100th Newcastle May Day

By Margaret Allan

NEWCASTLE -- In the largest march the city has seen for years, around 600 people celebrated May Day by marching on May 1. The larger than usual turnout was probably due to the fact that this day marked the 100th May Day celebration in Newcastle.

This year's march was one of the brightest and most colourful ever, with many new banners and floats prepared with the assistance of funds and expertise from the Workers' Cultural Action Committee. Banner painting workshops were held in the few weeks preceding the day, at which unions and community groups were given access to materials to make their contingents colourful and memorable on the day.

Sadly, lost in the hype of colour and spectacle was any significant political content in the rally after the march. Amid the stalls and banner dances were two very brief speeches. Denis Nichols, the president of the Newcastle Trades Hall Council, spoke on the centenary, and Phil Dunne, from the Newvale coal mine, described the struggle between the mining workers and Pacific Power over closure of the mine.

A decision had been made by Trades Hall Council to keep the political content minimal and to concentrate on the cultural aspects of the day.

The Newcastle Herald, self-proclaimed “voice of the Hunter”, made its contribution reviewed the march in Monday's edition. Likening it to a “funeral procession”, the reporter downplayed the celebratory and political reasons for the march.

Around 800 people attended the official May Day dinner that night in the Newcastle Workers Club, where they heard a speech by ex-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. By all accounts it was a very moving evening, topped off with what the Herald described as a “tuneful rendition of the `Red Flag'”.

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