Students from four schools gathered outside the Bendigo Art Gallery on Monday morning to help the Bendigo Historical Society re-enact the Red Ribbon Rebellion of 1853 – a peaceful protest in Bendigo against a gold licence fee imposed on diggers during the gold rush.

“It gets a lot of people involved,” Bendigo Historical Society president Jim Evans said. 

Eager were the re-enactors from Girton Grammar School, Camp Hill Primary School, California Gully Primary School and Bendigo Violet Street Primary School, who echoed their leaders’ cries for justice.

Girton teacher David Ruddick said the rebellion was influential not only in the region’s history, but that of the nation.

The rebellion preceded the Eureka Stockade. While the stockade was violent, Mr Ruddick said the rebellion in Bendigo showed the potential of peaceful democratic action. 

Mr Evans concurred, emphasising the importance of remembering the occasion.

“In a world where war and violence are so often considered the only way to settle our differences, it is essential that we remember those moments where peaceful negotiations have delivered the desired result,” he said.