Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.

8 Hour Day celebrated in Moomba Parade

As part of the year long celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Eight Hour Day, Melbourne's annual Moomba parade, held on Labour Day each year, featured an entry from the Celebrate 888 team.

 
 
 
 
 

Aboard the float, designed and built by the Moomba team, were people in period costume. Two stonemasons built the eight hour day wall, and two women were engaged in needlework and crochet. They were accompanied by a musical trio, playing along to the funky sounds of Melbourne musical collective The Drowsy Drivers.

Work, Rest and Play were depicted by thirty people performing behind the float. The ensemble included a farmer and his dog, a footy player, bushwalkers, a plumber, a cleaner, an artist, a cricketer, a netballer, a fisherman, a girl on a scooter, a tourist, an academic, a bellydancer, a rigger, an office worker chained to his computer, and a family in their pyjamas.

The vocal track  could be heard, booming from the float. "I want to blow your collective mind!"

I can't say for sure if we did blow anyone's mind, but the 888 float received a very warm response from the estimated crowd of 100,000.

Celebrate 888 thanks everyone who gave up their time to participate in Moomba. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as I did.

Leanne Shingles
Project Coordinator
8 Hour Day 150th Anniversary Project


More Archive

Powered By three squares