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Recorderofficial Organ of the Melbourne Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History Issue No Registered by AustrAliA Post PRINT POST 306-181-0004-ISSN 0155-8722 RecorderOfficial organ of the Melbourne Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History Issue No. 268—December 2010 IN THIS EDITION: • Annual General Meeting, Melbourne Labour History, p. 1 • The Darebin Council election of 1998, Lyle Allan, p. 4 • Launch of the National Museum of Labour, Peter Love, p. 1 • ASSLH Announcements, p. 5 • 90th Anniversary of the CPA, Peter Love, p. 2 • NAA OWE rules, p. 6 • Now and Then Magazine (NML), p. 4 • Notices, p. 6 • Vale Kenneth Shaw Wreidt, Brian Smiddy, p. 4 • Melbourne Branch ASSLH contacts, p. 6 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Thursday 9 December 2010 5:30 – 6:30 pm at Trades Hall upstairs, Eva Room, enter from Lygon Street Agenda Reports: Pres. SeC. Treasurer EleCDon of offiCe bearers NATIONAL MUSEUM OF LABOUR that sit very comfortably next to those of the ASSLH, one of its fraternal organisations. They are: Launched in Canberra 11 November 2010 By Peter Love • To develop a new project of national significance in In 2008, a group of activists, led by UnionsACT, began the form of a museum to provide a permanent planning for the establishment of a national museum on exhibition of industrial labour history; the edge of Lake Burley Griffin to complement the other • To be a place for central exhibition, education and national institutions that grace its shores. Inspired, in display rather than a centralised repository; part, by the People’s History Museum in Manchester, • To bring together all sources of labour history for UK, they began the public campaign to set it up in 2009 public exposition; and have now officially launched it. • To allow Australia's rich labour and industrial history to be seen and our stories to be told; and • To provide a broad range of public access including: • static and dynamic displays; audio visual presentations and re-enactments; public education campaigns; travelling exhibitions; electronic and digital preservation and access to the on-line virtual museum. Senator John Faulkner is the Museum Patron and the Board of Directors comprises: Kim Sattler, UnionsACT (Chair); Peter Gordon, Slater & Gordon, principal sponsor; Brian Boyd, Victorian Trades Hall Council; Karen Banton, Bernie Banton Foundation; Martin O’Malley, CFMEU, SA; Eva Scheerlinck, consultant to the National Museum of Labour, and Glenn Hart, auditor and accountant; Karen Banton, Board member (Peter Love) Kevin Court, AWU, Qld; Simone McGurk, UnionsWA; As readers can see on the NML website at http:// Neale Towart, UnionsNSW; and www.nml.net.au/ the Museum has a set of objectives Nick Martin, Australian Labor Party. Recorder No. 268 RECORDER The official launch took place in the Museum’s home 90th ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMMUNIST base, the Fitters’ Workshop at 11 Wentworth Avenue, PARTY OF AUSTRALIA Kingston, ACT at 1.00 pm on 11 November. The large open space was festooned with banners and posters, (1920-1991 version) thanks to the prodigious labours of Bill Pirie and Neale 7 November 2010 Towart, in complete disregard for the span of hours in By Peter Love their EBA! Kim Sattler welcomed the approximately 200 guests and introduced Ged Kearney, President of the As Recorder readers well know, attending birthday ACTU, who spoke with elegant conviction about how parties can be a perilous thing. While we do our best to important it was to have an institution that cover as many labour history events as we can, acknowledged and commemorated the labours of the occasionally we find ourselves in danger of factional many who had built the most significant and enduring cross-fire – something we’ve studiously avoided since movement in Australian history. we were founded in the early 1960s. When we were invited to attend the CPA’s 90th birthday, camera in hand, we accepted the invitation to record yet another significant event in Australian labour history. Little did we know, there was another, simultaneous, celebration planned by the current Communist Party of Australia. We would have liked to cover both, but only heard about one. We understand there has been a spirited email exchange over the issue. For the historical record, we hope copies survive! Members of the Search Foundation, one of the heirs and successors of the old CPA, organised the birthday party at the AMWU’s Melbourne offices on Sunday 7 November. About 100 people attended to celebrate the role the CPA has played in advancing the socialist cause in Australia since 1920. In a press release and his speech Ged Kearney launches the National Museum of Labour (Peter Love) as MC on the day, Rob Durbridge talked about the She was followed by Dr Norman Abjorensen who Party’s achievements in fighting for causes, which, in