Obituaries Australia

Dusted lungs caused the death in Wollongong Hospital of Mr. Thomas Stacey, veteran trade union and Communist fighter.

For the last 12 months, Mr. Stacey, a miner, had suffered death agonies many times over.

He was in and out of hospital, and for 10 weeks before his death a carbogen cylinder was almost constantly at his bedside.

Everything possible was done to relieve the agony of slow suffocation, but medical science so far has found no real answer to the slow torture of dusted lungs.

As our Wollongong correspondent writes: "Speed the day when this dread complaint can be prevented and a cure discovered for those already affected."

The Australian Communist Party has extended its sympathy to Mr. Stacey's widow and daughter.

Mr. Stacey was a Yorkshire-born miner, who came to Australia 20 years ago. He was an active unionist in Britain, and took part in the great miners' strikes of 1921 and in the historic 1926 general strike.

His stories of experiences in the general strike were always an inspiration to his friends in the Miners' Federation here.

In the depression, Tom Stacey played a leading role in the struggles of the Unemployed and Relief Workers' Association in Wollongong. He was on the Association's District Committee and on the editorial board of its district paper. He was also President of the Mount Kembla Unemployed and was co-editor of the local Courier.

Mr. Stacey represented Mount Kembla Miners' Lodge on the Delegate Board for several years and later did a good job as Lodge President.

Besides this he was active in the Mount Kembla Parents and Citizens' Association. He was either Secretary or President for 11 years, and Treasurer of the District P. and C.

Tom Stacey was an ardent Communist. He had been Secretary of Mount Kembla ACP Branch.

On the Progress Association, he battled for a free shire library, for playgrounds and other local amenities.