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George Roy Beardsworth (1888–1939)

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George Roy Acaster (Roy) Beardsworth (1888-1939) storeman, trade union leader 

Birth: 6 August 1888 at Tamrookum Creek, near Beaudesert, Queensland, son of English-born parents Ernest Henry Beardsworth, farmer, later clerk, and Edith Rose, née Dean. Marriage: 14 November 1914 at Collingwood, Victoria, to Elsie Elizabeth Hart. They had four sons and one daughter. Death: 26 November 1939 at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne. Religion: Anglican. 

  • To Victoria with family about 1898.
  • First trade union position as organiser with Storemen and Packers’ Union. Later Secretary of Hospital, Dispensary and Asylum Employees’ Union.
  • 1939 president of Trades Hall Salaried Officers’ Association. One-time president of Australian Labor Party, Victorian Branch, Trades Hall Council.
  • Actively involved in municipal politics as member of Chelsea Council from 1924 to 1939; twice elected mayor.
  • Labor candidate against Stanley Melbourne Bruce, contested Henty and Dandenong.
  • Opposed Premier’s Plan, 1931.
  • Fatally injured in motor accident near Ararat in the course of work.
  • Member of the Australasian Kilwinning Lodge, No. 2, A. F., and A. M. [Ancient Free and Accepted Masons] and the Kilwinning Mark Lodge, No. 2. United Grand Lodge of Victoria.

Sources
Labor Year Book, 1934/5; Labor Call, 14 December 1922, 30 November  1939.

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Citation details

'Beardsworth, George Roy (1888–1939)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/beardsworth-george-roy-32511/text40344, accessed 8 September 2024.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Life Summary [details]

Birth

6 August, 1888
Beaudesert, Queensland, Australia

Death

26 November, 1939 (aged 51)
East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Cause of Death

motor vehicle accident

Cultural Heritage

Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.

Religious Influence

Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.

Occupation
Key Organisations
Political Activism
Workplaces