PUB OF THE MONTH
was sentenced to nine months’
imprisonment.”
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in the 1920’s was well known for
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made to house both projector and
projectionist. Even today many in
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anyway given that even the paper
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bloke who went down was probably
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He was very likely innocent but
30 years before this, the citizens
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Aussie bush, ignited something else,
something which would forever
change the entire continent.
Back in the 1890’s the push for
federation began in earnest. In 1892
Edmund Barton who was to become
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popped by the Murrumbidgee area
pushing his Federation cause.
It was taken up and The Australasian
Federation League was created, with
branches in many small towns.
In 1893 it was the Berrigan group
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these branches and on July 31st
delegates from 74 committees met
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brainchild of the citizens of Berrigan
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organised push for the federation of
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begun by the men of Berrigan
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Day 1900, Edmund Barton, related
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represented in the poet’s middle name
of ‘Barton’ and his nickname, Barty),
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Government, with himself as the
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I’m woken early by the sun streaming
through the windows in the room’s door.
There’s few things better than a pub
with an upstairs ‘randa facing east. I
make a brew and take it outside as the
low sun cuts through the picket slats,
feet up and feeling perfect.
Then down to catch up with John
who’s in the cellar tapping kegs. These
kegs are delivered weekly and are
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repaired gidgee ramp that was part
of the rebuild of 1930. Thousands
of kegs have eaten out a furrow in
the concrete base and now the old
concrete stopping block stands pretty
much unused.
I stroke the smooth wood and once
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give up your stories,” but the wood
stays mute and resolute.
John and I say our goodbyes and
I head out. My new stack of gidgee
memories not weighing me down in
the slightest! DThe meeting began with the
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words were to congratulate Mr.
Lapthorne, secretary of the League
at Berrigan, for having originated the
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The next day, the conference
concluded with the secretary
placing on record his belief that,
“Mr. Lapthorne and the Berrigan
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and the instigators of the meeting,
deserve great credit.”
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which even then viewed any sort of
progress to be a malicious southern
plot, the importance of the Berrigan
move was acknowledged with the
Rockhampton Morning Bulletin calling
it an, “important step because it is the
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from the politicians.”
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Register printed in Townsville,
dismissed the entire conference:
́$)('(5$7,21&RQYHQWLRQ- any assemblage of the class of
professionals known as politicians
is now known as a convention – is
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it has) provided many needy men
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class refreshments at someone else’s
expense, so there will be a least
a hundred who will urge that the
gathering has not been in vain.”