People Australia

Bob Cassidy

Bulletin (Sydney), 20 January 1930, p 52

Cassidy, Robert John (Bob or ‘Gilrooney) (1880-1948) journalist, poet and labour activist

Birth: 18 December 1880 at Coolac, New South Wales, son of Stephen Cassidy (1848-1897), a carpenter and miner, born at Derry, Galway, Ireland, and native-born Rose, née Dominick (1854-1897). Marriage: 1926 at Randwick, Sydney, to Lucy Maria Sullivan (1878-1958), nurse and Labor activist. They had no children. Death: 26 September 1948 at Waverley, Sydney. Religion: Catholic. 

• In his youth a keen cricketer and billiard-player and worked as a bush labourer, miner and carpenter in western NSW. Became a member of the Australian Workers’ Union. Was a member of the Coolac branch of the Political Labor League.
• Joined the staff of the Australian Worker in 1908. Briefly worked for the Barrier Truth (Broken Hill) and edited the Broken Hill Sport then returned to the Worker under editor H. E. Boote.
• For a number of years contributed verse and prose to the Worker under his own name and under the pen-name ‘Gilrooney’. Was effective opponent of conscription during the conscription campaign of 1916.
• His work also included in other publications, including the Bulletin (Sydney), Gadfly (Adelaide), Worker (Brisbane) and the Gundagai Independent.
• His two books of verse were Land of the Starry Cross (1911) and Gypsy Road (1919). Also wrote a novel, Chandler of Corralinga (c.1913).
• With Tom Mutch founded the NSW Artists’ and Writers’ Association, which in 1909 merged into the Australian Journalists’ Association.
• Described as “a loyal trade unionist to the end".
• His wife Lucy was also a labour activist and a friend and long-time supporter of Australian writers.

Sources
W. H. Wilde, Joy W. Hooton and B. G. Andrews, Oxford Companion to Australian Literature (1994).