Robert William Rede

Robert William Rede (13 July 1815 – 13 July 1904) was a member of Victoria's volunteer militia, remembered for his part in the Eureka Rebellion.

Career

Robert Rede was born at Ashmans, Suffolk, and spent much of his early life in France, also visiting many other European States. He travelled to Australia around 1852, and was soon digging for gold at Forest Creek and Bendigo, at the height of the Gold Rush. He had a fair knowledge of medicine, and became popularly known as the "little doctor". He was shortly engaged by J. A. Panton, resident Commissioner at Bendigo, as his assistant, was appointed commissioner at Mount Korong and Jones's Creek, then at Ballarat.

At that time, a monthly fee of 30 shillings was required of diggers on Victorian goldfields. Rede was in the invidious position of having to enforce this unpopular and inequitable tax, having charge of both civilian police and militia and with no guidelines as to how to deploy them except "use your discretion". This meant that regular raids were made by troops and police to apprehend those who had not paid their licence fee. By October 1864, on the orders of Sir Charles Hotham, these raids were being conducted twice weekly, and the level of discontent rose among the diggers, many of whom daily carried pistols. After the death of digger James Scobie, and the exoneration of hotel-keeper Bentley by a bench consisting of Rede, Dewes (a magistrate for whom Rede had little affection, and suspected of corruption) and Johnstone/Johnston? (Rede's assistant), meetings were called which resulted in more unrest. Rede was rumoured to be a secret partner in Bentley's hotel.

see main article Eureka Rebellion.

Rede was attending a dinner in honour of the visiting American Consul, Tarleton, and had been allocated the honour of proposing the loyal toast, but he received news that a contingent of troopers being deployed to the goldfields had been set upon by diggers. He hurried to where a couple of soldiers had been wounded, but the culprits had vanished. On 29 November the diggers, some 12,000 in number, held a meeting at Bakery Hill, condemning the treatment they had suffered at the hands of the Victorian government. Johnstone/Johnston?, led a party of police to the "Gravel Pits" diggings in a determined raid to apprehend unlicensed miners, and were met with a shower of stones and the occasional pistol shot. Rede and the few police and militia not already engaged in the affray arrived on the scene. Rede reminded them that a commission of enquiry had been promised them to find a more equitable system, and urged restraint. He then read the Riot Act. Peter Lalor urged resistance and the miners marched to Eureka goldfield and erected the famous Eureka Stockade. On 3 December Captain John Wellesley Thomas and his men attacked the stockade, resulting in the death of 22 miners and nearly as many severely wounded. Knowing that his actions against the miners made him a likely target, Rede requested a transfer, and was give the post of deputy sheriff of Geelong, and promoted to sheriff in July 1857. There, as Major Rede, he organized the Geelong Rifles and, by the time he retired from the militia, had been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. By 1869 his area of responsibility had expanded to encompass also Ballarat, Ararat and Belfast districts. He was appointed Sheriff of Melbourne around 1888 and retired in December 1889.

Family

Mr. Rede was married twice: first to ?? ( – 1862), who was a daughter of J. F. Strachan; then to ??? Glendinning of Ballarat. He had one son, pastoralist Robert Rede, by his first marriage, and two sons and three daughters by his second.