1913: False Dawn – The Great Strike and the triumph of the ruling class

The Canterbury Socialist Society is pleased to confirm our 2024 Fred Evans Memorial Lecture. For this lecture we invite a speaker to present on a topic related to working class politics and history in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Fred Evans was a prominent unionist during a pivotal moment in New Zealand labour history – the Waihi Miner’s Strike of 1912. A member of the Waihi Trade Union of Workers, affiliated to the militant New Zealand Federation of Labour (also called the Red Feds), Evans is one of the few in the history of industrial disputes in this country to have been martyred. We host this lecture in his honour, and raise a glass to all workers in our common cause – whether a century ago or today.
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The 1913 Great Strike was an extraordinary moment in working class history in this country. Beginning with miners in Huntly, and on the Wellington waterfront, the strike had deeper roots in the aftermath of the Great Maritime Streak, Blackball, and the Waihi Strike during which Fred Evans was killed. During the Great Strike itself soldiers were deployed with fixed bayonets, and a street in central Wellington had machine guns installed. Prime Minister William Massey deputised hundreds of civilians into special constables known as “Massey’s Cossacks” who were deployed on horseback to beat and maim working people and their supporters.

John Kerr recently retired from some decades as an educator and union organiser. He has a keen interest in class politics and history, as well as military history. We are pleased to invite John Kerr to address this important moment in our history in order to ground us as socialists in workers in the context of Aotearoa/New Zealand.
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Format:
6.30pm: Doors open – all welcome to mingle and grab some refreshments.
7.00pm: Introduction by CSS member Tom Roud.
7.10pm: John will present on his topic.
We will then break briefly before reconvening for questions. Those unable to attend we will have a livestream on the Canterbury Socialist Society facebook page.

Drinks and food will be available to order from the bar. As always we are thankful to Space Academy for hosting us.