Obituaries Australia

Tom Richards, n.d.

The political Labor movement suffered a great loss last week-end when Mr. Thomas Richards, aged 78 years, Secretary of the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation, died suddenly.

Mr. Richards was always a staunch Labor supporter. In his early days in Ballarat he was one of those stalwarts who worked relentlessly in the interests of Labor. He was one of the foundation members of the powerful Ballarat Branch.

He, at one time, contested Ballarat East seat in the Assembly. That seat has since been abolished.

Mr. Richards' activities in the Labor Movement in Ballarat were so effective that he began to find it difficult to get employment and had to come to Melbourne. He immediately became an active member of the Clifton Hill Branch and, later, the Northcote Branch.

A fearless debater and a champion in the interests of justice, his qualities soon became manifest in Melbourne and he was elected Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation in 1918.

During the years since then he has worked untiringly for the cause of Labor, and only last Monday week the grand old stalwart braved the elements and went to Collingwood to speak at the opening meeting for Mr. Towers in the Collingwood campaign.

Those people who were fortunate to be there and hear him speak marvelled at his ability on the hustings and were convinced that he, as much as anything else, was responsible for such a good result.

The movement mourns his passing and extends to his family its deepest sympathy in the loss of a stalwart who goes to rest with laurels thick upon him in his lifelong endeavor to make the world a better place than when he found it.