JUNE 9, 2015 \ NORTHERN.STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Lay-lor? No, it’s Law-luh
(Joe Mastroianni)
Lalor’s association with its namesake – activist-turned-politician Peter Lalor – is becoming increasingly tenuous. And it’s all because of the confusing pronunciation of the Eureka Stockade leader’s family name. Ballarat and District Genealogical Society’s Jennifer Burrell said the original pronunciation was ‘Law-ler’ – no emphasis on the second syllable – and probably said best with an Irish accent. It was not pronounced ‘Lay-lor’, as most people prefer today, Ms Burrell said, emphatically. Two of Lalor’s long-time residents, Honor Mackie and Dot Hodgson, say it’s only as a recent phenomenon that residents have mispronounced the suburb’s name. Mrs Hodgson doesn’t correct their slips of the tongue as “they’ll usually correct themselves”. But Mrs Mackie has less tolerance for the misdemeanour. Peter Lalor entered Australian folklore when he led the Eureka Rebellion, an event often referred to as the birth of democracy in Australia. He was later elected to the Victorian Legislative Council. The federal electorate in Melbourne’s west named in his honour is still pronounced as it was originally. Largely rural until the electrification of the Whittlesea railway line as far as Thomastown in 1921, Lalor only became more suburban in the late 1940s. HONOR MACKIE AND DOT HODGSON
Lexi Cottee
‘We do’ to same-sex vows By Lexi Cottee An increasing number of outer northern suburbs residents are writing to their federal members of parliament expressing their support for legalisation of same-sex marriage. Scullin MP Andrew Giles said his office received “quite a few” emails last week from constituents wanting to voice their backing for marriage equality. “Most people who raise the issue with me are supportive of same-sex marriage,” he said. Federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten
introduced a same-sex marriage bill last Monday referencing Gough Whitlam’s famous line, “It’s time.” Mr Giles said he was looking forward to supporting the bill “to see all relationships recognised in the same way”. Mr Giles became a federal MP in 2013, almost exactly a year after similar legislation was voted down. McEwen MP Rob Mitchell said he supported marriage equality and would vote accordingly. He abstained from voting in 2012. “I wanted to make sure that religious
institutions that don’t wish to marry same-sex couples don’t have to, and I didn’t want to see same-sex couples taking them to court for discrimination,” he said. “But both of these concerns have been addressed in Bill Shorten’s bill.” Neither Mr Mitchell nor Mr Giles identify themselves as religious people, but they said they respected those who don’t agree with same-sex marriage because of religious beliefs. Mr Mitchell said his office had received between 30 and 40 letters or emails from
McEwen constituents and most were in favour of marriage equality. Calwell MP Maria Vamvakinou did not wish to speak about Mr Shorten’s bill but sent Star Weekly an ambiguous statement. “It is public knowledge I voted against gay marriage. I acknowledge the momentum for change has built significantly since the last vote,” she wrote. If Coalition MPs receive a free vote, advocacy group Australian Marriage Equality believes the vote count is one short of the 76 needed to get the bill through the lower house. 10009447-01-a6May©MMP
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