offered a labour historian’s perspective on why it was their time, were often unpopular. He referred to its important to recognise the role of the movement in rejection of Stalinism in 1968, but tactfully said nothing resisting the arbitrary and capricious exercise of power about its earlier devotion to the Soviet regime. We were in the workplace, politics and social life. Anna Booth reminded of how Jack Mundey and his BLF comrades spoke on behalf of the principal sponsor, Slater and pioneered the Green Bans movement in Sydney, of the Gordon, and used the occasion to reminisce on the CPA’s tireless organising in the anti-Vietnam War challenges that confronted her when she led the demonstrations, and the role of Party members like clothing workers union. Gai Brodtmann, the newly- Eddie Mabo in agitating for land rights. In elected MHR for Canberra talked about the work that acknowledging the high membership turn-over, he led up to the foundation of the Museum and its referred to the old joke that ex-Communists were importance for the Canberra region, not only the wider Australia’s largest political party, although he did note in labour movement. Mike Kelly, MHR for Eden-Monaro, passing that the ALP was currently mounting a serious agreed with all that had been said so far, but claimed a challenge for that title. He also recalled, wryly, that special interest in the place, his father having worked in while the Australian electorate had declined to vote the the very building that houses the Museum. Before Kim CPA out of existence in 1951, the Party had voluntarily Sattler thanked all involved in organising the Museum done so in 1991. and its formal launch, the proceedings ended with two rousing songs from John Warner. Nobody was surprised Betty Oke was one of the veterans who were introduced when his final song addressed both the audience and to the guests. She spoke of her long-term engagement the banners hanging proudly on the walls. with the Party, beginning as a munitions worker during the Second World War, her activity with both the CPA Anyone interested in supporting the Museum can go to and the Communist Party of Australia Marxist-Leninist, the website to get more details, sign on as a member or and the comradeship she’d enjoyed over the years. simply bookmark the site to follow developments. As a George Edson, a 96 year old retired metal worker, supporting Society, the ASSLH recommends that apologised to Louise Connor, one of the organisers, that everyone sharing our interest in the movement and its ‘I haven’t been able to do much since I turned ninety.’ history give the National Museum of Labour whatever Nevertheless, he looked pretty spritely on the day. help they can to grow and prosper. 2 Recorder No. 268 RECORDER Morag Loh (Peter Love) The speeches were a timely reminder that, despite the public denunciations of the Party over the years and some egregious political errors, it had been an extremely effective force for progressive, democratic change across a range of policy domains in Australia. The celebrations were enlivened by a set of customary socialist songs performed by the Victorian Trade Union Choir, ending with a rousing version of the Internationale, for which the assembled comrades stood Betty Oke (Peter Love) and joined in lusty chorus. Michael Evans, the last full-time organiser in Melbourne, spoke of his association with the Party and paid tribute to the fellow members he’d worked with and admired over the years. ‘The best thing for me about the Communist Party was that sense of a common analysis about how the world works, and a shared vision about, and commitment to, what to do about it.’ He remembered with affection Alvie Booth, Thelma Prior, Leila Mullet, Ila Buchanan, Jack Hutson, Joan Goodwin, Taffy Jones, Lloyd Edmonds and especially the redoubtable Olga Silver who was present among the veterans, and who joined with them to cut the birthday cake. In thinking about the CPA’s legacy, he suggested that looking back to 19th or 20th century solutions was not really appropriate in our present circumstances. Rather than a disciplined party on the Leninist model, Cavell Zangalis, Louise Connor and Carmel Shute (Peter Love) the way forward was to build broad coalitions of After formal thanks to Cavell Zangalis, Carmel Shute, progressive forces to address the problems we face in Louise Connor, Rob Durbridge and Roger Wilson for the 21st century. At the moment, he reckoned that ‘… organising the function, guests cheerfully returned to the Greens are the “biggest game in town” for the left their food, drink and reminiscences. In all, it was a day of today’. generous spirited comradeship and commemorative good cheer. Morag Loh talked about the remarkable work of the Union of Australian Women, a significant number of More photographs from this event, and from the launch of the whom were CPA members.
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