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Ron Gray 

This page is intended as a tribute to Ron Gray who played a key role in the APC in South Australia for many years.  Ron died on the 13th of August 2004, aged 79 years.  

Here are some remembrances of Ron from those of us who were fortunate enough to know him.

Speech by Don Jarrett at Ron's funeral

I first became aware of Ron back in the heady days when the metal unions amalgamated in the early ‘70’s at meetings held in the union offices in Halifax St. Some years later in the latish eighties, when Ron was on the International Committee of the UTLC Ron organized my trip, as a delegate of the UTLC, to participate on a Peace Cruise on the Dnieper River in the Ukraine. It was mainly a meeting of peace activists from the U.S. and the Soviet Union with delegates from other European Countries and Australia included. It was a great experience to be with people from diverse organisations discussing a range of issues, from preventing a nuclear catastrophe to concerns for the environment. On my return I decided to involve myself in the peace movement here in Adelaide. It was from that moment that I witnessed the extraordinary energy of Ron Gray in his efforts to build a broad peace movement not only in Adelaide but nationally. Of course he was not alone in this endeavour, there was Irene and the Committee. An aside – Ron was the treasurer. He was a dab hand at collecting subscriptions. If you offered him $20 for a $15 sub the $5 change suddenly became a donation. I think this is called the multiplier effect?

I think it interesting to spend a moment thinking about where the Ron Grays of this world come from and what turned them on. Living as working class people of Ron's age group did, through the traumas of the Great Depression, the Spanish Civil War, the horrors of World War Two, and then the birth of the nuclear age and the consequent threat of nuclear holocaust, it is not surprising that Ron became involved in the struggles of the people for a better life – of security for families in a peaceful world.

But let's take a step back for a moment. Ron worked as a Fitter and was a member of the Amalgamate Engineering Union. He was a member because he regularly attended union meetings, where he paid four pence dues. He was more a listener than an orator, quietly absorbing the political debates of the time and quietly forming his opinions about life. However when the conservative government of the time banned the communist paper The Daily Worker, Ron and his mates smuggled the paper onto the job. Freedom of information and honesty in government were important principles to protect. Now where have I heard that before?

Soon after arriving in Australia Ron found work with ETSA at the beautiful location of Leigh Creek where he maintained the machinery at the open cut mine. After three years he returned to Adelaide in 1966 to work at the ETSA Osborne power station. He became very much involved in union activity and was elected to the shop committee. Of particular note was the strike Ron successfully led against the use of asbestos. As we now know, this was an important initiative not only for the time but a wake up call in the use of such a devastating lethal product. He seemed to be on every committee known to a union member. President of the rank and file committee, the first rank and file vice–president of the A.E.U., elected to the district committee and a delegate to state conference. He was also a delegate to the UTLC and on their International Committee. His last paid position was involved with the health and safety unit with ETSA. If you can’t control them out on the job with the rank and file put them in the office.

In 1972 Ron joined the newly formed Socialist Party of Australia, later to be renamed the Communist Party. Among his contacts he had over time built up a group of readers of the Guardian, the CPA weekly newspaper, and despite his difficulty climbing stairs because of his emphysema he did his round every Friday morning up to the time when he became aware of his other health problems and had to enter hospital. This was typical of Ron.

On his retirement from work in industry, Ron took up voluntary work in the peace movement and since that day dedicated much of his time and energy developing the work of the peace movement. He believed that to change the world it is absolutely necessary to broaden the movement, taking up issues that had wide appeal without lessening the impact. For Ron, Peace was trade union business as it was for the community. And so he set about working among church and other community groups as well as the CPA and Labor party people.

He worked to get the message out to people that wars were the product of greed and a lust for military and economic power, in which our taxes were being expended on the machinery of war instead of converting that machinery for peaceful purposes. Ron, along with others, spread the word through meetings, leaflets, petitions and rallies. There was Ron with his clip board extracting another signature, or Ron handing out leaflets, or Ron encouraging someone to carry a Peace Committee flag or banner. Talking about banners – the APC is the proud owner of a beautiful banner, too big to carry, requiring something more sophisticated – a frame. With great ingenuity Ron built the frame of all frames, and on wheels. A fantastic banner required an equally fantastic piece of equipment to transport it the rally destination. You may have actually seen it in action at the 2003 Festival parade. Pushing the banner was usually fairly comfortable unless there was a breeze blowing down King William St, when it required the skill of a yachtsperson to tack our way along the route.

Ron’s humanitarian response was evident when he strongly encouraged the Peace Committee to send a delegate to the Campaign to Ban Land Mines. Adelaide was a part of the national network with international connections. Ron was our delegate, reporting regularly to our meetings and seeking our support to assist where possible with a photo exhibition, stalls in Rundle Mall and involvement in Refugee Week. Internationally this group were successful in bringing together many governments to influence the UN to review its policies on conventional weapons and Land Mines.

Ron would consider it negligent of me if I did not take this opportunity to refer to current issues confronting the peace movements around the world. Recently we commemorated the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945. This action by the Truman administration irrevocably changed the world. It was an action that defied humanity. It was a warning to the world and especially the Soviet Union that the American government is prepared to use such weapons in the pursuit of American self interest. We are now witnessing the development of that threat with the U.S. government engaging in research and development of mini-nukes and other usable weapons of mass destruction. Undercover of countering terrorism the US is encouraging other nuclear states to produce more nuclear weapons and thereby encouraging proliferation. Therefore, I believe it is necessary for the our government to join with other states to support the Abolition 2000 campaign to begin the process of eliminating nuclear weapons by 2010 with their complete removal from storage by 2020. This can happen at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation conference in New York in 2005. The outrage of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must never be repeated. The peace movement must work towards a new world based on peace and justice.

And in the spirit of Ron Gray - a plodding, prodding and steadfast activist for peace and justice - we should consider that :

- We the people of this country should decide who is welcome to this country and we will welcome refugees.

- We should also decide whether this country should have foreign military bases – that all foreign military bases should be removed.

Ron’s dedication to the welfare of his fellow workers and to the aim of a world of equal opportunity and peace will not be forgotten. Remembering though is not enough; we must in some way help to fill the gap.

A Peace of the Action

Radio program A Peace of the Action is dedicated to commentary on peace and social justice issues. 
Radio Adelaide 101.5FM every Sunday at 12.30.

Ron Gray Human Rights Foundation

Click here for more information about the RGHRF

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