Vale Comrade

Vilma Espin Guillois - guerilla fighter, president of the Cuban Women's Federation, Member of Parliament and Member of the Council of State - was a woman recognised internationally for her lifelong stand for women's rights and emancipation, national liberation and revolution.

Vilma Espín Guillois: Cuba's 1st lady

Vilma Espín Guillois, revolutionary organiser, born April 7 1930; died June 18 2007.

Comrade Espin inspired progressive people worldwide. She took up arms against the corrupt Fulgencio Batista dictatorship and continued her battle for social justice in the Cuban parliament and government after its overthrow.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro is divorced. So as one of the communist nation's most politically powerful women and wife of Fidel's brother and designated successor, acting President Raul Castro, Espin was considered Cuba's de facto first lady.

Espin was born into a wealthy family in Santiago, eastern Cuba, but became a young urban rebel taking part in early street protests against Batista after he seized power in a 1952 coup.

Santiago is Cuba's second city after Havana with a strong French influence since the Haitian revolution of 1791. Espin's mother came from this French tradition. Her father was a lawyer working for Bacardi rum.

After Fidel's abortive attack on the Moncada barracks in Santiago in 1953, the family safeguarded Espín's life by sending her to study industrial chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.

She returned to Cuba in 1956, to receive detailed instructions for political work directly from Castro.

Her code name was "Deborah" and she was charged with liaison with the US consulate in Santiago, where the English Guardian reports the CIA desk officer later recalled, "My staff and I were all Fidelistas".

As the Batista police closed in on her, Espin joined the guerrilla movement in the mountains, teaming up with Raúl Castro's group in the Sierra Cristal.

She became deeply involved in the revolutionary underground and assumed leadership of the urban rebel movement in eastern Cuba, right up to the final triumphant march on Havana in 1958.

"She formed part of an impressive group of revolutionary women, all survivors of the guerrilla war of the 1950s, and all the wives or lovers of Cuba's top leadership," The Guardian obituary said, noting one starstruck British diplomat as saying "she manages to make even her uniforms smart and feminine."

On coming to power Fidel asked all his comrades to 'regularise' their guerrilla liaisons. Espin married Raúl in Mexico in 1959. According to Time magazine, "the bride wore lace and a Juliet cap of pearls; the groom wore a .45 automatic and a ponytail."

As a senior organiser of the original revolution, Espín became active at the highest level of government, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and also of the Council of State.

A tall, auburn haired woman with spectacles, Espin was a highly recognised figure at gatherings of the National Assembly and other important government meetings.

Espin founded the Federation of Cuban Women in 1960, which she led until shortly before her death, recruiting virtually every woman and adolescent girl on the island as members. The Federation was set up originally in the wake of the first agrarian reform to create schools for peasant women, and to organise childcare centres, setting up schools to upgrade the skills of domestic workers and liberate women from the tyranny of the home.

As its president Espin played a leading role in the Cuban literacy campaign of 1961, when 100,000 student teachers, most of them teenage girls, spread out across the country to teach a million people to read and write.

The federation also sought to improve the lot of women in a resolutely macho society, by attempting to persuade men to do household chores and childcare.

She is survived by her husband Raul, three daughters, Mariela, Deborah and Nilsa, and one son, Alejandro.

Mariela continues much of her mother's work through the national centre for sex education, of which she is director, an organisation that campaigns for the rights of lesbians, gays and transsexuals.

MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin wrote to the Cuban Consulate General in June on behalf of Australian maritime workers, passing on condolences to her family and to our Cuban comrades who must still mourn their great loss.

Pincher Martin: Legendary

Pincher Martin, legendary retired president of the Seamen's Union of New Zealand (now Maritime Union of New Zealand) and great friend and comrade of our union passed away peacefully in his sleep in June.

The son of a seaman, Pincher was born in Wapping in the docks area of London in 1923 and emigrated to NZ with his family when he was five.

He joined the union in 1939, shipping out of Dunedin as a boy on scows, coasters and Trans Tasman freighters before joining British tramp steamers on the Trans Atlantic route during the war. He crewed a vessel taking soldiers to the beaches on Normandy in June of 1944.

He worked as a lumberjack in Oregon post-war and after falling foul of American immigration authorities was deported to New Zealand where he rejoined the union, crewing mostly Union Company ships plying the trans-Pacific trade. In 1960, he was elected to the executive of the union becoming vice-president 14 months later.

In May 1964, 41-year-old Bill 'Pincher' Martin was elected president of the union, succeeding Fintan Patrick Walsh who had died in office.

Pincher is widely lauded for opening up the union to greater democracy, increasing rank and file involvement, and bringing the Seamen's Union of New Zealand and the Seamen's Union of Australia much closer industrially and politically. Part of the collaboration resulted in the strengthening of NZ and Australian crewing Trans Tasman vessels, including the Bulknes, which was jointly crewed by both unions.

