Anastasia's Petticoat

Written & Sung by Phyl Lobl 2003-4
Arranged and accompanied by Michael Roberts

Written for the 150th anniversary of the Eureka Uprising, this song tells the story of the Eureka Flag. Henry Ross, a miner who migrated from Canada was credited with designing the flag but credit for the sewing of the flag has gone to a group of women. One of those women, Anastasia Withers, was said to have sacrificed a white lawn petticoat to fashion the stars. Perhaps when Australia does become a Republic a simple solution to the flag question would be to reclaim the Eureka flag from the various groups who have since utilised it and it can become a fitting symbol for a southern democracy.