:j!iMi^m 02476 9860 3 4067 •m lAUSTRALIANS The movement towards Federation ^*f^ in Ballarat and the Nation ^.ditcd by KEVIN T.'LIVINJ6STON, RICHARD JORDAN & GAY SWEELY DU //O Zoo/ SSH Becoming Australians The movement towards Federation in Ballarat and the Nation BECOMING AUSTRALIANS The movement towards Federation in Ballarat and the Nation Australian Studies Centre University of Ballarat Edited by Kevin T. Livingston, Richard Jordan and Gay Sweely Wakefield Press Wakefield Press 17 Rundle Street Kent Town South Australia 5067 Copyright © Kevin T. Livingston, Richard Jordan and Gay Sweely for this collection, individual authors for each chapter, 2001 All rights reserved. This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticisnn or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced without written permission. Enquiries should be addressed to the publisher. Cover designed by Dean Lahn, Lahn Stafford Design Cover photograph by Andrew Dunbar Text designed and typeset by Clinton Ellicott, Wakefield Press Printed and bound by Hyde Park Press National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-publication entry Becoming Australians: the movement towards federation in Ballarat and the nation. Bibliography. Includes index. ISBN 1 86254 520 0. 1. Federal government-Australia-History. 2. Australia- History-1851-1901. 3. Australia-History-1901-1914. 4. Ballarat (Vic.)-History. 5. Australia-Politics and government- 1851-1901. 6. Australia-Politics and government- 1901-1914. I. Livingston, Kevin, 1940- II. Jordan, Richard. III. Sweely, Gay 994.032 The members of the Australian Studies Centre at the University of Ballarat dedicate these essays to the memory of Kevin Thomas Livingston Former Associate Professor and Head of School, Behavioural and Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Ballarat Kevin died in late 1998 following a brief illness. The members of the Australian Studies Centre salute his enthusiasm for history, especially the history of Australian technology, and his support of our individual research interests. Contents Acknowledgments IS Preface l£i Introduction: A Nation in a Day % Helen Irving Ballarat and the Nation Ballarat: Built for Federation Jl5 Weston Bate Discovering the Australian in Ballarat 25 Richard Jordan Dreams They are Living Under: Public Memory and the Commemoration of Eureka, 1884—1917 53 Michael Evans Engendering Public Debate on Federation: The Role of the Australian Natives' Association 4I Anne Beggs Sunter Yr Australiad and Yr Australydd: Australian-ness in Ballarat's Welsh Literature 50 Rod Sadler Building a Nation or Deconstructing a Colony? Picturing Australia: The Impressionist Swindle 56 Ian McLean Federation Architecture: A Stylistic Discussion, 1890—1914 64 Wendy Jacobs An Australasian Architect: Percy Richards and His Federation-era Designs 68 Gay Sweely Regional and National Perspectives Australia's Preparations for World War I: A New Perspective °4 John Mordike Boorowa and Young: The 'No' and 'Yes' Cases for Australian Federation 92 Patrick McCormack Federation and the Empire: The Critical Debate 102 Andrew Enstice andjaneen Webb Mapping the National Character: Francis Adams and The Australians 112 Meg Tasker New Approaches to Federation History Rediscovering Federation History 120 John C. Bannon Technological Federalism and Technological Nationalism 125 Kevin Livingston Celebrating Federation and the School Curriculum 132 John Hirst Celebrating Federation: Lessons from the Foundation Years 138 Robert Birrell Notes on the Contributors 148 Select Bibliography 153 Index 159 Acknowledgments The following essays concern the federation of the Australian Colonies in 1901 and related topics on the federation era (broadly from 1890—1914, at the onset of World War I). As this volume goes to print these essays are extremely topical and will, hopefully, cause many Australians to reflect on their heritage and those visionaries who voiced their support for federation. Specialist conferences concerning federation topics have been scheduled around the nation since 1991. The members of the Australian Studies Centre at the University of Ballarat (formed in July 1994) proposed a national conference to further consider the topic of Australian federation in the region. Those gathered (including academics, historians, politicians, and community leaders promoting the heritage and history of the area) overwhelmingly supported a national conference and a volume of essays reflecting on the importance of the federation era. The resulting confer­ ence—'Becoming Australians: The Movement Towards Federation in Ballarat and the Nation' — was held in Ballarat at a number of historic venues between 1—2 December 1995. The essays in this volume reflect the ideas issuing from that conference. The members of the Australian