James Comerford was an Australian trade unionist, activist, writer and miner who was national general secretary of the

Australian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation The Australian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation (often known as the Miners' Federation of Australia) was an Australian trade union representing workers in the coal mining industry from 1913 to 1990. It was first federally registered in 1913 a ...

and served as its Northern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

president from 1953 to 1973.

Biography

Early life

James Comerford was born in 1913 in

Glencraig Glencraig is a very small former mining village in Scotland, situated in the Benarty area of Fife, between Crosshill and Lochgelly Lochgelly ( ; gd, Loch Gheallaidh, IPA: �ɫ̪ɔxˈʝaɫ̪ai is a town in Fife, Scotland. It is located betwe ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...

, Scotland. When Jim was nine his family moved to

Kurri Kurri Kurri Kurri is a small town in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cessnock LGA. At the , its population was 6,044. Kurri Kurri is the largest town in a group of towns and hamlets, including Stanford Merthyr, Pelaw Main, ...

in the

Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and ...

of New South Wales, Australia after his father had been

blacklisted Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...

from a Scottish mine. At the age of 13 he got a job at a local newspaper, but he soon left it to work in the mines.

1929–30 lockout and Rothbury riot

When he was 15 he was among the miners in the Rothbury riot of 16 December 1929, when a

lockout Lockout may refer to: * Lockout (industry), a type of work stoppage ** Dublin Lockout, a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers 1913 - 1914 * Lockout (sports), lockout in sports leagues **MLB lockout, loc ...

in the

collieries Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron fro ...

of northern New South Wales led to miners charging the gate of the colliery in or near

Rothbury Rothbury is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the River Coquet. It is northwest of Morpeth and of Newcastle upon Tyne. At the 2001 Census, it had a population of 2,107. Rothbury emerged as an important town bec ...

and police opened fire on them in response.

Union career, activism and politics

In 1942 he became the youngest person ever to be elected to the central council of the Australian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation (also known as the Miners' Federation of Australia). He served as its Northern New South Wales president from 1953 until his retirement in 1973, and at various times had other regional and national roles including national general secretary. He was also active in support of various causes including those of the peace movement, adult education, social clubs for workers, union education, retired mineworkers and unemployed workers, and also total abstinence from alcohol as a member of the

Independent Order of Rechabites The Independent Order of Rechabites (IOR), also known as the Sons and Daughters of Rechab, Alan Axelrod ''International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders'' New York; Facts on File, inc 1997 p.206 is a fraternal organisation ...

. Comerford was known to have been a member of the Young Communist League of Australia in 1930 and then 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 ...

from 1940 to 1959 before joining the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms ...

in 1960; according to his biographer Barbara Heaton he privately remained a Marxist all his life. He was heavily involved in events around the 1949 Australian coal strike and the 1955 Labor Party split.

Retirement and writing

After his retirement in 1973, Comerford wrote extensively. He wrote or cowrote books on several subjects, including ''Lockout'', an account of the 1929–30 lockout and the violence at Rothbury. The University of Newcastle made him a Convocation Scholar and a writer-in-residence. He gave a speech in support of the 1995-6 miners' strike at the Vickery coal mine near

Boggabri Boggabri ( ) is a small town in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Narrabri Shire and lies between Gunnedah and Narrabri on the Kamilaroi Highway. At the , the town had a population of 856 people. The original town site ...

in New South Wales. At some time between 1997 and his death in 2006 he donated his personal library to the Coalfields Heritage Group of Cessnock, later renamed the Coalfields Local History Association.

Marriage and children

Jim Comerford was married to Mabel Comerford for 70 years. They had a daughter, Jean Andrew.

Death and afterward

Comerford died in Kurri Kurri on , survived by Mabel and Jean Andrew.

Published works

* * *

Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

Along with the appointments as Convocation Scholar and writer-in-residence the University of Newcastle awarded Comerford an honorary Master of Arts. In 1989 he was 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 ...

for service to the trade union movement. In nearby Aberdare the Jim Comerford Memorial Wall was dedicated in 1996 to those who died in the mines in the Northern District of the

Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU, though most commonly still referred to as CFMEU) is Australia's main trade union in construction, forestry, maritime, mining, energy, textile, clothing and footwear producti ...

, the present-day successor of the Australian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation. Prime Minister of Australia

Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously ser ...

paid tribute to Comerford while unveiling the wall. A bust of Comerford was later put in front of the wall and was dedicated in 2007 by Prime Minister

Kevin Rudd Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...

Jim-comerford-memorial-bust-aberdare-howard-2012

Bibliography

References

External links

Obituary - James (Jim) Comerford - Obituaries Australia

Biography – James (Jim) Comerford – People Australia

Scottish national identities among inter-war migrants in North America and Australasia

Personal narratives of Irish and Scottish migration, 1921–65: For spirit and adventure'

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comerford, Jim 1913 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Australian male writers Australian trade union leaders Australian coal miners Australian people of Irish descent Australian people of Scottish descent Scottish emigrants to Australia People from Kurri Kurri Writers from Fife Communist Party of Australia members Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia