Peter Lalor

Peter Lalor (born 5th February 1827 in the parish of Raheen, died 9th February 1889 in the home of his only son, Joseph) was the leader of the Miners at the Eureka Stockade and a well-known politician, he led the diggers from the gold rush to victory over the government and the diggers tax. In 1855 Peter Lalor later became the first MLC (Member of the Legislative Council) for the seat of Ballarat.

Peter Lalor

The Eureka Stockade took place in 1854 and there were about 25,000 diggers on the Ballarat goldfields when it happened. During the time of this lead to the rebellion a crowd of diggers burnt Bentley's hotel to the ground. Also during the phase of the rebellion, diggers decided to publicly burn their mining licenses. His family remained fairly prosperous until the great famine of 1845.

"Peter Lalor's background includes being the son of Patrick Lalor (pronounced Lawler) and his wife Ann, nee Dillon. His family was descended from the O'Lalours, one of the Seven Septs of Leix who had fought against the English invasion of Ireland in the sixteenth century." ~ Australian Dictionary of Biography

I think he is a hero because he fought the government over a tax that shouldn't of had to be enforced since they had to pay it whether they found gold or not. He was a great man and did a lot for the community and I enjoyed researching him and finding out what exactly he did.