SOMETHING LIKE LOVE
WORDS Jessica Gadd
PHOTO Brett Brogan
The 1850s were a golden era for Australia–golden opportunities, golden fields, golden fleece.
For many, the reality was quite different. Thousands of hopes and dreams crashed in a miserable reality of poverty and squalor. This was especially evident on the Ballarat goldfields in Victoria, the site of one of Australia’s most significant historical events, the Eureka Rebellion.
Simon Gleeson played a leading role in a recent production that centred around the Eureka Stockade, Eureka.
‘It’s got to do with an emerging sense of what this country should be, a completely free land with equality and justice ... fundamentally that is what they were fighting for’, he says.
He sees echoes of the Eureka Rebellion’s ideals today in the Australian obsession with a fair go and the ready support for the Aussie battler. While the emphasis was on liberty and justice, the show also explored other issues that are still relevant today, such as racism and the mistreatment of Aborigines.
THE EUREKA STORYThe Eureka Rebellion was a culmination of a long-running protest about tax and unjust treatment. The miners also wanted the vote, which was granted only to pastoralists, though both were required to pay tax. In response to police and bureaucratic corruption, 10,000 of the miners formed the Ballarat Reform League and produced a charter that outlined their demands. As events unfolded, a smaller group of 500 miners armed themselves, formed a stockade, and raised the Eureka flag: the stars of the southern cross on a light blue background. About 200 of the protesting miners were asleep inside the stockade when it was attacked by British soldiers and local police in the early hours of Sunday 3 December 1854. Some bystanders, 30 miners and five soldiers were killed; 12 soldiers were seriously wounded. The rebel flag was lowered and the stockade was torn down. The police hunted down 120 rebel miners, 13 of whom were tried for high treason in March 1855. None were convicted at the trials however, and at the same time Governor Sir Charles Hotham’s Gold Field’s Commission of Inquiry recommended significant changes. As a result, the miner’s licence was replaced with a miner’s right, allowing the miners to pay an annual fee to lease Crown land, which in practice meant they were given the right to vote. |
‘Some of my character’s early lines were completely racist and derogatory, but it actually had a point, and that was helping the audience to understand why a person is like that. Because racism is still alive and well in this country ... One of the interesting things about Eureka was its social relevance. It sparked passionate debate, which is fantastic.’
Though disappointed the show had a short season, Simon is still thrilled to have been part of the production. It was a journey on all levels for the cast, beginning with physical research at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, through to workshopping the script extensively prior to rehearsals. Participating in a celebration of Australia’s cultural heritage was a profound experience for the cast, who felt privileged to tell an Australian story on stage.
‘It should be taken for granted that Australian stories are interesting. Our history and culture are extraordinary. And, as an actor, it’s amazing to be an Australian on stage, rather than having to speak with another country’s accent ... I’m so proud as an Australian to be able to tell this story.’
There comes a moment in every show when the cast must give their ownership of the show to the audience. People responded to Eureka on a level Simon had not yet encountered. After the show he was inundated with people sharing their own family’s Eureka story.
‘People had a real emotional connection to the show, probably because they could associate themselves with place and history as well as the story itself, which is fantastic.’
But Eureka is about more than history. Members of the audience commented on the warm feeling of pride they experienced during the show.
‘One woman said she left with a feeling of something like love, and she couldn’t work out what it was. Eventually she realised it was actually patriotic love for her country, a feeling she’d never experienced before. We experience it at a very safe distance in sporting realms, where it’s ok because you’re not really being patriotic, you’re just following a game. But when it’s actually thrust in front of you ...
‘You’re almost compelled to go to places with your character that are not always easy. You know, the icky, spleeny parts that we as humans don’t want to show. And that’s interesting, especially through song ... there’s something kind of natural about that. I guess that’s the joy, discovering the different sides of yourself. It’s a hell of a journey to go through on stage every night, I must admit.’
Simon believes the purpose of art is to make us question our society, our culture, our history, ourselves. He is proud to be part of a show that not only celebrates Australia’s democratic heritage but explores some of the defining moments in the development of Australia’s national identity.
‘It was a show to give your heart to.’
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