J.J. Brown October 4, 2007
Posted by hcaa in Invitation.Tags: Australia, Australian Railways Union, communist, J.J. Brown
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You are cordially invited to a talk to be given by Mr. Tom Rigg entitled, “J.J. Brown: The Life of a Trade Union Leader.” This talk will overview the life and impact of John Joseph (‘J.J’) Brown (1912 to 1989). Brown was a leading communist who had a profound impact on industrial politics. He was Australian Railways Union (ARU) State Secretary from 1942 to 1954 and from 1956 to 1975.
J.J. Brown was a very talented man, who unfortunately was a communist. As ARU Secretary he secured improved working conditions and rights for his members, such as increased annual leave, sick pay and weekend penalty rates. Some of these improvements were gained through militant industrial action. Brown however was a staunch apologist for the Soviet Union who shamefully condoned its excesses, such as the repression of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
Tom Rigg is well qualified to speak on J.J. Brown. Mr. Rigg was an ARU member for forty years. The speaker was a member of the ALP Industrial Railways Group and eventually served as its president. Indeed Mr. Rigg was the only ‘Grouper’ who was an honorary life member of the ARU.
Although Mr. Rigg admired Brown’s abilities, he categorically opposed him in the political sphere. This opposition was due to the speaker’s resolute belief in democracy and the dignity of the individual worker. Therefore Mr. Rigg joined the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) on its inception in 1957 and was its last president in 1978.Mr. Rigg’s talk will be held at -
7:30 pm on Wednesday the 31st of October
The hotel management would be appreciative if guests availed themselves of the opportunity to purchase a meal and/or drinks at the bar between 6:30 and 7: 00 pm. The talk will commence at 7:30 pm in the upstairs function room.
Mr. Rigg wrote and first published in 2003 a biography on J.J. Brown (which shares the same title of his talk). He also wrote and published a book in 1997 about the 1950 railways strike (‘Victoria’s Most Disastrous Railway Strike’) and wrote and published another book in 1999 about the ARU’s headquarters (‘Farewell to Unity Hall’). The speaker has also just completed a book about a major railway accident in 1908 (‘The Sunshine Railway Diaster’).
Because the speaker has a wealth of knowledge about J.J. Brown and Victorian industrial railways politics, his talk promises to be of interest.
RSVP: Monday the 29th of October 2007
Contacts (Listed in alphabetical order): David Bennett (03) 9898 3629 (email: info@hcaa.com.au)
David Cowling (03) 9584 6247
Klara Doroszlay (03) 9889 6014
Jim Hewat (03) 9306 4318
Phil McMillan (03) 9645 4417
Tom Rigg (03) 9366 6168
Bryan Stertern Gill (03) 9370 3905
