Herbert Michael "Bert" Cremean (8 May 1900 – 24 May 1945) was an Australian politician. He was a
Labor Party member of the
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne.
The presiding ...
for the districts of
Dandenong
Dandenong is a southeastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, about from the Melbourne CBD. It is the council seat of the City of Greater Dandenong local government area, with a recorded population of 30,127 at the . Situated mainly ...
(1929–1932) and
Clifton Hill (1934–1945). He was
Deputy Premier of Victoria
The deputy premier of Victoria is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Victoria. The deputy premier position was created in May 1932, with Robert Menzies being the first person to hold the position. The deputy premier is appointe ...
for four days in September
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 – ...
.
[Cremean, Herbert Michael]
''Re-member'' (Parliament of Victoria).
Early life
Cremean was born in Richmond, an inner city suburb of Melbourne, in May 1900. His parents were Timothy Carton Cremean, a carpenter, and Cecelia Hannah O'Connell. He was educated at St Ignatius' School in Richmond and St Patrick's College in East Melbourne, and held a broad range of occupations including clerk, timberworker, machinist and tram driver.
[Geoff Browne]
'Cremean, Herbert Michael (Bert) (1900–1945)'
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 18 June 2013.
Political career
Cremean's family were active in local Labor politics, with both his mother and uncle having served as mayor of the
City of Richmond
The City of Richmond was a local government area about east of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1855 until 1994.
History
Richmond was incorporated as a municipality on 24 Ap ...
. Cremean joined Richmond Council in 1926, and was mayor from 1928 to 1929 during a time in which the council was split by factional rivalries. In 1929, Cremean sought preselection for the Victorian lower house seat of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
, but was defeated in controversial circumstances by
Ted Cotter.
Cremean then sought and won preselection for the seat of
Dandenong
Dandenong is a southeastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, about from the Melbourne CBD. It is the council seat of the City of Greater Dandenong local government area, with a recorded population of 30,127 at the . Situated mainly ...
, and defeated the incumbent Nationalist member and railways minister
Frank Groves
Frank Groves (25 March 1873 – 3 June 1959) was an Australian politician.
He was born in Melbourne to brass moulder Edward Groves and Hannah Box. He attended state schools before becoming a Collingwood-based plumber. After the 1890s finan ...
at the
1929 state election.
Cremean represented Dandenong for one term, until Groves regained the seat for the
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...
at the
election in 1932.
Following his defeat, Cremean worked as an assistant purchasing officer for the Vacuum Oil Company.
In 1934, Cremean was preselected for the scheduled by-election for the seat of
Clifton Hill, which was vacated by
Maurice Blackburn
Maurice McCrae Blackburn (19 November 1880 – 31 March 1944) was an Australian politician and socialist lawyer, noted for his protection of the interests of workers and the establishment of the legal firm known as Maurice Blackburn Lawyers.
...
who had resigned to contest the federal seat of
Bourke. As the only candidate at the close of nominations, Cremean was elected unopposed.
In 1941, Cremean was instrumental in the founding of "
The Movement
The Movement may refer to:
Politics
* The Movement (Iceland), a political party in Iceland
* The Movement (Israel), a political party in Israel, led by Tzipi Livni
* Civil rights movement, the African-American political movement
* The Movemen ...
"—a consolidation of Catholic trade unions devoted to fighting communism. Although he would not live to see the
Australian Labor Party split of 1955
The Australian Labor Party split of 1955 was a split within the Australian Labor Party along ethnocultural lines and about the position towards communism.
Key players in the split were the federal opposition leader H. V. "Doc" Evatt and B. A. S ...
which resulted, Cremean was the person who suggested the formation of the group, and worked closely with
B. A. Santamaria
Bartholomew Augustine Santamaria, usually known as B. A. Santamaria (14 August 1915 – 25 February 1998), was an Australian Roman Catholic anti-Communist political activist and journalist. He was a guiding influence in the founding of the Dem ...
to organise it. In December 1942, Cremean authored and published a booklet, ''Red Glows the Dawn: A History of the Australian Communist Party'', under the pseudonym Michael Lamb, warning of communist tactics and infiltration of the Labor Party.
[Duncan, Bruce (2001): ''Crusade Or Conspiracy: Catholics and the Anti-Communist Struggle in Australia'', UNSW Press. .]
In 1943, Cremean was appointed
Deputy Premier of Victoria
The deputy premier of Victoria is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Victoria. The deputy premier position was created in May 1932, with Robert Menzies being the first person to hold the position. The deputy premier is appointe ...
and Chief Secretary in the short-lived
First Cain Ministry, which lasted less than four days before having its commission withdrawn after the Governor refused to dissolve the parliament on Premier
John Cain's request.
Death
In 1945, Cremean underwent surgery for a long-standing colonic
fistula
A fistula (plural: fistulas or fistulae ; from Latin ''fistula'', "tube, pipe") in anatomy is an abnormal connection between two hollow spaces (technically, two epithelialized surfaces), such as blood vessels, intestines, or other hollow or ...
at Mount St Evin's Hospital in Fitzroy, but he contracted
peritonitis
Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...
and died on 24 May.
Cremean's death triggered
a by-election for Clifton Hill, at which his brother,
Jack Cremean
John Lawrence Cremean (26 January 1907 – 11 August 1982) was an Australian politician. Born in Melbourne, he was educated at Catholic schools before becoming a clerk. He was secretary to federal Labor minister Arthur Calwell from 1942 to 1 ...
, was elected.
References
External links
*
Red Glows the Dawn', Cremean's anti-communist booklet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cremean, Bert
1900 births
1945 deaths
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Deputy Premiers of Victoria
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria
Mayors of places in Victoria (Australia)
Australian anti-communists
Australian Roman Catholics
Deaths from peritonitis
People from Richmond, Victoria
Politicians from Melbourne