefs and acted on them. Although Lalor’s beliefs and actions were consistent (and internally consistent) from his crucial time at the Eureka Stockade until his death, they don’t fit easily into certain current forms of dumbed down social understanding. One solution to this problem has been for some people to describe Lalor as “a good thing” for part of his life and “a bad thing” for other parts of his life. Another common solution has been to ignore the parts of his life that are inconvenient and turn him into a subtractive myth.
Complete article : http://www.whitehat.com.au/australia/People/Lalor.asp
Following the Eureka Stockade rebellion, with the adoption of the recommendation of the commissioners appointed by Hotham to inquire into the condition of the goldfields that the Legislative Council be enlarged to include elected representatives of the goldfields, Lalor was one of two diggers’ leaders returned unopposed in November 1855 to represent Ballarat. He told his electors: ‘I am in favour of such a system of law reform as will enable the poor man to obtain equal justice with the rich’. When the first parliament was elected under the new Constitution in 1856 Lalor was returned unopposed to the Legislative Assembly for North Grenville, a Ballarat seat.
He was an early advocate of protection of local industry, believing that it would provide work for men no longer able to make a living on the goldfields, but he also supported assisted immigration. Although a devout Roman Catholic, he opposed state aid to religion and supported a national education system provided that provision was made for religious teaching. He supported the 1860 and 1862 Land Acts providing for selection from the squatters’ runs, but urged sale by auction of both freehold agricultural land and grazing leases, declaring that the creation of ‘a middle class of landed proprietors’ able to employ labourers at reasonable wages, was preferable to opening the land in small lots to men without capital. He supported reform of the Legislative Council but opposed payment to members.
Complete article : http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050059b.htm
also
http://www.sydney.catholic.org.au/people/archbishop/addresses/2006/2006928_17.shtml
The suburb of Lalor in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, is located 18 kilometres (11 mi) north of Melbourne’s central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea. At the 2006 Census the suburb had a population of 19,561. Lalor is named after Peter Lalor, leader of the Eureka Stockade rebellion and later member of the Victorian parliament.
Details : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalor,_Victoria
More on the Eureka Stockade : http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/ergo/eureka_stockade
James Oddie (1824 – 1911) banker, benefactor, goldminer, Ballarat councillor
https://atributetoaustralianchristians.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/james-oddie/
Timeline of the Catholic Church in Australia 1606 – 2000
https://atributetoaustralianchristians.wordpress.com/2023/08/22/timeline-of-the-catholic-church-in-australia/
John Bede Polding
https://atributetoaustralianchristians.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/john-polding/
John Therry
https://atributetoaustralianchristians.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/john-therry/
Influential Catholics
https://atributetoaustralianchristians.wordpress.com/2018/08/01/influential-catholics/
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A tribute to influential Australian Christians 