Larrikins

The larrikins of Redan were famous for their bad behaviour and vandalism.

1881
A letter to the Courier in June 1881 refuted the allegations of larrikinism, and suggested a more sinister motive for the complaints: "ROWDYISM AT REDAN. TO THE EDITOR OF THE COURIER. SIR,—I have seen a number of letters in The Courier about larrikinism at Redan and neighborhood. Now, I have lived here for nearly twenty-five years, and I am sure if there was anything of the sort going on there more than any ether part of Ballarat I would know of it. But a quieter place and better behaved young men, as a rule, I never met. The letters you have received seem to have but one object—viz., to injure the character of the local policeman—one of the most active and efficient we ever had, and a thorough gentleman. It is generally believed that these letters are all written by one person.—Yours, &c., WATHCHMAN."

1885
In December 1885, a letter to the Ballarat Star complained of the larrikins who were found along the length of Skipton Street, from the city to Sebastopol, with the worst in Redan: "LARRIKINISM. TO THE EDITOR. SIR, —For the past 12 months I have observed mobs of most criminal-looking larrikins nightly congregated at various places in Skipton street. Some time ago I observed a crowd of about 20 roughs marching in procession from the corner of Dana street to Dawson street along Skipton street, singing the most filthy songs possible. There is always a crowd of larrikins at the corner of Doveton street and Skipton street, who use insulting and immoral expressions to nearly every female that passes by, and there is a mob of larrikin young men all day of a Sunday, and up till 10 o’clock on Sunday nights, congregated by the side of the Western Ocean hotel, who have some low, filthy remark to make as respectable females pass by; and until Sebastopol is reached mobs of larrikins are stationed at certain points, insulting passers-by as they go to and from church. I have never seen these mobs of fellows interfered with by the police; in fact, the police are nowhere to be seen. Hundreds of times I have walked from Dawson street to Sebastopol at about 10 o’clock at night, and have never met a policeman. I think that plain-clothes police should be told off to put a stop to larrikinism and drink-selling of a Sunday. It is a fact that at any hour of the day or night drink can be obtained at nearly any hotel in Skipton street. There may be exceptions, but I do not know of any. -Yours, &c., EYE-WITNESS."