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Rothbury Riot MemorialPrint Page 
The memorial commemorates the miners who endured the mine owners lockout at Rothbury Mine in 1929.
The Hunter Valley Rothbury mine near Cessnock was the site of an infamous lockout in 1929. Due to difficult economic times, the mine owners operating in the Northern coalfields of New South Wales had decided to reduce miners’ wages. However the Miners Federation did not agree to the terms and the mine owners subsequently closed down the Northern New South Wales mines.
Eight months into the lockout the Rothbury mine was opened using scab or non-union labour which the union-miners opposed. A purported 10,000 protesters attempted to confront the scab miners but were hindered by police, called in to break them up. In the ensuing debacle, one miner, Norman Brown, was killed by police gun fire and many more were injured. The miners finally accepted the pay cut in May 1930 and returned to work. The lock-out and confrontation became known as the Battle for Rothbury.
Location
| Address: | Wine Country Drive & Reid Street, North Rothbury, 2335 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -32.680171 Long: 151.345654 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Government |
| Sub-Theme: | Dissent |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 01-March-1929 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 03-June-1930 |
Dedication
At this site during the Northern Coal Lockout March 1st 1929 - June 3rd 1930, miners and Police clashed on Monday, December 16th 1929, over the use of non-union (scab) labour at Rothbury Colliery.
One miner - Norman Brown - was killed
An unknown number of miners and Police were wounded.
This monument is dedicated by the Northern District Miners Womens Auxiliary to honour all of those who endured the lockout and who were at Rothbury
Monday, December 16th, 1929
Rothbury Riot Memorial
