People Australia

Lindsay North, n.d.

North, Lindsay Annan (1911-1984) shop assistant, trade union official and parliamentarian 

Birth: 26 August 1911 at Cooktown, Queensland, son of Charles Roger North (1870-1937), bank manager, born in Dublin, Ireland, and Queensland-born Florence Victoria, née Lindsay (1879-1942). Marriage: 30 April 1938 at Berrima, New South Wales, to Dorothy May Morris (1910-1997), a machinist, born at Berrima. They had one daughter. Death: 27 April 1984 at sea, near Little Lake, south of Aurukun, Cairns, Queensland. Religion: Anglican. 

• Educated in Brisbane, Toowoomba and Bribie Island, in Qld. Employed as shop assistant; Woolclasser at Globe Mills.
• Moved to Sydney in 1926. Employed as a shop assistant. Joined shop assistants’ union in 1937. Organiser of NSW branch, Australian Textile Workers' Union, from 1943 to 1972, Secretary 1972-1978 (retired). Member, federal council 1950-about 1979 and federal management committee for twenty-three years. Federal vice-president 1968 for two terms. Federal president 1972 for two terms. Honorary life membership, 1974.
• Returning officer for NSW Labor Council and Australian Council of Trade Unions.
• Joined Australian Labor Party in 1943. Secretary of Abbotsford branch 1943-1966. Member of the central executive from 1952 to 1956 and 1961-1964. Secretary of the Martin-Evans federal electorate council for twenty-one years and Campaign director for Martin-Evans Drummoyne Electorate for twenty-one years; General returning officer for ALP NSW branch, ACTU and the Trades and Labor Council.
• Elected member of the Legislative Council for NSW on April 1964. Remained in parliament until he retired in April 1976.
• Represented ACTU at International Labour Organization convention in Geneva in 1976. Visited several overseas countries during union career including China in 1956 and 1975, South East Asia in 1976, Canada, India, Korea, Hong Kong in 1975, Japan in 1974, Russia in 1975 and 1977, Poland, 1977, East Germany, 1977, West Germany, 1977, United Kingdom 1977 and the United States of America in 1977.
• Member, NSW Lawn Tennis Association for twenty years including councillor. Honorary secretary of Strathfield Lawn Tennis Club for twenty years and gained life membership. Life Membership of Apia club.
• Cause of death: myocardial infarction (hours), coronary atheroma (years) and hypertension (2 years).

Sources
Heather Radi, Peter Spearritt & Elizabeth Hinton (eds) , Biographical Register of the NSW Parliament 1901-1970 (Canberra, 1979), p 213; Labor Year Book, 1973; Textile Topics, August 1978