George Seelaf
George Seelaf AM (4 April 1914 - 9 August 1988)[1] was an Australian unionist and activist.
George Seelaf | |
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| Born | 4 March 1914 |
| Died | 9 August 1988 (aged 74) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupations | Trade unionist and activist |
| Organization | Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union |
Political party | Labor (1939-1940) Communist (1942-1973) |
| Spouse | Edna Mary McMillan (married 1938) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and family
[edit]Seelaf was born in Albert Park, the eldest child of George Seelaf, an Estonian labourer at the Port of Melbourne, and Janet Rachel, who was born in Victoria. At three years old, his family moved to Footscray, where he would remain for the rest of his life.[1] He was educated at Hyde Street Primary School and Williamstown High School.[2] Leaving school at the age of thirteen, Seelaf lived the next decade in varying states of employment, including a brief stint at a canister-making factory in South Melbourne, and working at his father's market garden in Lyndhurst.[1][2]
Activism
[edit]In 1936, Seelaf got a temporary job at the meatworks of W. Angliss and Company. There, he encountered a de-skilled, casualised and non-unionised workforce, a consequence of the Great Depression. Seelaf joined the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU); by 1939, he was the secretary of the Angliss inter-union shop committee.[1] In the same year, he joined the Australian Labor Party, before leaving the next year, and joining the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) in 1942.[2] He continued to further involve himself in CPA and AMIEU affairs; in 1943, Seelaf managed Cecil Herbert Sharpley's campaign for the seat of Footscray, and by 1944, he was an AMIEU union organizer.[1]
In 1947, Seelaf was made Secretary of the AMIEU, a position he would hold for over two decades. Under Seelaf, the AMIEU became a renowned campaigning force. It agitated for both industrial goals, such as shorter hours and better wages, and non-industrial positions, such as opposing antisemitism and homophobia.[1] He also worked to unite city-based unionists with family farmers, believing them to both be victims of large businesses.[3]
In 1957, Seelaf was elected as the representative of the food trade unions, on the executive committee of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). However, this was opposed by right-wingers, due to his CPA membership; two years later, he was removed from the executive by one vote.[3] In 1969, Seelaf played a key role in future Prime Minister Bob Hawke's elevation to the ACTU's presidency. He retired from his AMIEU role in 1973, to focus on his community involvement and his family.[1]
Death and legacy
[edit]As part of the 1976 Australia Day Honours, Seelaf was made a Member of the Order of Australia, for his "service to the community and to the trade union movement".[4]
Seelaf died on 9 August 1988, having suffered from cancer from at least 1956.[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lack, John (2012). "Seelaf, George (1914–1988)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 18. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 McCubbin, Maryanne. "Seelaf, George (1914–1988)". peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Arrowsmith, John (1988). "Obituary - George Seelaf" (PDF). Recorder. pp. 4–6. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
- ↑ "AD76" (PDF). Governor General's Office of Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
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