James O'Dea (19 October 1935 – 27 November 2021) was a New Zealand trade unionist and activist.

Biography

O'Dea was born in

Newcastle West Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicized Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city, It is also the county town, and sits on the ...

, County Limerick, Ireland, on 19 October 1935 to an unwed mother, and placed in a Catholic orphanage. His mother later reclaimed him from the orphanage and brought him up on her own. When he was 17 years old, O'Dea moved to England to work. He subsequently moved to Australia, working in the mining industry around Alice Springs and witnessing discrimination against

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

. O'Dea settled in New Zealand in 1956, and worked on the construction of the

Meremere Power Station Meremere Power Station is a former coal-fired power station on the Waikato River at Meremere, approximately south of Auckland, New Zealand. Meremere was the first major coal-fired power station in New Zealand, and was commissioned to help meet th ...

, where he became active in trade unions. In 1958, he married Katherine Cummings, and the couple went on to have three children. After divorcing in the 1970s, he remarried in the 1980s and had two more sons. After

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

psychiatrist

Henry Bennett Henry Bennett or Bennet may refer to: * Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington (1618–1685), English statesman *Henry Bennett (U.S. politician) (1808–1874), U.S. Representative from New York *Henry Boswell Bennett (1809–1838), British officer wh ...

was refused service in the lounge bar of the Papakura Hotel in 1959, O'Dea became involved in anti-racism and Māori land rights activities. He participated in the 1975 land march as a volunteer bus driver, resigning from his job to do so, and went on to take part in other significant land protests including the occupations of the Raglan Golf Course and

Bastion Point Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Ōrākei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. The area is significant in New Zealand history as the site of protests in the late 1970s by Māori against forced la ...

in the 1970s, and at

Ihumātao Ihumātao is an archeological site of historic importance in the suburb of Māngere, Auckland. Once a pā site, it stands on the Ihumātao Peninsula, at the base of Ōtuataua, part of the Auckland volcanic field. Its scoria cone reaches above ...

in the late 2010s. O'Dea took part in protests against the

1981 Springbok tour The 1981 South African rugby tour (known in New Zealand as the Springbok Tour, and in Republic of South Africa, South Africa as the Rebel Tour) polarised opinions and inspired widespread protests across New Zealand. The controversy also extende ...

, suffering a beating by police officers near

Eden Park Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...

on the day of the final match of the tour. He was involved in on-the-water protests against visiting American warships in the 1970s and 1980s, campaigned for a united Ireland, and resisted the removal and redevelopment of state houses in the Auckland suburb of Glen Innes in 2012. A member of the Communist Party and a life-long unionist, O'Dea believed that class-based politics were the only means of achieving freedom and justice for working people. John Minto has described O'Dea as a "genuine champion of the working class". O'Dea died in hospital in Auckland on 27 November 2021, aged 86.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ODea, Jimmy 1935 births 2021 deaths People from Newcastle West Irish emigrants to Australia Irish emigrants to New Zealand Naturalised citizens of New Zealand New Zealand activists New Zealand trade unionists New Zealand anti-nuclear activists New Zealand human rights activists New Zealand left-wing activists