People Australia

Gilbert Samuel (Gil) Manuel (1911-1996) boilermaker, trade union official and conciliation commissioner

Birth: 27 October 1911 at Broken Hill, New South Wales, ninth of fifteen children of South Australian born parents William James Manuel (1868-1936), fettler, and Anna Emma, née Nyholm (1876-1946), whose father was born in Finland. Marriage: 18 March 1950 at Broken Hill Methodist Church to Mona Doreen Westmacott (1917-2017), accounting machine operator at the Town Hall, born in Broken Hill. They had one daughter and one son. Death: 25 February 1996 at Wahroonga, Sydney, NSW. 

• His father was a long-time employee of the Silverton Tramway Company.
• Gil was educated at Burke Ward Public School and Broken Hill Technical College.
• He was clerk, Silverton Tramway Company (STC), from 1925 to 1928; apprenticed boilermaker with STC in 1928-1933; mineworker in 1934-1936; and boilermaker with STC in 1936 and with North Broken Hill Ltd from 1936 to 1953.
• He contested Australian Labor Party preselection for the State seat of Cobar in 1949 and nominated for preselection for the Federal seat of Darling in 1951 but no ballot was held because of the early closing of nominations.
• Having been trustee then vice-president of the Barrier Industrial Council, he was elected secretary of the BIC in May 1953, succeeding J. G. Polkinghorne, and held office until 1963.
• Manuel was NSW State Conciliation Commissioner, Sydney, from 20 May 1963 to 1977.
• An original member of the Aero Club of Broken Hill (in May 1937), he was a trained solo pilot. He was also a member of the Broken Hill Bowling Club, secretary for five years and president for to years. He also played Australian Rules football and cricket. 

Sources
Barrier Daily Truth (Broken Hill), 20 May 1953, p 1; Who's Who in Australia 1968.