Posted by David Bamford on March 18, 2009 at 21:31:35 user David.
In Reply to: Re: John posted by John Lambert on March 18, 2009 at 16:59:57:
This joke requires a knowledge of Australian history. In 1854, miners on the Ballaarat goldfield erected a fence around a patch of ground, behind which they prepared to defend themselves against the soldiers who acted as police. This area was called the Eureka Stockade. The rebellion was quickly put down by the soldiers, with the loss of some miner's lives. Australia is normally a very peaceful nation, and this is one of only two instances of rebellion that I know of in its history. The cause of the rebellion was the rise in the cost of miner's licences to the point where no-one could afford one. This practice of extortionate government charges continues to this day.
David.