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Joseph Mark (Jack) Richards (1891–1972)

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Joseph Mark (Harry/Jack) Richards (1891-1972) bus employee and trade union official

Birth 27 June 1891 at Sunnyside, Tasmania, son of native-born Arthur Tilley William Richards (1860-1947), farmer, and Harriet, née Johnstone (1862-1938). Marriages: (1) 18 October 1916 at St Thomas’s Anglican Church, Balmain West, Sydney, New South Wales, to native-born Irene Violet Grace Andersen (1896-1917). (2) 1934 at Burwood, Sydney, to Sydney-born Kathleen Mary Ward (1909-1987). They had one daughter and three sons. Death: 10 November 1972 at Calvary Hospital, Kogarah, NSW; usual residence Princes Highway, Carlton, Sydney. Religion: Presbyterian. 

  • His paternal grandfather Joseph Richards (1810-1894) arrived in Tasmania as a convict aboard the John on 9 October 1830.
  • At his marriage in 1916 he was a hotelkeeper in Cootamundra, New South Wales.
  • By 1938 he was living at Marrickville, Sydney, and had been an organiser for the Motor Omnibus Employees’ Association for twelve months.
  • Represented the association in involvement in contingency plan to evacuate Sydney in case of invasion in 1942, using all forms of transport including private vehicles and government transport.
  • Secretary/treasurer of the Private Motor Omnibus Employees’ Association in 1950s (later merged with Transport Workers’ Union of Australia). Involved in initiating the first Interstate Bus and Coach Award.
  • Represented union in many arbitration court cases.
  • Credited with being in the crew of the first ‘Double Decker’ bus to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
  • Retired when 78 years old in about 1969.
  • Cause of death carcinoma of stomach (months).

Sources
Information from correspondence and official records supplied by Joseph A. Richards, son of Joseph Mark; Official records include letter from State Secretary/ Treasurer, Steve Hutchins, Transport Workers’ Union of Australia 5 Dec. 1997; Membership and annual leave records of Motor Omnibus Employees’ Association; Birth Certificate of Joseph A Richards (including information of father).

Citation details

'Richards, Joseph Mark (Jack) (1891–1972)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/richards-joseph-mark-jack-34723/text43695, accessed 26 April 2025.

© Copyright People Australia, 2012

Life Summary [details]

Birth

27 June, 1891
Sunnyside, Tasmania, Australia

Death

10 November, 1972 (aged 81)
Kogarah, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Cause of Death

cancer (stomach)

Religious Influence

Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.

Occupation or Descriptor
Key Organisations