Larrikins

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

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 1 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."