Obituaries Australia

The tragically early death last Friday morning of Tribune editor, Alec Robertson, has robbed the Communist Party and the democratic revolutionary movement of a man whose life embodied in his character, personality and work, the best traditions of the socialist movement.

Alec's family background of progressive educationists, pacifists and journalists paved the way for his entry into the movement as a writer and creative thinker and doer.

His father was editor of the "Daily Standard" in Brisbane, the first daily paper of the Labor movement which played a leading part in the anti-conscription and anti-imperialist struggles of the First World War period.

Alec himself, as a cadet journalist on the Brisbane "Courier Mail" won a Kemsley Award which took him to London and work in Fleet Street. The purpose of the Kemsley Award was to turn journalists into faithful servants of imperialism. Alec often recounted how all the Kemsley Award winners of his period, in the era of anti-fascist struggle, took precisely the opposite course and became actual opponents of imperialism, fascism and war.

On his return to Brisbane in the early 1930's he was dismissed from his position on the "Courier Mail" for refusing to obey an editorial instruction to cease his anti-war, anti-fascist activities.

During the anti-fascist war Alec served in the Army and later in the Air Force and, returning to journalism in the post-war period, soon found himself actively involved in struggle against the Cold War policies of the Menzies Government. Abandoning what was, by now, a highly promising career in journalism, he became a full-time worker in the peace movement, and later a Communist cadre and editor of Tribune.

Alec impressed all who knew him by his high level of ability combined with a fundamental modesty, his capacity for fresh and independent thought, and by his tenacious and principled approach to the struggle for working class power and socialism.

His wide range of interests and activities brought him into contact with many diverse sections of the community where his influence was very considerable.

He was never a man for the easy and superficial slogan as a substitute for real, concrete thought about political problems, and made important theoretical contributions in the struggle for a genuine Marxist party, seeking to apply apply socialist principles in the conditions of Australian reality.

At the same time he continued to be involved in the mass struggles of the people and especially the work for peace and democracy.

Alec's life was one of dedication to the movement for the liberation of humanity, and his personal qualities of kindliness, comradeship and love of his fellows was reciprocated by the affection he aroused in all who knew him.

His untimely death has left a gap in our lives that will be hard to fill, but knowing Alec as we did, I feel that his last message to us, if he could have given it, would be for the Communist Party and its membership and supporters to redouble our efforts for the cause to which he devoted his life.