Pincher also took on issues of a political nature during his nine-year reign as president, such as opposition to French nuclear testing in the Pacific with the support of the SUA.

One of the first tasks was disseminating information to members and he launched a union information sheet on New Year's Day 1964. This soon became a monthly publication, expanding in May 1966 to a fully-fledged magazine, The Seamen's Journal, in effect a rebirth of the publication that had last run off the press in 1935.

April 1967 saw the formation of a national union, the New Zealand Seamen's Union Industrial Union of Workers, ending close to 90 years of independent branch union activity.

In November 1968 Pincher oversaw the union's first ever rank-and-file conference held at Mt Maunganui. Out of this conference he led the union on issues such as a fairer leave system, an aggregate wage system, the setting up of the pension and welfare scheme in 1972 after an eight year negotiation, retraining for new types of work on modern bulk loading, roll-on ships and a campaign for a national shipping line. Many of these industrial initiatives were also being set by the SUA and the two unions conferred closely on the campaigns.

In November 1971 Pincher led the union through the deregistration of the NZ Seamen's Union which was re-registered intact in 1972.

Pincher resigned in August of 1973 and went back to sea. He was elected as Wellington Branch executive member - a seagoing position - and sat on the executive for six years before retiring to Australia and living with some comrades in Tweed Heads. He remained directly involved in support of both the SUA, MUA, his own union and MUNZ.

In office and in retirement Pincher was tireless in his support of workers, particularly NZ and Australian seafarers and our unions - a valued contributor at nearly all of our union's activities and meetings. His wisdom, commitment, knowledge of our union and maritime history and great good humour made him a continuing part of the rich character and industrial strength of our union.

Pincher returned to Lyttelton some years ago to live in the house he grew up in, next door to his sister Pat. He died in his sleep on June 12.

Pincher is survived by his son Billy, daughter Brenda and sisters Pat and Margaret.

He will be greatly missed by his many friends and comrades in New Zealand, Australia and around the world.

Vale Pincher, a worker and a working class leader.

Paddy Crumlin

MUA National Secretary

Mr Grumpy

Pincher Martin (or Mr Grumpy as he was warmly known) was a walking history book. You could sit with him for a quick chat and, before you realised it, three hours or more had passed.

For many years as the Federal Secretary of the New Zealand Seaman's Union, he worked alongside the likes of E.V Elliot, in defending the rights of the working class and ensuring that Kiwi seamen had a pickup, had superannuation and true dignity in their work, and most of all a sustainable wage and conditions.

While I could go on and tell some outstanding and funny tales about my friend, comrade and mentor, I'll leave that to somebody else.

Pincher I thank you for the knowledge and wisdom you passed on to me (and by the way Mr Grumpy, it wasn't me who gave you that nickname).

And with that knowledge I pledge to continue the struggle.

Bruce Doleman

Union No 4660

Wives at Sea

Pincher Martin was an esteemed comrade for many years on both sides of the Tasman, especially when he was President of the New Zealand Seamen's Union for a number of years.

I had the pleasure of sailing with Pincher on two ships in New Zealand. They were the Aotearoa and Union Aotearoa.

On the latter vessel, Pincher was responsible for the 'Wives at Sea' concept. Five wives were carried on the first trip, two from upstairs, two from the Seamen's Union and one from the Cooks and Stewards' Union. It worked quite well.

A gathering of ex New Zealand seamen and Australian seamen rallied at Twin Towns Club in Tweed Heads, NSW on June 15 to pay their respects to Pincher and reflect on his life at sea.

A card was signed by all present and sent to Pincher's sister in New Zealand. Sadly missed but not forgotten.

Paul Burke

On behalf of

Retired Australian and New Zealand Seamen

Tweed/Gold Coast

Life member 3169

Bernard Ellis: Last words

1932-2007

Comrade Bernard Ellis (Barney) passed away in July after a long illness.

In his last message which was read out at his private funeral he had this to say:

"I now wish to remind all of those present that there are not many other things in life that I regret, not many things which I would deem to be needful of retrospective change. I've had a good life because of my beloved wife, my family and my political and union commitments. I wish I'd been a better husband and father and I wish I'd been a better unionist and communist. I wish that I were leaving the world in a better condition that it was in when I came into it. But it's too late now and, as the last link in my anchor cable slips down the hawse pipe, I leave you all with only my very best of wishes for a future that is more just, fair, and equitable and that the working class of people throughout the world eventually come to the understanding of their rightful inheritance, that is the union of all workers everywhere gathered together to demand and achieve their rightful share of whatever it is that they produce. Their catch cry should be, 'From each according to their ability. To each according to their needs.' Because, in the long run, loved ones, comrades and friends, there is no fortress that the workers cannot conquer."

