Ubi Dwyer
Encyclopedia
Bill 'Ubi' Dwyer or William Ubique Dwyer (21 January 1933 – 13 October 2001) was an anarchist activist in New Zealand
, Australia
, England
and his native Ireland
best known as the originator and principal organiser of the Windsor Free Festival
.
Dwyer moved to Sydney in 1966, selling cheap LSD in Sydney to finance anarchist activities. He became an exponent of psychedelic anarchism, believing acid to be a liberating substance. He was sent to prison in 1968 for selling LSD, and with the Australian government seeing him as a dangerous criminal, he was deported to Ireland in 1969.
He was said to have been asked by John Lennon
to help set up a commune on an island which may have been related to the Island Commune that he ran on Merrion Road
in Dublin in 1970. A commune did exist on Dorinish
, set up by friend Sid Rawle
, between 1970 and 72.
In London he was involved with the Freedom Press
news group and their associated Anarchy magazine, particularly the "Acid Issue", and organised an 'Acid Symposium' at Conway Hall in 1971.
1970 (by tearing down the fences between the paid event and free gathering outside) inspired the idea of a truly "free" festival. An acid trip in Windsor Great Park
lead to the notion of squatting the former common land
that had been poached for hunting fields of the Monarchy
and he began to organise what was to become the People's Free Festival. Windsor Free Festival
was the forerunner and inspiration for the Free Festival Movement and directly the Stonehenge Free Festival
and the later Glastonbury Festival
s. Following the violent suppression of the '74 event he was imprisoned along with Sid Rawle to prevent the organising of a 1975 festival. He was imprisoned again attempting to organise another Windsor Free Festival in 1978 which did take place at Caesar's Camp nearby.
, campaigning for legalisation of Cannabis
and H-Blocks prisoner rights.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and his native Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
best known as the originator and principal organiser of the Windsor Free Festival
Windsor Free Festival
The Windsor Free Festival was a British Free Festival held in Windsor Great Park from 1972 to 1974. Organised by some London commune dwellers, notably Ubi Dwyer and Sid Rawle, it was in many ways the forerunner of the Stonehenge Free Festival, particularly in the brutality of its final suppression...
.
Early Activism
In the mid 1950s, Bill Dwyer moved to Aotearoa/NZ from Ireland. Whilst there he was introduced to anarchism by an English ex-pat and became very active in politics. He lived in NZ from the mid 1950s to 1966, and left behind him a series of legendary events. Dwyer did things like pass no confidence motions in the leadership of the Wellington Watersiders Union and the Victoria University Students Union, and was convicted for calling the Queen a bludger whilst speaking in Auckland in 1966.Dwyer moved to Sydney in 1966, selling cheap LSD in Sydney to finance anarchist activities. He became an exponent of psychedelic anarchism, believing acid to be a liberating substance. He was sent to prison in 1968 for selling LSD, and with the Australian government seeing him as a dangerous criminal, he was deported to Ireland in 1969.
He was said to have been asked by John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
to help set up a commune on an island which may have been related to the Island Commune that he ran on Merrion Road
Merrion Road
Merrion Road in Dublin 4 is a road which runs from the RDS at Anglesea Road in Ballsbridge to Merrion, where it meets the Rock Road, Booterstown. It is home to the RDS, some well known hotels and is part of the Embassy Belt....
in Dublin in 1970. A commune did exist on Dorinish
Dorinish
Dorinish is an uninhabited island in Clew Bay in County Mayo, Ireland. It has colloquially been known as "Beatle Island" after Beatle John Lennon purchased the island in 1967 for £1,700. Previously used by sailing ships for its stones, the island became a place of peace for Lennon and his family...
, set up by friend Sid Rawle
Sid Rawle
Sidney William "Sid" Rawle was a British campaigner for peace and land rights, free festival organiser, and a former leader of the London squatters movement...
, between 1970 and 72.
In London he was involved with the Freedom Press
Freedom Press
The Freedom Press is an anarchist publishing house in Whitechapel, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1886, it is the largest anarchist publishing house in the nation and the oldest of its kind in the English speaking world. It is based at 84b Whitechapel High Street in the East End of London...
news group and their associated Anarchy magazine, particularly the "Acid Issue", and organised an 'Acid Symposium' at Conway Hall in 1971.
Windsor and Free Festivals
His experiences in the liberation of the Isle of Wight FestivalIsle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
1970 (by tearing down the fences between the paid event and free gathering outside) inspired the idea of a truly "free" festival. An acid trip in Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park is a large deer park of , to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century...
lead to the notion of squatting the former common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
that had been poached for hunting fields of the Monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
and he began to organise what was to become the People's Free Festival. Windsor Free Festival
Windsor Free Festival
The Windsor Free Festival was a British Free Festival held in Windsor Great Park from 1972 to 1974. Organised by some London commune dwellers, notably Ubi Dwyer and Sid Rawle, it was in many ways the forerunner of the Stonehenge Free Festival, particularly in the brutality of its final suppression...
was the forerunner and inspiration for the Free Festival Movement and directly the Stonehenge Free Festival
Stonehenge Free Festival
The Stonehenge Free Festival was a British free festival from 1972 to 1984 held at Stonehenge in England during the month of June, and culminating on the summer solstice on June 21. The festival was a celebration of various alternative cultures...
and the later Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
s. Following the violent suppression of the '74 event he was imprisoned along with Sid Rawle to prevent the organising of a 1975 festival. He was imprisoned again attempting to organise another Windsor Free Festival in 1978 which did take place at Caesar's Camp nearby.
Later Life
Sometime around '76 he returned to Dublin, continuing for some years to organise a People's Free Festival in Phoenix ParkPhoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
, campaigning for legalisation of Cannabis
Cannabis political parties
This article is about single-issue cannabis political parties. For the legal issues see Legal issues of cannabis.- Australia :In the 1970s J.J. McRoach ran for parliament as candidate for the Australian Marijuana Party. He had an advertising campaign funded by a well-meaning anonymous dealer...
and H-Blocks prisoner rights.