Across North Australia staunch old union activists have been dying in the past few years without the media noticing or failing to do an in depth report. This in places like Darwin and North Queensland with a long and colourful history of union struggles.
Little Darwin has become aware of the death of two longtime unionists , full of great anecdotal information and experiences, whose colourful lives deserved major coverage . One strong unionist was involved in the hanging of the effigy of Australia's Governor-General , Sir John Kerr, from the back of a ute in Townsville, then dumping him into the sea . Just one event in a very interesting life committed to advancing the cause of toilers.
Another unionist , who died recently after a long illness , had been working on his memoirs for years . This blog is hopeful those memoirs will be lodged in Special Collections , Eddie Koiki Mabo Library , James Cook University , Townsville , which contains a wide range of surprising information about bygone union struggles and prominent identities , from the shearers' strike which led to the formation of the ALP to the life of Kiwi author , activist Jean Devanny , who took on many causes for workers in North Queensland , highly regarded on the international stage .
This blog has also been made aware of the personal papers and scrapbook of a prominent Cairns unionist who was once jailed for his activities .
One of the reasons why the demise of these unionists go unnoticed is due to the fact that there are no industrial roundsmen as such in the media and local newspapers really are not in touch with the community they profess so loudly to serve .
