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William John Llewellyn (1901–1990)

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William John Llewellyn (1901-1990) miner and trade union official

Birth: 18 January 1901 at Ipswich, Queensland, son of Thomas Benjamin Llewellyn (1864-1942), coalminer, born at Nantgarw, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom, and Margaret, née Wall (1870-1938), born at Ipswich, Queensland. Marriage: 1 October 1921 in Queensland to Veiner May Mitchell (1902-1994). They had one daughter and two sons. Death: 25 May 1990 in hospital at Ipswich. 

  • Contract miner at the Blackheath Colliery, Ipswich, Queensland. Stated in 1953 that he had thirty-eight years’ experience in the industry. Associated with the Queensland Colliery Employees’ Union (QCEU) from 1940 at least.
  • Chairman of the QCEU’s Ipswich District Amenities Committee in 1947. Prominent in 1949 coal strike, distributing strike pay in defiance of Chifley government's fund-freezing legislation.
  • Executive member of Queensland district of Miners' Federation. Sometime president and vice-president Queensland district 1950-1960. Prominent in anti-retrenchment campaigns of late 1950s, serving as chairman of union's Ipswich Area Committee.
  • Acting Queensland district secretary 1960 on death of Charlie Tucker, retiring later in same year.
  • Cause of death: cerebrovascular accident (two and a half months) and congestive cardiac failure (two years).

Sources
Pete Thomas, The coalminers of Queensland: a narrative history of the Queensland Colliery Employees Union. Volume 1 Creating the traditions (Ipswich, 1986).

Citation details

'Llewellyn, William John (1901–1990)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/llewellyn-william-john-34334/text43088, accessed 2 June 2025.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Life Summary [details]

Birth

18 January, 1901
Ipswich, Queensland, Australia

Death

25 May, 1990 (aged 89)
Ipswich, Queensland, Australia

Cause of Death

stroke

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