Patrick Laurence Troy (17 January 1908 – 19 April 1978) was an Australian trade unionist and communist activist.

Life

Troy was born in

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

to Irish marine officer Patrick William Troy and Hilda Winifred, ''née'' Ainsworth. The Troys moved to

Fremantle, Western Australia 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 ...

, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and Paddy attended the local Christian Brothers' College. He left school in 1921 to work in various kinds of manual labour until he became a seaman in the State Shipping Service in 1924. The family moved to

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

in 1926, where Troy began to take responsibility for the family's welfare as his father's health declined. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

was a challenging time for Troy, who spent long periods unemployed with only casual work to support his family. He broke with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

, and joined 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 ...

in 1934. In 1936 he led a strike at the Youanmi gold mine where he worked. He married Mabel Grace Nielsen at St John's Church of England in Fremantle in 1935. Troy was jailed for three months after the banning of the Communist Party in 1940, after which he returned to the marine industry. He was elected an official of the Coastal Dock, Rivers and Harbour Works Union of Workers in 1944, and became secretary in 1948. The union was deregistered by the Court of Arbitration in 1952, and Troy began rebuilding the Maritime Services Union, becoming its secretary. In 1955 he helped establish the WA branch of the

Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union The Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union (F.M.W.U.), commonly known as the 'Missos', was an Australian trade union which existed between 1915 and 1992. It represented an extremely diverse and disparate range of occupations, but its core support ...

, but was thwarted in his attempts to amalgamate the various state maritime unions. He was a founder of the Western Australian Trades and Labor Council in 1963. Troy was a strong supporter of

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

emancipation, and ran on many occasions for the federal and state parliaments. During his period of activity he was Western Australia's most prominent communist; despite this, he enjoyed the respect of employers and the trust of his union. He retired in 1973. Following his wife's death in 1975, he remarried on 5 December 1976 at Attadale, to Evelyn May Henderson, a widow. He died in 1978 at

Royal Perth Hospital Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) is a 450-bed adult and teaching hospital located on the northeastern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. History The hospital traces its history back to the first colonial hospital, whi ...

and was cremated. He had a pilot boat named after him, and the

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History has an essay competition in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Troy, Paddy 1908 births 1978 deaths Trade unionists from Melbourne Trade unionists from Perth, Western Australia Australian people of Irish descent Australian sailors Australian waterside workers Communist Party of Australia members