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HONOUR ROLL PAINTERS AND DOCKERS UNION QUEENSLAND
BRANCH
This union was
theirs, and by their valor they bequeathed it in freedom to this day
FSPDU Officer PAT SHANNON murdered
1972 LESLIE BATKIN murdered 1987
BILLY O'CONNOR doa
1974 RON CHAPMAN murdered
1987
JOHN WLODARCZYK murdered
1974 THOMAS MOLONEY disappeared 1990
DENNIS BAILEY murdered 1976
MARK REDDING disappeared 1990
CHARLES REEVES murdered
1978 MERV COLLINS doa 1994
NORMAN FOORDE disappeared
1979 KAY CHAMBERS doa 1995
TOUCH ONE TOUCH ALL
This
union was formed in 1900 to protect the interests of workers in the
maritime group
of industries. In 1993 the union was deregistered under S 193 of The
Australian Industrial Relations Act, which requires unions with less
than 10,000 members to convince the Industrial Commission that
special circumstances exist that justify their continued
registration.
The
fact that this union is the cultural and economic heritage of
generations of Australians was not deemed a special circumstance by
the Industrial Commissioner, while the campaign waged within the
organization to increase membership was met with thuggery, violence
and murder, by becoming an Associate Member you will be taking an
active stand against strong arm bully boy tactics.
Details of your
associate membership will be presented to the Industrial Commission
in petition form when the union makes application for
re-registration.
Application for Associate Membership* of the Federated Ship Painters
and Dockers Union of Australia, Queensland Branch
Oath
of Fealty: This union having been formed to advance
the interests of the profession to which 1 belong and fully
approving of its rules and objects, 1 hereby ascribe my name as a
member and declare my fealty to same.
Name &
Address.........................................................................................Post
code..................
Date of
Birth.........................Signature........................................................Date.........................
*Associate membership is free, it
does not carry voting rights, nor can AM's stand for office, to
prevent insurgents with a separate agenda infiltrating this
operation, which is exactly what occurred in the past.
Upon re-registration
dues will be charged at the rate of twelve dollars per year, plus two
dollars per year compulsory funeral contribution. Then all associate
members will be counted as financial members, and will be requested
to attend meetings.
Address completed forms to: The Secretary Treasurer
FSPDU 4/25 Crase St, New Farm Qld 4005
Call the union on + 61 7 3358 1839,
or email
docker01@tpg.com.au Authorized M. Timothy Secretary.
New Sign ups
Ian
Johnston has Forklift, Crane, Dogman,
Bobcat, Front End Loader, & Excavator
Tickets, and works at TJ Prest in
Melbourne .. that is an impressive list
of credentials, and Ian is welcome into
the union, 15 October 2011.
Well then
in 1998, a standover man name of
Johnston, attempted to coerce me in the
manner of a fifty dollar payment, that
was due for attending an onsite
induction, at an industrial site in
Brisbane!
Racism
and
Strife
at Incitec:
1998
Mincon
get in
touch, I
had
worked
for them
previously, on a
dragline
shutdown
at Meandu
Mine in
1997, that job
they put
us up
at
Kingaroy
..
after
the boss
paid the
bill at
the
motel, he
tells
everyone,
that all
the work
gang had
accessed
the
pornographic
movie, on
the in
house TV,
except
one ..
"stand
up
Martin."
This
time we
would be
at
Incitec,
a plant
which
produces
fertilizer
from
natural
gas, the
start
date was
Thursday,
however
since I
was a
new
starter,
I would
be
required
to
attend a
two hour
induction,
at the
plant
training
centre
on the
Tuesday.
The job
started
all
right,
the Mincon
supervisor
was
Wayne
Johnston,
who had
played
centre
for
Carlton
in the
1980's,
I had
only
briefly
met him
at Meandu
the
previous
year,
and was
tickled
pink to
be
working
with
him.
The day
we
started
he drove
me to
the car
park, I
had
taken my
tools
onto the
job but
found
they
were not
necessary,
during
the
drive I
told him
I was a
footy
fan, and
had been
a fan of
his, he
said he
had a
great
time
playing
footy,
and that he
hoped
the job
went
well,
he gave me
his
telephone
number,
and
said to
ring if
there
were any
problems
.. we
parted
with a
good
understanding.
Come
payday, I
had not
been
paid the
two
hours
pay for
the
induction,
thus at
twenty
five an
hour I
was
fifty
bucks
down on
my pay,
I was at
home
when I
discovered
the
discrepancy,
and rang
Tom the Mincon
paymaster.
He was
drunk, ill
mannered, and
entirely
unhelpful.
At work
the
following
day, I
see Ian
Baxter
who
started
with me who
attended
the same
induction,
I asked
him if
he had
been
paid the
two
hours, he said
that he
had not, but did
not wish
to make
an issue
of it.