Barney was born in the Newcastle suburb of Islington during the Great Depression with its mass unemployment - a period that was to influence his ideas. He later lived in Newcastle East - a working class area known as the Sandhills. The suburb was inhabited mainly by coal miners, seamen and wharfies.

He worked in a variety of jobs until he was able to achieve his ambition and go to sea. When he was 16 he joined the Seamen's Union and went to sea as a deck boy on the SS Arkarba. This was a beginning in the seagoing industry that was to last some 50 years.

When he paid off the Bundaleer in Fremantle he decided to sail deep sea joining the Danish ship Vedby. He served in Danish, Norwegian and British vessels; he spent a lot of time in the Persian Gulf (Iran and Iraq) and up and down the south and east coast of Africa.

He was to say that it was places like South Africa and Portuguese East Africa in the late forties and fifties that opened his eyes. He lived for a time in South Africa (East London and Durban) and served a short time in an immigration prison as an illegal immigrant where he witnessed the harsh treatment of the blacks by the white jailers.

Barney eventually returned to Australia and re-joined the Seamen's Union where he was to remain until his retirement. During that time he served in tankers, cargo ships, tenders and tugs, taking part in many union struggles. He was especially proud of being a member of the Seamen's Union, a union he considered unique, and had great regard for the leadership of communists such as E V Elliot and John Brennan.

He joined the Communist Party and subsequently the Socialist Party of Australia and the Maritime Unionists Socialist Activities Association (MUSAA) of which he was a member until he passed away.

He was to say that "it was my years in foreign ships which cemented my opinion of trade unions generally and of the Seamen's Union in particular. Those experiences confirmed in me the understanding that the 'Union' (no matter which one or of which industry) was the only tool available to working-class men to protect themselves and their shipmates from the attacks of the shipowners."

Our condolences to his wife Loraine, sons Gregory and Stephen, daughter Karynn and grand children

Tom Curphey

Newcastle Secretary

MUA Veterans

Peter Avraam: Proud unionist

A proud seafarer and union member has passed away from lung cancer and I wanted everyone to know how proud my father was of the union. He often spoke of how much the MUA had done for working men and women.

Peter was born in 1931 and was a member of the union for 40 years.

He sailed on the Seaway Queen and Seaway King and his last ship was the Arthur Phillip. He finished working on ships in 1992.

Maria Avaraam

Paphou No. 2

Aradippou Larnaca

7102 Cyprus.

Stanley Forbes: Good Man

Dear Comrades, through the pages of the Journal it is my sad duty to inform members of the death of Stanley Patrick Forbes, who passed away in May at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne.

Stan was born in Glasgow in 1950 and at a very young age moved to the Isle of Eriskay in the Hebrides in Scotland, which has a fine seafaring tradition.

He came on the coast in 1977 and his first job was on lighthouse ships where he made many friends, both socially and professionally. His last ship was the Spirit of Tasmania before he retired due to bad health. That insidious cancer got Stan in the end, as it has a lot of other good men before him. To all who know Stan, he will be sadly missed.

Farewell Comrade.

Sean Breen

Union No 58

John Balas: staunch unionist

It is with great sadness that I pass on to members the news that Big John Balas from Newcastle, better known as "Keg" or "JB" passed away on 21 February.

For those unfortunate not to have known or ever sailed with Big John, he could only be described as the sort of bloke who made going to sea all worthwhile.

A devoted and loving family man he was the proud father of seven children and many grandchildren.

John started working life as a boilermaker, followed by many years at sea on many different vessels. He was well known throughout the Iron Boat fleet. As a staunch trade unionist and a hard worker, he often filled the role of ship's delegate as well as the position of Chief IR.

John's last ship was the LNG tanker Northwest Sanderling where he was highly regarded and extremely popular with all departments. On board the Sanderling John was never once known to have a bad day. A big, strong man with a kind and gentle nature, he was always cheerful with a permanent smile beneath his big blue eyes.

With a predominantly younger crowd on board the Sanderling, Big John was often warmly thought of as a grandfatherly figure and never missed the opportunity to spin a colourful yarn of his experiences at sea and years gone by, much to the delight and amusement of his younger crew members who thought the world of him.

The passing of Big John means the loss of another great member who leaves behind many fond and cherished memories with his comrades in the Australian merchant fleet.

Our sincere condolences go to all of John's family and loved ones ashore. Farewell and rest in peace our dear old friend, for you shall be missed, but certainly never forgotten.

Northwest Sanderling delegates Scott Campbell, Wayne Langshaw and David Wilkinson, on behalf of all crew members.