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Walter Thomas (Wally) Hobourn (1912–1977)

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Walter Thomas (Wally) Hobourn (1912-1977) boot finisher and trade union official 

Birth: 20 August 1912 at Beaconsfield, New South Wales, son of native-born parents William Hobourn (1886-1927), labourer, formerly a fellmonger, and Hannah, née Curran (1889-1966). Marriage: 4 March 1933 at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Sydney, to Sydney-born Vera Madge Mary Braddick (1913-2006), a tailoress. They had one son. The marriage ended in divorce. Death: 12 June 1977 at Urunga, Sydney; usual residence Alexandria. 

  • His father served in France with the 45th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, in World War I and was invalided to Australia with a war-related illness in May 1919 and was discharged on 2 July 1919.
  • Wally joined the NSW branch of the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation, at Finlay's, as an apprentice in 1927 or 1929. Was shop president at Harry McEvoys Shoes Pty Ltd. Member of the management committee of NSW branch of the union in the early 1940s and was later vice-president. Assistant secretary in 1947 and secretary from 1958 until his untimely death.
  • Representative of NSW branch on Federal Council of Federation from 1946 to 1977. Federal president 1949-1952 and 1966-1969. Delegate to NSW Labor Council for many years. Delegate to Australian Council of Trade Unions Congress 1940 to 1977.
  • Represented Australia at Tripartite Technical Meeting for Leather and Footwear Industry in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1969.
  • Member of the Australian Labor Party from 1940.
  • Organised fund raising for 'Windgap' school for subnormal children. Member of the Alexandria Erskineville Bowling Club.

Sources
Unity, July 1977 p 5; Labor Year Book, 1973.

Additional Resources

Citation details

'Hobourn, Walter Thomas (Wally) (1912–1977)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/hobourn-walter-thomas-wally-34017/text42653, accessed 13 October 2024.

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