I ring
Wayne
Johnston
he was
full of
****, he
had
undergone
a
personality
change
of Jeckle
and Hyde
proportions,
I had
already
checked
with Incitec
staff,
who
simply
said no
drama,
the
situation
had
existed
from the
year dot,
all Mincon
had to
do was
include
the
induction
payment
on the
bill .. I
tell
this to
Johnston, he goes
off his fukken
head
starts...
"Who the
**** do
you
think
you are,
the shop
steward
or
something.." I tell
the
prick he
needs to
get the
money
.. blah
blah
blah, it's smoko by
then, in
the
smoko
room Ian
Baxter
starts
up., he
comes up
with a bodgey
Aboriginal
accent
.. Now,
although
I may
appear
to some
Australians
as
European,
I appear
to
others
as
aboriginal, particularly
when I
am
heavily
bearded,
as I was
at that
time.
I am not
gonna
let my
poor old
grandpa,
who died
in
Battery
Point
Hobart
Town
down, he
assured
me in
1955,
that
both he
and me
were of
the
Tasmanian
aboriginal
people,
mothers
father, appeared
to be a
mainland
aboriginal
from
South
Australia,
her
mother
was from
Scotland
.. truth is
that I
am of
mixed
race,
like
Jesus
Christ.
So
there's
Ian
referring
to my
choice
of
western
style
clothing,
going...
'is that
a
western
style
shirt...'
just a
hint of
the word
boy...
'you
been out
west
b...'
snorts
are
coming
from
around
the
table
'...they
got
rodeos
out
there
right...'
just the
start of
sniggering.
I would
have
reminded
him that
there
are
boxing
tents as
well,
but it
had gone
beyond
that, he
was
rocking
back on
his
chair at
the end
of the
table,
and was
laying
hard
down on
good ol'
me.
After
Uncle
Ian got
to me,
the
school
counselor
told me
to punch
my
father,
I failed
to, I
punched
the
European
who
tried to
molest
me, but
not my
father
.. he too
would
rock
back on
his
chair at
the
table,
likewise
to a
chorus
of
snorts
and
chuckles,
abusing
me, I
did not
want to
make the
same
mistake
here.
I rise
from my
seat, and
belt him
under
his open
gob with
my left, following
up
immediately
with a
right to
the side
of his
head, he
is
knocked
off of
his
chair to
the
floor,
and gets
up
fighting,
he's
half way
up and I
land a
left to
his
cheekbone, providing
him with
a
depressed
fracture,
and
leaving
a dent
in his
face
which he
will
take to
the
grave.
There is
no more
fight in
him, so I
resume
my seat
to
finish smoko.
I get
the sack
of
course,
he
doesn't
..
as
security
are
escorting
me to
the gate,
I see
the
prick
coming
out of
the
canteen
and belt
him again.
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I got
paid, after beating the sh*t out of a
thug Johnston sent after me at work,
then I got sacked - Maybe we are gettin'
a little feedback here, Ian Johnston remains registered at our
online forum, and he can put his side of
the story!
Hamish
Green works on the Sydney
waterfront, and on 8 September 2011
asks, "if there is anything else I need
to do for associate membership?" Hamish
might like to register in our online forum, at
http://www.dockersunion.org/vb/,
present his credentials, and tell
everyone why he will be an asset to this
union.
Tiani Searancke is welcome aboard,
the third of the Searancke brothers to
join in September 2009.
Jason
Herbert has joined, and is welcome
into the union.
Tyson Searancke from Victoria, is
welcome into this union.
Martin Kinross from Brisbane, was a
member thru the late seventies and into
the eighties, and is welcome back on
board.
Daria has a valid email address, so
his or her name will appear on the
document, we intend to submit to the
Industrial Commissioner, when we apply
for re registration.
Martin Searancke says he has a "bit
of history," which has never been a
reason to debar any person from
membership in the past, and he is
welcome into this union.
Tommy has provided the necessary
details, he too will be on the roll book
when we apply for re registration.
Constantine provided no further
details, however his is a valid
registration, since he has a genuine
email address.
Nick
Carter, welcome aboard Nick wherever
you might be.
Les
Johns from Leichhardt near Ipswich
Queensland, was in the union thru the
1970's, and has rejoined with his son,
Lewis Johns who is eighteen years
old, and is welcome aboard.
James Morton from London in the UK,
James is the author of the very famous
Gangland series of books, published by
Sphere, and is writing a book about the
P&D's.
Jodie
Durrant from Great Yarmouth in the
UK, Jodie comes from a docks background, her six brothers are all dockers in
GY .. her story @
Great
Yarmouth Dockers seek public support!
Luke
Hudson from Andamooka in South
Australia, Luke is a crane driver at the
nearby Olympic Dam mine, at Roxby Downs.Dean
Dowden lives in Newcastle NSW,
and works for a demolition company, he's
welcome aboard.
