I find the anniversary of the 'Uprising' to be of greater significance than any other day that Australians have deemed to be worthy of Poblic Holidays - the real test of how important a celebration is to Australia.. I'd give the flick to Queen's Birthday, Australia Day. These two in particular I find particularly odious and are the complete antithesis of the values that I cherish. Eureka Stockade certainly was the real nursery of independent political thought in Australia and the manifestation that average people who were prepared to fight for their democratic rights could actually make a real difference.

Regards, John

PS I went to secondary school in Ballarat.