John Robert Troy (born 23 September 1941) was an Australian politician, and a member of the

Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House in the Western Australian capital, Perth. The Legisla ...

from 1977 until 1980 representing the seat of

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

Biography

Dr Troy was born in

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...

, an inner suburb of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, to

Paddy Troy Patrick Laurence Troy (17 January 1908 – 19 April 1978) was an Australian trade unionist and communist activist. Life Troy was born in South Melbourne to Irish marine officer Patrick William Troy and Hilda Winifred, ''née'' Ainsworth. T ...

, a seaman, union secretary and state leader of the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...

, and Mabel (née Neilson). He was educated at East Fremantle Primary School and at Fremantle Boys' School before commencing his studies at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

. Initially an engineering student, he undertook casual work on the docks between 1959 and 1961 before becoming a trainee engineman on the railways and ultimately a qualified fireman, and was involved in the

Locomotive Engine Drivers' and Firemen's Union A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the us ...

, and also with the Seamen's Union. For a time in the 1960s, he was also a member of the Communist Party and the

Eureka Youth League The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...

, and played hockey with the North Fremantle Hockey Club. On 21 December 1969, he married his first wife, Virginia Petersen, with whom he was to have one son and one daughter. In the early 1970s, he completed his medical degree at the

. He was a resident doctor at

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) is a teaching hospital in Nedlands, Western Australia. Opened in 1958 as the Perth Chest Hospital and later named in honour of Sir Charles Gairdner, governor of Western Australia from 1951 to 1963, it is pa ...

for 18 months before going on to

Princess Margaret Hospital for Children Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH) is a former children's hospital and centre for paediatric research and care located in Perth, Western Australia. It was the state's only specialist children's hospital until it closed in 2018, coinc ...

in 1975–1976. He was a member of the

Hospital Employees' Union The Hospital Employees' Union (HEU), founded in 1944 at Vancouver General Hospital, is now the oldest and largest trade union for hospital workers and health care specialists in British Columbia. The HEU represents 46,000 members across the public, ...

during this time. In 1974, he joined the Labor Party and at the 1977 election, he contested the safe Labor seat of

in the

following the retirement of the member, Harry Fletcher. He made the headlines on a number of occasions—months after his election, in June 1977, he and 21 other people, including two senior Transport Workers Union officials, were arrested on the charge of "obstructing traffic" after a mêlée when a fuel agent attempted to break a union picket line at a

North Fremantle North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

dock. He later became well known, and even attracted censure from the Labor caucus, for his public advocacy in support of the

Palestinians Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

. In November 1978, the ALP state executive denied him preselection for the 1980 election, awarding it to 25-year-old David Parker instead. The Seamen's Union and the Waterside Workers Federation suggested they might reduce their contributions to the ALP as a result, and a Victorian party member complained to the party's national executive about alleged

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

in the Western Australian branch. He practised medicine as a general practitioner in Fremantle after leaving politics. On 10 December 1983, he married his second wife, Raylene (née Morley), with whom he had two sons. He left the Labor Party in 1987, and at the 1989 election and at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

for the Fremantle seat the following year, he ran as an independent, attracting 12.84% and 9.28% of the vote respectively.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Troy, John 1941 births Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Politicians from Perth, Western Australia Living people University of Western Australia alumni Australian general practitioners People from Fremantle Medical doctors from Perth, Western Australia