From the Sydney Morning Herald, 29 July 1871

One would suppose that nothing could be feared from a beautiful banner of orange, or from one of green, scarcely less charming. But it seems that flaunting these colours in the sight of these gentle spirits is very apt to convert a pacific tea meeting into a general row... We lately heard of a girl, not knowing the danger of orange, who bought a dress of that colour, and when she went out in it, thinking it charming, was actually set upon by some believers in green, and escaped with difficulty. If it had been a ribbon we should not have been surprised; but it was too bad to insult the petticoat, the flag of all nations. We were told the other day that two partisans of the orange colour, also of the feminine gender, made a dash at a woman wearing the green, who laid aside her child in the midst of the shouts of the surrounders, and gave her assailants the benefit of her nails. These colours have been forbidden by law, except as articles of dress, and we should advise every lady of pacific temper, during times of excitement, to leave them in her wardrobe. As we observe, it seems very remarkable to English people that such colours should be the cause of so much bitterness. [The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 July 1871 p4]