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Shearers Strike MonumentPrint Page 
The Cairn commemorates the site where striking shearers camped for four months during the 1891 strike and is dedicated to the memory of those shearers.
In early 1891, central Queensland shearers went on strike. From February through until May, central Queensland was on the brink of civil war. Striking shearers formed armed camps outside of towns. Thousands of armed soldiers protected non-union labour and arrested strike leaders. The unionists retaliated by raiding shearing sheds, harassing non-union labour and committing acts of sabotage. But the shearers were unable to hold out.
By May the union camps were full of hungry penniless shearers. The strike had been broken. The squatters had won this time. But the squatters realised that the industry could not afford to win such costly battles. They knew they would have to work more closely with the Shearers' Union. The outcome is credited as being one of the factors for the formation of the Australian Labour Party and the rise to power of a pro-Labor Party faction in the Australian Socialist League.
Location
| Address: | Bladensburg Road , Red Creek Crossing, Winton, 4735 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -22.455556 Long: 143.003333 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Government |
| Sub-Theme: | Dissent |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Thursday 16th August, 1973 |
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THIS MEMORIAL CAIRN
MARKS THE SITE OF
THE WINTON STRIKE CAMP
DURING THE 1891-94 SHEARERS STRIKE.
THE EFFORTS AND SACRIFICES OF
THE OUTBACK QUEENSLAND WORKERS
OF THIS ERA WERE INSTRUMENTAL
IN THE FOUNDATION OF
THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY.
THIS CAIRN
IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THESE MEN
BY
WINTON BRANCH OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY
BART LOURIGAN
A.L.P, STATE SECRETARY
WINTON DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
CATHERINE HARDWICK
SECRETARY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
BRUCE SIMPSON
PRESIDENT
WINTON BRANCH A.L.P. & WINTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
AUGUST 16th 1973