Studies Centre at the University of Ballarat, and especially the editors, wish to thank the contributors for their submissions, correspondence, patience, and encouragement during the production of this volume of essays. At the executive level, we extend a special thank you' to former Chancellor Geoffrey Blainey for his enthusi­ astic support of the 1995 conference and his participation in the opening ceremonies and as a session moderator. Vice Chancellor David James also officiated at the opening ceremonies and has provided continuous support for the Centre's activities. Professor Kerry Cox, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Operations), supported our cause and offered a generous printing subsidy (as a tribute to our former Co-convenor, the late Associate Professor Kevin Livingston). Professor Phil Candy, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Scholarship), reviewed sections of the volume and also supported the subsidy. Lastly, Gail Harman, Research Co-ordinator, Office of Research, assisted with obtaining the publication subsidy and aided with protocol. That this IX volume of essays has come to fruition is largely due to the combined efforts of Professor Cox and Ms Harman, and we are indebted to them for their ongoing support, guidance, and assistance. Additionally, a few special people also helped with the conference and publication production, and the Centre offers them a note of gratitude. Associate Professor Rosemary Green (Head of School, Behavioural and Social Sciences and Humanities) supported the team's efforts and research, as well as the publication of this volume of essays, with Dr Meg Tasker (Lecturer, Literature, School of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Humanities) as the Centre's current Director. Phillipa Watt (the first Research Assistant for the Australian Studies Centre) co-ordinated the 1995 conference, the speakers, venues, and advertising. Marijke Heywood (IT Staff Training Co-ordinator, Information Services Branch) provided invaluable technical assistance for the manuscript, and Sue Taylor (Librarian, Information Services Branch at the University's E.J. Barker Library) helped with verifying numerous references. Antoinette Birkenbeil (Publisher's Assistant, Publishing Division, State Library of Victoria) pro­ vided the favourable external publication review necessary for securing the printing subsidy. Lastly, Tanya Adair, Irene Keating, and Andrea Phillips (School of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Humanities) supplied administrative support. This volume of essays would not have been possible without the enthu­ siasm and continuing support of the Australian Studies Centre team. The members volunteered many additional hours to ensure that the 1995 con­ ference sessions and tours were expertly conducted. Former Co-convenor and founder, Dr Richard Jordan (Senior Lecturer, Literature, School of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Humanities), offered sound publica­ tion management and guidance. Technical editing and publication co-ordi­ nation were provided by Dr Gay Sweely (Sessional Lecturer, School of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Humanities, and Foundation Access Studies Programs). Lastly, and most importantly, the Australian Studies Centre offers its heartfelt thanks to those specialists who contributed to this topical volume of essays-in honour of the Centenary of Federation. Australian Studies Centre University of Ballarat X Preface Anticipating the centenary of federation in 2001, while engaging in public debates about possibly changing the Constitution, Australian citizens are being forced to reflect on what it means to be an Australian. They are asking themselves to consider anew their democratic, federal political system, which they tend to take for granted. These years of rapid technological and social change demand fresh perspectives on how the past has shaped the present and the future. The essays included in this volume are designed to pose questions for Australia, especially as a federal nation, and Australians, as a people with a sense of national consciousness in a world dominated by supranational, global forces. My interest in the federation era was sparked when I first became involved in researching 'how' and why' public and parliamentary debates about communication information (technological issues) were important. Because of this research, I then discovered just how many intercolonial conferences evolved before the 1890s (the pre-federation era).' In fact, there were well over eighty intercolonial conferences, beginning in the 1850s. The first intercolonial conference, including ministers of the Crown from the various colonial parliaments (often accompanied by their bureau­ cratic advisers and their heads