Joe Walker (novelist)
Encyclopedia
Joe Walker was an Australian novelist, newspaper editor and union leader.
, England. He emigrated to Australia in 1928, and spent the Depression years in rural Australia, ending in Darwin
, Northern Territory at the start of World War II
.
and spent the rest of this war in this organisation which was under semi-military control.
on cattle station
s, similar to some of the brutality he would later depict in his novel, No Sunlight Singing.
) and had been deeply affected by what he saw as the ignoble treatment of the aborigines they employed. His novel No Sunlight Singing, written after he left the Territory and was living in Melbourne, Victoria, was an attempt to draw attention to the plight of this people, whom he saw as being exploited by station owners, who were themselves often absentee landlords.
(the last person executed in Australia) in 1967, the gaoling of union leader Clarrie O'Shea
in 1969 and the struggles over the Vietnam War
and conscription
, from the mid-1960s onwards. Joe Walker died in Melbourne in 1971.
Early career
Joseph Walker was born in Harewood, YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England. He emigrated to Australia in 1928, and spent the Depression years in rural Australia, ending in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Northern Territory at the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The war years
Joe Walker, known as ‘Yorky’ because of his accent, worked on the Darwin wharves and became chairman of the waterside section of the North Australian Workers' Union (NAWU) and from November 1943 to October 1947, he was NAWU secretary. On 19 February 1942, the Bombing of Darwin by the Japanese took place. Walker survived the attack, and attempted to remain in Darwin as an active union organizer, even though the city was under military control. He was eventually enrolled in the Civil Constructional CorpsCivil Constructional Corps
The Civil Constructional Corps was an organised labour force of men who volunteered or were conscripted into service to provide wartime infrastructure during World War II in Australia....
and spent the rest of this war in this organisation which was under semi-military control.
Post-war years
He edited the weekly union newspaper, The Northern Standard when it resumed publication after the war. It was the Northern Territory's only newspaper at that time. After the war, Aboriginal workers in the Northern Territory began demanding rights taken for granted by other workers, such as the right to money wages. A February 1947 strike by Aboriginal workers in Darwin was supported by the NAWU. During the public debate over this issue, Joe Walker circulated accounts, based on reports from union organisers, of savage mistreatment of AboriginesAustralian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
on cattle station
Cattle station
Cattle station is an Australian term for a large farm , whose main activity is the rearing of cattle. In Australia, the owner of a cattle station is called a grazier...
s, similar to some of the brutality he would later depict in his novel, No Sunlight Singing.
Writing career
Joe Walker had had first-hand experience of life on outback cattle stations (notably with Vestey’sVestey Group
The Vestey Group is a privately owned UK group of companies, comprising an international food product business and significant cattle ranching and sugar cane farming interests in Brazil and Venezuela.-Business origins:William...
) and had been deeply affected by what he saw as the ignoble treatment of the aborigines they employed. His novel No Sunlight Singing, written after he left the Territory and was living in Melbourne, Victoria, was an attempt to draw attention to the plight of this people, whom he saw as being exploited by station owners, who were themselves often absentee landlords.
Last days
Although Joe Walker did not play a leading role in any political organisation during the 1960s, he joined in many of the campaigns of the period, including the protests against the hanging of Ronald RyanRonald Ryan
Ronald Joseph Ryan was the last person to be legally executed in Australia. Ryan was found guilty of shooting and killing prison officer George Hodson during a prison escape from Pentridge Prison, Victoria in 1965...
(the last person executed in Australia) in 1967, the gaoling of union leader Clarrie O'Shea
Clarrie O'Shea
Clarence Lyell O'Shea, more commonly known as Clarrie O'Shea , was the Victorian State Secretary of the Australian Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees' Association who was jailed in 1969 by Sir John Kerr for contempt of the Industrial Court when he disobeyed a court order that his union pay $8,100 in...
in 1969 and the struggles over the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
, from the mid-1960s onwards. Joe Walker died in Melbourne in 1971.
External links
- No Sunlight Singing at the library of Edith Cowan UniversityEdith Cowan UniversityEdith Cowan University is located in Perth, Western Australia. It was named after the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman....
(includes link to PDF of full text)