Large Marshalling Number ‘8’

By Neale Towart

The parades were well marshalled by the Eight Hour Day Committee each year. The order of procession was very important. The Stonemason Society always had precedence as they could rightfully claim to be the founding entity of the Eight Hour Movement, after their actions in October 1855 at the Society of Mariners Mission to Seafarers Building on George St. The large marshalling numbers painted on cut shapes and mounted on poles made it easy for union members to find their comrades at the appropriate marshalling point for the parades. This was essential as archival images from parades in the early 20th century show crowds that were comparable to the contemporary Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parades, except everyone was participating and not simply watching. A mounted rider holding up the number 5 or 8 or 69 was very useful for helping people orientate themselves.

The original Society of Mariners Mission to Seafarers Building on George Street, Sydney, as depicted on a lithograph circa 1850.

The present-day site of the Society of Mariners Mission to Seafarers Building on George Street, Sydney.