People Australia

Walter Riddiford

Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW), 23 January 1951, p 5

Walter Frederick ('Wally') Riddiford (1895-1984) miner, trade unionist, mayor of Broken Hill 

Birth: 28 March 1895 at Mt Browne, Milparinka, New South Wales, son of Catherine Riddiford, née Spencer (1858-1932), born in South Australia, who signed with a mark. No father was recorded. Wally’s marriage and death registrations cited Alfred Riddiford, a miner, born in Gloucestershire, England in 1834, as his father, though Alfred had died in South Australia on 24 November 1893 having fathered nine children with Catherine between 1877 and 1892. Wally’s mother married John Shanahan (1846-1915) a miner born at Bendigo, Victoria, at Milparinka on 10 June 1895. They had a daughter born in 1897. Marriage: (1) 6 July 1918 at Sacred Heart cathedral, Broken Hill, to Catherine Cradock (1896-1932), born in Broken Hill. They had two sons and two step-daughters. (2) 1962 in Victoria to native-born Florence Stella Newstead, née Moyle, late Hiscock (1900-1967), Death: 13 May 1984 at Broken Hill base hospital, Broken Hill. Religion: Catholic. 

• Attended school in Adelaide, then at North Broken Hill, leaving aged 15. Rural worker, joining Australian Workers’ Union about 1910.
• To Broken Hill in 1910; to work at North Mine, Broken Hill, 1913, joining Amalgamated Miners’ Association. Briefly returned to rural work.
• Joined Australian Labor Party in 1916, remaining life-long member. Sergeant of pickets during Broken Hill 44-hours strike in 1916. Active in 18-month long Broken Hill strike of 1919-20. After strike worked at several mines, but primarily at the South mine.
• Served two terms as president of the Barrier District Assembly, ALP. Member of executive of Workers Industrial Union of Australia, Barrier Branch (WIUA), WIUA vice-president for several terms. WIUA delegate to Barrier Industrial Council from 1927. Elected WIUA president 1933, retaining position until 1941. Vice-president of Barrier Industrial Council. Represented WIUA on Miners’ Federation Central Council for many years.
• Defeated by Albert Kersten in ALP preselection for federal seat of Darling in 1939.
• Elected to Broken Hill Council as ALP alderman in 1934, serving continuously as an alderman until 1948. Re-elected WIUA president 1947-48. Elected mayor of Broken Hill 1949, retaining office for 15 terms until resigning to live in Melbourne in 1962.
• Appointed officer of the Order of the British Empire on 13 June 1957.
• Co-founder of Broken Hill Pensioners’ Association. Vice-president of Broken Hill Historical Society. Co-founder of Broken Hill and District Bush Children’s Hostels Association. Made ALP Life Member during Broken Hill centenary celebrations, 1983.
• Cause of death cerebrovascular accident, congestive cardiac failure, chronic obstructive airways disease and general senility.

Sources
Barrier Daily Truth (Broken Hill), 7 September 1933, [p5]; 1 December 1934; Common Cause, 27 April 1977, 23 May 1984.