Recently I spent the day scanning old photos, writing names on and information about each photo before it would be too late. One particular photo, shown below, took my interest. Although not in great condition, it does give the feel of a special event. It was a photographer's photo mounted on card and written on the top was "Frank Scammell in 8 hour Procession". Frank is the taller man on the front cart. Because of who it is and the banners, I believe this procession took place in Oakleigh, Victoria where Frank lived and was possibly in the 1920's, although I cant be sure. However, I did discover other details on my search to find out more.
It never ceases to amaze me what gems of information you find when you start searching. The first 8 hour Procession was held on 12 May 1856 to celebrate the Stonemasons achieving a 48 hour week with Saturday afternoons off. This led to other workers pressing to gain the same rights. The three main arguments for an 8 hour day were that the Australian climate necessitated shorter hours, men needed time to develop their mind through education and tradesmen would be better husbands, fathers and citizens if they had leisure time. Workers wanted better working conditions as well as reduced hours. At this time workers worked up to 14 hours a day, six days a week, had no holiday or sick pay and could be sacked at any time without being given a reason.
The Procession was a major event in Melbourne for the next 95 years, with it becoming a paid holiday in 1879. The holiday at some stage was renamed Labour Day. However after WWII, the public lost interest in the Procession and the last one was held in 1951. For four years, Melbourne had no procession, until in 1955 the Melbourne Moomba Parade began on the Monday, Labour Day holiday. Moomba is not just a holiday as I have now learnt, a lot of history is represented by this day.
Exploring the stories behind old photos helps to bring the lives of our ancestors to life! An interesting article I came across while researching, was in The Age, about the Procession on its 30th Anniversary. It had a very detailed description of what Melbourne was like at the time, which if you are interested you can find here:- The Age, 22 April 1886 - The Procession
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