Belinda Hamilton-Smith is a second
generation member, her father John
Wlodarczyk was a member murdered in
1975.
Joshua Bennetts is a rigger, in the
ship building and ship repair industry,
in New South Wales. |
New life
members gazetted
Colin Ball and Tracy Phillips
Col was
part the nucleus of workers, employed in
the Brisbane ship building and repair
yards, that were de unionized in 1993, he
stuck with the union thru thick and thin,
and still occasionally works in the
industry.
Tracy
lost both hands, when a parcel bomb that
was addressed to her husband Billy,
exploded in 1969, she was a stalwart
similarly thru thick and thin, after
police and government sanctioned
coercion, from murderous anti social
scab elements, had caused a crisis in
membership. |
Vale
Comrades
Barry "Shuffles" Brennan
From
Amanda Peters March 16, 2010
.. My father Barry Jude Brennan, was a
Painter and Docker for many years, and
has recently passed away..
Barry
was a widely liked, and highly regarded
member since the mid 1970's, before that
he was a coal miner at Box Flat near
Ipswich Queensland, whence days after he
had left to go to other employment, 31
July 1972, seventeen miners were killed
in an underground explosion.
He
represented Queensland in Rugby League
football, Barry's three sons Peter,
Jaime, and Andrew who passed away
tragically in 2009, were also dock
workers .. our condolences go out to the
boys, and to Amanda and the rest of
Barry's family. |
Dave Johns
Received
from Les Johns 25 September 2008 ...my
brother Davey Johns was a member back in
the seventies, he passed away last month
of cancer..
Dave
with his two brothers Gary and Les, and
their late father Doug, were a familiar
sight working on the Brisbane docks,
during the 1970's, recalling that Dave
left the union, and started a successful
fencing business, whose company built
the fencing at several major projects in
SE Queensland, including the airport
upgrade, condolences go out to Les and
Gary, and to the rest of Dave's family. |
Joe
Plunkett
Joe
passed away suddenly in early 2006, his
docks career started in about 1971 when
as a fifteen year old street kid, he
would turn up at the union rooms every
morning, along with about two hundred
other blokes, to be placed at one of the
union respondent work sites, I met him
in 1972 when I was doin' the same, he
was around sixteen then, and was widely
respected as a good and willing worker,
with an excellent attendance record!!
Joe was
"King of the 'Gabba," the Brisbane
suburb of Wooloongabba, is close to the
dry dock at South Brisbane, with Peter's
Slip, a ship repair facility, and the
former Evans Deaken ship yard at
Kangaroo Point, just down the road.
Painters and Dockers took drinks at the
many pubs, bars and taverns in that
district, which catered to the waterfront
and industrial clientele, and it was in
that heady environment, where some men
naturally stand out from others, that
Joe, like Napoleon the Great, crowned
himself King! |
Bill "Billy Jack" Jackson
Received
from Shannon Jackson, 20 September 2008 .. do any of the older guys remember my
father, Bill “Billy Jack” Jackson, he
passed away in 2000, he was loyal to the
union, and really followed the Touch One
Touch All line..
We
certainly do remember him Shannon, and
our condolences go out to you, your Mum
and the rest of Bill's family, he was a
widely liked, and very well thought of
member for many years, he was captain of
the Dockies cricket team, and played
Father Christmas every year, at the
Christmas party.
Just
last week one of Bill's old mates popped
up, that was Harry O'Mara who we all
called "Harry the Wig" since he wore a
rug, Harry is about ninety two, and lives
in a surfside flat at Burleigh Heads, he
and Bill were great mates. |
Micah Beckett
Mike's
sister rang in July 2005, and said our
former member Micah had passed away..
Micah and I worked together in Newcastle
in 1979, when his dad Ernie, who was
previously a union rigger at Cairncross
Dock in Brisbane, was Foreman at
Corrosion Control, a Newcastle marine
contracting company.
I was sequestered
from another job, one Saturday in May
that year, to go to a CC job on a ship
in Newcastle Harbor, Micah was driving
the crane, my job was to unsling the
loads on shore, later
that day I was off to play football with Wallsend, an Australian Rules team in the
Hunter Valley league.
Mike was going to
play Rugby in the local league, so
toward lunch time, we all wanted get the
job done and get along, to that end
Ernie's wife and daughter, had brought
lunch down with them in the car, so I
was out on the wharf when along came
this car, with a beautiful girl about
fourteen years old, and her Mum.
When we
talked on the phone, I recalled that
Ernie had passed on some years before,
and that his brother Alfie, who had also
been in Newcastle and Brisbane had gone,
both were great union men, Ernie was
known for his excellent on job acumen
and know how, while Alfie was a "dockies
dockie," first with a cheerful remark, a
great host in Newcastle, and a great
gentleman on the job, and everywhere
else. |
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