Within two weeks , Colebatch had yet another crisis to deal with : the Fremantle wharf crisis of 1919 . The labour crisis dragged on for almost a month , culminating in one of the most violent confrontations in Western Australian history . Lumpers objected to goods being unloaded by non-union labour from the ship '' Dimboola '' . Colebatch was the target of a barrage of projectiles when he personally confronted the unionists . One of the unionists , Tom Edwards , was killed by police . Unlike previous crises , Colebatch was not seen to have handled the crisis well , and he sustained heavy criticism during and after it
Fremantle wharf crisis of 1919
1919 Fremantle Wharf riot
Hal Colebatch