WA: Vale Ruth, John & Fred
Date: 13 May 2008
Sadly, three staunch Party Members passed away this month. Each were heavily involved with the WA Labor Party and good friends to many supporters. They were Ruth Coleman, John Cumbers and Fred McKenzie.
Ruth Coleman
Ruth Coleman was born in Collie on 27 September 1931: the third of four children to Alice and Vincent Huckstep, a railway ganger who continually moved from camp to camp in the WA outback. She was elected to the Senate in 1974 -- a wife and mother, and just the eigth female Senator in Australia. She served in Parliament for 14 years and her feistiness remained legendary.
Ruth is famously credited for breaking the male domination of toilets at Parliament House. At the time, there were just two toilets: one marked 'Senators', and the other marked 'Officials'. To the unease of her male colleagues, Ruth used the 'Senators' toilet until the 'Officials' toilet eventually became the Ladies. She later said that using the Senator toilet cubicles let her overhear some useful conversations!
Throughout her lifetime, Ruth was a tireless crusador for a range of social, environmental and economic issues -- she was never one to give in lightly. In one case, she took to the streets of Perth in 1979 against the Court Liberal government’s use of Section 54B of the Police Act, which banned meetings of more than three people in a public place without police permission. She was subsequently arrested alongside 40 others but Ruth risked being sent to jail rather than paying the $20 fine. Someone later anonymously paid the fine on her behalf.
But Ruth will probably be best remembered for her strong anti-nuclear campaigning. She helped form Women Against Uranium Mining in 1979, supported the Campaign Against Nuclear Energy and People for Nuclear Disarmament, campaigned against visiting US nuclear-armed ships, and on one occasion she spoke at a 10000-strong rally where people linked arms across the railway line leading to the American support ships.
Ruth also worked hard in Parliament. She filled many committee roles and
towards the end of her term she occupied the Senate President's chair. Ruth made history and she's been a fantastic role model for all women. She
left behind a son, a daughter, and three grandchildren.
John Cumbers
There has never been a more enthusiastic Branch and Party Member than John Cumbers. He held a number of positions in the Darling Range Branch, including Membership Officer, Secretary, and delegate to the Hasluck Electorate Council. He was also a State Conference Delegate and a deligent volunteer at many conferences.
John was a wonderful Labor supporter who worked tirelessly for the Darling Range Branch and 2007 Labor Hasluck Campaign. John was passionate about social justice and the environment. He was also passionate about the Party and he was selfless in the way he devoted so much of his time and energy.
John's dedicatation and commitment never waned regardless of what he was doing: whether he was handing out campaign material in the early morning at the Midland Train Station, compiling a picture montage on powerpoint showing all of the volunteers at work, organising a badge making for a fundraiser, or orchestrating the "battle of the balloons" competition with the Liberals at the Kalamunda and Midland markets. John always stayed until the job was done.
He was deeply committed to making the world a better place, but his great
loves in his life were his three kids and his partner, Eileen. Our sympathy goes
to them all.
Fred McKenzie
Fred was liked by everyone in the Party and respected by his parliamentary colleagues. Below is an edited tribute recently paid by Kim Chance, Leader of the House, in Parliament.
"Fred was born during the Great Depression. He grew up in Perth and in the goldfields during the challenging years of the Second World War and the early post-war period when, within Australia, the most significant changes in history occurred to our demographic: the huge flow of immigration from war-torn Europe and changes which led to what is the make-up of modern Australia as we know it now. It was a period of internationalisation of Australia such that our nation had never experienced before or even since. It was a time when our days as a far-flung British enclave in the Indian Ocean ended forever. It was also a period of immense growth, both socially and economically.
"The formal role of people within the labour movement in driving that growth was probably greater than at any time in our nation’s history, and that was when Fred McKenzie made his mark in the world. Fred, quite apart from his performance in this chamber, was one of the giants of the railway industry in Western Australia. Fred’s whole working life was all about rail; all the way from his time as a trainee guard with Midland rail right through to being a long-term member of the executive committee of Midland Railway Company and to the leadership positions he held in the powerful Australian Railways Union, which ultimately led to his election to this place. However, Fred and railways could never be separated; they were always one and the same thing.
"Other honourable members who have had the privilege of serving in this place with Fred will recall that any speech could be turned into a speech about railways. I served one year with Fred in 1992. I recall coming into the chamber after dinner one evening and saying to, I think, Tom Helm, “What’s happening tonight, Tom?” He said “Fred’s got a big speech tonight.” I said, “Good; what’s it on?” He said, “Railways”. I said, “But, Tom, we are dealing with the Medical Amendment Bill.” He said, “That’s okay; Fred will get it around to railways some time”; and he did, as he always did! The amazing thing was that by the time Fred got to the end of the speech, we realised that railways, in particular the Midland railway workshops, were absolutely vital to the progress of the Medical Amendment Bill!
"We hear it said sometimes of people that such-and-such did not have an enemy in the world. Generally we know that that is not quite right. However, when people say it about Fred, everybody instinctively agrees with them, as Fred was one of those people who could never have had an enemy in the world because he never did the wrong thing by anyone. Somebody who served three years as the opposition Whip and 10 years as the government Whip and we still cannot find anything bad to say about him is a pretty impressive character."
NOTE: For more detail, visit: http://www.wa.alp.org.au/newsletter/april08/article4.php
