Word has just come through that music teacher, sailor and longtime political activist , Shirley Renton, has died in Tasmania . She is shown above with her husband , Reverend Alan Renton , at their farewell in the Magnetic Island Uniting Church in August 2018, before they departed for Tasmania to retire .
At the time she was 85 , Alan 90 . Born at Port Augusta , South Australia, Shirley developed an interest in politics from the age of nine when she began reading newspapers for her mother , who suffered from glaucoma, and was a supporter of the ALP wartime PM, John Curtin.
Moving to Tasmania with her parents, Shirley became a talented pianist , but suffered life- threatening asthma . To escape the asthma attacks , through a penfriend , she moved to outback Queensland , near Emerald .
Almost on his first pastoral role as a newly ordained Presbyterian minister from Brisbane , came Alan Renton , who heard wonderful music being played at a meeting of the local community . It was Shirley , who said he chased her for two years back to Tasmania , before he popped the question .
Over their more than 60 years together they took strong stands against the removal of Aborigines on Cape York Peninsula to enable bauxite mining to go ahead ; opposed the excesses of the Joh Bjelke-Petersen Queensland government , especially the treatment of demonstrators in public rallies and the Springbok rugby tour of Australia ; supported Aboriginal landrights .
Shirley kept large scrapbooks of those times in which they were forced to leave Queensland and continue their extensive church and humanitarian activities in Tasmania.Returning to Queensland , they both built up large book collections , Shirley amassing ones on politics in particular, distributed on the island and in Townsville when they left for Tasmania .
Over their more than 60 years together they took strong stands against the removal of Aborigines on Cape York Peninsula to enable bauxite mining to go ahead ; opposed the excesses of the Joh Bjelke-Petersen Queensland government , especially the treatment of demonstrators in public rallies and the Springbok rugby tour of Australia ; supported Aboriginal landrights .
Shirley kept large scrapbooks of those times in which they were forced to leave Queensland and continue their extensive church and humanitarian activities in Tasmania.Returning to Queensland , they both built up large book collections , Shirley amassing ones on politics in particular, distributed on the island and in Townsville when they left for Tasmania .
Alan , president of the ALP Magnetic Island branch for many years, is pictured in his island office with part of their library . A ham radio enthusiast, Alan communicated with many people overseas, including Portuguese Timor , America , Canada and Japan and in various parts of Australia . Whilst in Charters Towers he put a lot of effort into an attempt to establish a boarding hostel for Aboriginal children from isolated communities and cattle stations to further their education.
