People Australia

Lawrence Gustave Grulke (1909-1990) teacher and trade union official

Birth: 18 October 1909 at Pittsworth, Queensland, son of Gustave Edward Ferdinand Grulke (1885-1958), a housepainter, and Annie Amelie, née Jorgensen (1888-1969). Marriages: (1) 15 February 1936 at Brisbane to Julia Catherine Healion (1895-1954). (2) 1957 at Brisbane to Betty Florence Hilda Pledger (1931-1992. Death: 11 September 1990 in St Mary’s Nursing Home, Manly, Queensland. Religion: Anglican. 

• His paternal grandparents had been born in Pomeranie, Germany, his grandfather Gustave Edward Ferdinand senior (1848-1885), a labourer, at Dargeslaf, Kreis Greifenbert, and his grandmother Henriette Wilhelmine Karoline Beier (1847-1943) at Oaks Forest, Echstadtwalde. His maternal grandfather Hans Jorgensen (1857-1896), a farmer, was born at Andkjar, Jutland Denmark.
• Lawrence was educated at State Schools, Toowoomba, Oakey, Wangary and Roma. He became a junior teacher, completing a BA part-time at the University of Queensland in 1929-1933. Graduated B Ed in 1948.
• First teaching appointment, Roma, 1928, then worked in numerous schools before joining Teachers’ College as a lecturer in 1956.
• Was a skilled public debater with the Workers Educational Association.
• President, South Coast Association, Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU), 1943-1945; president, Stanthorpe group, 1946.
• With his power base in Secondary School Teachers branch, Brisbane, he became council member of the QTU in 1950. In 1954 he was elected to executive. In 1955-1956 he was vice president.
• In September 1956 Grulke was elected general secretary of the QTU.
• Supported the Masonic/protestant faction in teaching service and union. ‘The epitome of a gentleman…urbane…evoked the various traits of civilised behaviour’. Took strong control of QTU, but a more militant, less reasonable approach may have achieved more for members.
• Rejected approaches of the Trades and Labor Council re affiliation, striving to maintain distinction between blue and white-collar workers. Ineffectively resisted deterioration in teaching conditions/class sizes, though achieved notable success in securing equal pay in 1966.
• His term as QTU general secretary ended in 1971.
• Cause of death: bronchopneumonia (4 days), congestive cardiac failure (4 days) and Parkinson’s disease (20 years).

Sources
Queensland Teachers’ Journal, September 1956, November 1971, July-August 1972. Andrew Spaull and Martin Sullivan, A history of the Queensland Teachers Union (Sydney, 1989.