Florence Amy "Flo" Cluff

OAM OAM may refer to: *Oamaru Aerodrome, New Zealand * Object access method *Observatorio Astronómico de Mallorca, an observatory in Spain *U.S. Office of Alternative Medicine, whose duties have been taken over by the National Center for Complementary ...

, formerly Kershaw and Davis (4 November 1902 – 20 September 1990) was an Australian trade unionist, communist and pensioner activist. Born at

Chillagoe Chillagoe is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Chillagoe had a population of 251 people. It was once a thriving mining town for a range of minerals, but is now reduced to a small ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

to English-born railway carpenter Frederick William Davis and Florence Emma, ''née'' Nightingale, Flo attended school at Chillagoe, Einasleigh and Cairns. Her father died in a railway bridge accident in 1921 and she left her teaching position to care for her mother, who died within months. She married labourer Robert Dawson Kershaw at Einasleigh on 29 November 1921; she moved to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in 1931 and was divorced in 1932. In 1935, Davis moved to Sydney and worked at a cafe in

Pitt Street Pitt Street is a major street in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia. The street runs through the entire city centre from Circular Quay in the north to Waterloo, although today's street is in two disjointed sec ...

. During this time she became involved with trade unions and flirted with communism. After the birth of her illegitimate daughter, she joined the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been ...

in 1937. She married her child's father, soldier Geoffrey Brown, on 29 November 1940 (they would later divorce). Also in 1940 she was elected to the executive of the hotel, Club, Restaurant, Caterers, Tea Rooms and Boarding House Employees' Union of New South Wales (HCRU), becoming assistant secretary in 1941 and secretary in 1945. She was one of the first women elected to the secretaryship of a union and radicalised the HCRU during her tenure, requiring larger hotels to provide female cooks with equal pay and instituting the five-day working week, sick leave and weekend penalty rates. Under her leadership, the HCRU supported the 1946 boycott of Dutch ships in support of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n independence and the 1949 miners' strike, and opposed nuclear testing on Aboriginal land at

Maralinga Maralinga, in the remote western areas of South Australia, was the site, measuring about in area, of British nuclear tests in the mid-1950s. In January 1985 native title was granted to the Maralinga Tjarutja, a southern Pitjantjatjara Aborig ...

, the 1950 Communist Party dissolution bill and the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

. Davis stood for the seat of Dalley for the Communists at the 1954 federal election and for the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

in 1955 and 1958. The HCRU was absorbed into the Federated Liquor & Allied Industries Employees' Union of Australia in 1961 and Davis became independent secretary. She retired in 1968 and was named Woman of the Year by the Australian International Women's Day Committee. On 9 October 1975 Flo Davis married retired cleaner Eric James Richard Cluff; the newlyweds travelled around Australia before joining the Petersham branch of the Combined Pensioners' Association. She became assistant secretary in 1979 and secretary in 1980, campaigning for better pensions, health and welfare services, utility rebates and transport concessions. Awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

in 1984, she resigned as secretary in 1988. Cluff died at

Kogarah Kogarah () is a suburb of Southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres (9 miles) south-west of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area. Lo ...

in 1990 and was buried in

Rookwood Cemetery Rookwood Cemetery (officially named Rookwood Necropolis) is a heritage-listed cemetery in Rookwood, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere and is the world's largest remaining operating ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cluff, Flo 1902 births 1990 deaths People from Far North Queensland People from Sydney Australian trade unionists Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Communist Party of Australia members Australian people of English descent Burials at Rookwood Cemetery