Heidelberg Historical Society

The Battle of Waterdale Road!!

Posted on Friday, 9th October 2020 by Janine Rizzetti

When thinking about political action in the Heidelberg District, perhaps Waterdale Road West Heidelberg doesn’t spring immediately to mind. But fifty years ago this month, Waterdale Rd was the site of three protest marches and clashes between students from La Trobe University and police and Special Branch members.

The protests were initially in support of the moratorium marches against the Vietnam War, but widened to the broader question of the right to protest.

Barry York, who was one of the organizers, has written about these marches on the Museum of Australian Democracy website

It includes a 2 minute sound clip with Larry Abramson talking about his arrest at gunpoint. You can hear more reflections of the participants at the second march at this YouTube site

The third part of this documentary can be found here

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