Obituaries Australia

August 1 saw the end of life for George Mulholland, one of the best battlers ever turned out by the 'University of Hard Knocks' in Australia. He was 85 years old.

With little formal education, George as a teenager looked for work across NSW and Queensland. The only 'assistance' he obtained was from state welfare homes, 'youth farms' such as Iandra near Grenfell and many others.

George cut his teeth on capitalism's much vaunted theories of economics, justice and the rule of law in this period. In practice, he didn't like it.

Quite naturally he joined in a big waterside workers demo in Melbourne in 1928, protesting against scab labor. Being already a Communist Party member for three years, George had further advanced his education.

He saw a policeman using his baton on the head of an aged wharfie and 'removed' the baton, hiding it in a public toilet. The coppers sprung him, arrested him and banged him in the city watchhouse at Russell St Police Station.

George took a dim view of this and picked the cell door lock with a nail he found on the chain attached to the lock. He escaped and won himself a place in the Guinness Book of Records — 58 years on the loose. He got sick of the suspense and gave himself up on September 11, 1986.

Soon after he was in Stuart, now called Alice Springs. He alerted church people in the east to news of the last largescale massacre of Aboriginal people in the centre. That led to a Royal Commission.

He was a gold miner at Bingara where he locked horns with the police over irregularities committed by the local constables. His leadership of community action brought about an inquiry and subsequent demotion of some officers.

The infamous 'Myall Massacre' was in the Bingara area. George studied this terrible deed and he spent the rest of his life doing his best to advance the Land Rights, voting rights and full democracy for our Black brothers and sisters.

George was an active member of the Newcastle Trades Hall Council Aboriginal Advancement Committee back in 1960. At George's suggestion we invited Dr Archie Kalokerinos to speak on his remarkable development of Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, to treat scurvy among Aboriginal children in the Collerenibri-Wallget area.

George was never in any fixed job for long. He was a prospector. I gather from his stories that his main occupation was travelling around the country sharpening scissors, cut-throat razors, knives, lawn mower blades (and his wits). I think this is why he never became involved in the general formal activities of the CPA branches and district administration.

George was very active in the 1930s around the anti-eviction battles in Sydney. He fought the New Guard verbally and physically. He rode as a body guard on the running board of Clarrie Martin's car — Martin was the NSW Minister for Justice at the time.

George was a 100% Australian battler, a dedicated socialist, a loyal and courageous friend to all who had the good fortune to know him.