John Semmens
Contents
Background
Goldfields Involvement, 1854
John Semmens signed the 1853 Bendigo Goldfields Petition. Agitation of the Victorian goldfields started with the Forest Creek Monster Meeting in 1851, but what became known as the Red Ribbon Movement was centred around the Bendigo goldfields. Led by George Thomson, Dr Jones and 'Captain' Edward Brown, the association focused its attention on the 30 shillings monthly licence fee miners were required to pay to the government. They drew up a petition outlining digger grievances and calling for a reduced licence fee, improved law and order, the right to vote and the right to buy land. The petition was signed by diggers at Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine, McIvor (Heathcote), Mount Alexander (Harcourt) and other diggings. The 13 metre long petition was presented to Lieutenant-Governor Charles LaTrobe in Melbourne on the 01 August 1853, but the call for a reduction in monthly licence fees and land reform for diggers was rejected. The diggers dissatidfaction erupted into the Red Ribbon Rebellion where agitators wore red ribbons on their hats symbolising defiance of the law and prohibitive licence fees.
Post 1854 Experiences
See also
Further Reading
References
External links
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