Summary

Members of the Ballarat branch of the Victorian Railways Union assembled on Eight Hours Day, circa 1913. They are located beside the grain store and commission agents building on Mair Street in Ballarat. William Joseph Cummins, the union president, is pictured at far left. Also pictured is John Kelly (1874-1934), fourth from the left in the back row [holding walking stick]. The photograph was taken by Eden Studios in Ballarat.

The Eight Hour Day march commemorated a successful protest march held on April 21, 1856 by Victorian stonemasons and other members of the building trades. The protest resulted in an agreement by the Victorian Government to ensure all workers on public sites had an eight hour working day. In recognition of the significance of this achievement, April 21 was made a public holiday in 1879 and commemorative marches were held each year from 1879 until 1951. The Eight Hour Day holiday was renamed Labour Day in 1934. In 1955 the Labour Day march and celebrations were replaced by Moomba celebrations.

Description of Content

Men posing in front of a large, Victorian Railways Union banner, which mounted on a horse-drawn vehicle.

Physical Description

Black and white negative.

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