People Australia

Richard (Dick) Hawkins (1851-1911) miner and trade union official 

Baptism: 24 March 1851 at Rye, Sussex, England, son of Richard Jasper Hawkins (1822-1898?), mariner, and Maria, née Cloak (1825-1873), dressmaker. Marriage: 8 August 1908 at Sydney, New South Wales, to native-born divorcee, Hannah Bridget, née Goggin, late O’Connell (1859-1921). They had one daughter. Death: 15 August 1911 in hospital at Cobar, NSW. Religion: Anglican. 

• According to an appreciation published after his death, he was “cast upon his own resources from the time he was 14 years of age, and compelled to earn his living as best he could, without the help of even an ordinary education”. After a few years “on the boats — mostly sailing vessels”, at the age of 18 he was in London in the midst of a big sailors strike in which he participated.
• Arrived in Australia about 1881. Worked in Sydney.
• To Broken Hill where he worked as a miner and was sometime assistant secretary and president of the Amalgamated Miners’ Association. He was also secretary of the Eight-hours celebration committee.
• Was an “energetic steward of the AMA at Tarrawingee subsequent to the 1892 strike and, with Mr Peter Scully, did good organising work”. Pre-selected Labor candidate for alderman but was defeated.
• To Cobar about 1902. Elected general secretary of the AMA, Canbelego (Cobar) branch in 1907 and held the post until his death. “A genial, bright, bluff man”.
• Member of the committees of the hospital and school of arts at Cobar.
• Cause of death: complications after an operation.

Sources
Worker (Wagga Wagga), 24 August 1911, p 31.