Australian Explorers
Friday, April 6, 1860. : Stuart discovers and names Chambers Pillar, in central Australia.
John McDouall Stuart was born in Dysart, Fife, Scotland, on 7 September 1815. He arrived in South Australia in 1839. He had a passion for exploration and gained experience when he was employed as a draughtsman by Captain Charles Sturt on an expedition into the desert interior. Following his experience with Sturt, Stuart led several expeditions west of Lake Eyre. When the South Australian government offered a reward of two thousand pounds to the first expedition to reach the northern coast, Stuart pushed beyond Lake Eyre in the first of several attempts to reach northern waters.
Stuart departed from Chambers Creek on 2 March 1860. On 6 April 1860, north of where the South Australia-Northern Territory border now stands, he sighted an unusual sandstone monolith standing out from a range of flat-topped hills. He named it Chambers Pillar which, like Chambers Creek which he had also named, was to honour the wealthy pastoralist who helped to finance his expeditions.
Australian History
Saturday, April 6, 1895. : Banjo Paterson’s ‘Waltzing Matilda’ is first sung in public.
Andrew Barton Paterson, or Banjo Paterson, was born on 17 February 1864, near Orange, New South Wales. Paterson was passionately nationalistic and popular among many Australians searching for their own identity separate from Britain. In 1885, Paterson began publishing his poetry in the Sydney edition of The Bulletin under the pseudonym of “The Banjo”, the name of a favourite horse. He wrote “The Man From Snowy River”, “Clancy of the Overflow” and “Mulga Bill’s Bicycle”.
Paterson’s best-known poem, however, is arguably “Waltzing Matilda”. The lyrics were written in 1895, and based on the story of a man named Samuel “Frenchy” Hoffmeister. In September 1894, on the Dagworth sheep station north of Winton, some shearers were in a strike that turned violent. The strikers fired off their rifles and pistols in the air and then set fire to the woolshed at the Dagworth Homestead, killing over a hundred sheep. The owner of Dagworth Homestead and three policemen pursued Hoffmeister who, rather than be captured, shot and killed himself at a billabong.
The poem was set to a catchy tune which a friend of Paterson’s had heard at the Warrnambool races. It was first performed on 6 April 1895 at the North Gregory Hotel in Winton, Queensland. The occasion was a banquet for the Premier of Queensland.
Australian History
Tuesday, April 6, 2004. : The Australian territory of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands officially adopts its own flag.
The Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands is located in the Indian Ocean, approximately halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka. The territory lies about 2750 kilometres northwest of Perth, Western Australia. It comprises two atolls and 27 coral islands totalling around 14 km². With a coastline of 26 kilometres and its highest elevation at 5m above sea level, its sole cash crop is coconuts. The population of around 630 is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island.
The islands were discovered in 1609 by Captain William Keeling, but remained uninhabited until 1826, when the first settlement was established on the main atoll by English settler Alexander Hare. In 1857, the islands were brought under the control of the British Empire. On 23 November 1955, the islands were transferred to Australian control under the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955. Together with nearby Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are called Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories (IOTs) and since 1997 share a single Administrator resident on Christmas Island.
As an Australian territory, Cocos (Keeling) Islands carries the Australian flag, but the territory adopted its own flag on 6 April 2004. The proclamation was made by Administrator Evan Williams. The flag features the Australian sporting colours of green and gold as a background. A coconut palm on a yellow sun sits in the upper left quadrant, while a crescent moon and the Southern Cross occupy the main part of the flag.
Australian History
Friday, April 6, 2012. : The inaugural Waltzing Matilda Day is held in Winton, Queensland.
Winton is a small town in the central west of Queensland, Australia. First settled in 1875, it was originally known as Pelican Waterhole. Winton lies in the heart of Queensland’s sheep country. It was at nearby Dagworth sheep station that the events occurred which inspired one of Australia’s most famous poets, AB ‘Banjo’ Paterson, to pen “Waltzing Matilda”.
“Waltzing Matilda” tells the story of a swagman who steals a sheep, then jumps into a billabong to drown himself, rather than be captured by the Troopers. Paterson wrote the words in 1895, basing his poem loosely on the story of Samuel “Frenchy” Hoffmeister who, during the violent strike at Dagworth Homestead in 1894, shot and killed himself at a billabong rather than surrender to police. The poem was set to a catchy melody which a friend of Paterson’s had heard at the Warrnambool races. It was first performed on 6 April 1895 at the North Gregory Hotel in Winton, Queensland during a banquet for the Premier of Queensland.
On 6 April 2012, the inaugural Waltzing Matilda Day was held in Winton. Organisers of the day said Australians should be reminded of the song’s tradition and significance, and that the anniversary of the song’s first performance should be marked annually. Winton’s Mayor, Ed Warren, said it was important to remember the message of Waltzing Matilda, stating that the song captured “the true spirit of the Australian character. The true meaning of it is a fair go for all.”
Activities to celebrate Waltzing Matilda Day included a history lecture, poetry reciting, whip cracking displays and classes, leatherwork demonstrations, bush poets and fleece spinning. The event was especially well attended by ‘Grey Nomads’, the older generation of Australians who enjoy travelling the country in their caravans and motorhomes.
World History
Wednesday, April 6, 1644. : The English Parliament orders all maypoles in the country to be removed.
A Maypole is a tall, vertical pole decorated with ribbons and streamers which are held by dancers during Mayday, or Midsummer, celebrations. The tradition of dancing around a maypole goes back to 16th century Germany, when setting up the maypole and celebrating Midsummer was a whole community activity.
The tradition has its origin in Germanic paganism, but spread through many parts of Europe. Because of its pagan roots, the maypole met with some hostility in England in the 16th century, particularly when celebrations degenerated into little more than drunken festivities. The idea of mixed-gender dancing and merry-making, particularly on a Sunday, caused many to denounce maypole-dancing, especially during the Reformation of Edward VI when a preacher denounced the Cornhill maypole as an idol, resulting in it being taken out of storage, sawn into pieces and burned.
Whilst the English governments did not actively support the banning of maypoles, increasing pressure from the Protestant movement resulted in their being banned from Banbury, Bristol, Canterbury, Coventry, Doncaster, Leicester, Lincoln, and Shrewsbury between 1570 and 1630. Finally, on 6 April 1644, the British Parliament ordered that all maypoles throughout the country be removed. Long Parliament’s ordinance of 1644 described maypoles as “a Heathenish vanity, generally abused to superstition and wickedness”.
However, there is no evidence that all communities followed the ordinance as, following the Restoration in 1660, there were a large number of maypoles returned to service throughout the country, very quickly.
World History
Monday, April 6, 1896. : After 1500 years of being banned, the first modern Olympic Games opens in Athens, Greece.
The first record of the Olympic Games dates back to 776 BC, although this was not the first time they were actually held. Following the commencement of records being maintained, the Games gradually increased in cultural and religious significance for the ancient Greeks. As the Romans gained power in Greece, the Games lost their importance. When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, the Olympic Games came to be seen as a pagan festival and in discord with Christian ethics, and in 393 A.D., the emperor Theodosius outlawed the Olympics, ending a thousand-year period of Olympic Games.
Some 1,500 years later, the Games were revived, thanks to the efforts of a young French baron, Pierre de Coubertin. At an 1894 conference on international sport, Coubertin proposed reviving the Olympics as a major international competition that would occur every four years. The other 79 delegates representing nine countries accepted his proposal unanimously. The first modern Olympic Games were opened on 6 April 1896 in Athens, capital city of Greece.