Ralph Benson Marsh

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(3 September 1909 – 9 May 1989) was an Australian trade union leader and politician. He served as Secretary of the

Labor Council of New South Wales The Labor Council of New South Wales, branded Unions NSW, is the peak body for trade unions in the state of New South Wales, Australia. As of 2005 there are 67 unions and 8 Rural and Regional Trades & Labor Councils affiliated to the Labor Coun ...

from 1967 to 1975 and as a member of the Legislative Council from 1962 to 1976.

Early life

Ralph was born in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

on 30 September 1909, the son of Hugh Marsh and Jane Ann, née Benson. His father was a marine engineer for the Department of Public Works, and Ralph was raised and educated at

Nambucca Heads, New South Wales Nambucca Heads is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Nambucca Valley. It is located on a ridge, north of the estuary of the Nambucca River near the Pacific Highway. Its 2021 population was 6,675 (6,327 in 2016 ...

. In 1926, at the age of 17 he became an apprentice boilermaker at the Eveleigh Railway Workshops.

Career

After completing his apprenticeship Marsh struggled to find work due to the Depression, but eventually gained work on the railways at West Narrabri. In 1940 he transferred to the railway workshops at

Chullora Chullora, a suburb in the City of Canterbury-Bankstown local government area, is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. The ...

in Sydney, becoming a delegate for the

Boilermakers' Society of Australia The Boilermakers' Society of Australia was a trade union in Australia which existed from 1911 until 1965. It was established as the Federated Society of Boilermakers & Iron Shipbuilders of Australia in 1911, operating as a federation of pre-exi ...

. Marsh was elected to a full-time position as the secretary-treasurer of the Redfern Branch of the Boilermakers' Society. Marsh was prominent in the Industrial Groups active within the Australian labor movement at the time, made up of primarily Catholic, right-wing unionists opposed to the influence of communists in the union movement. Marsh (who converted to Catholicism following his marriage in 1933) was elected to the central executive of the New South Wales branch of the Labor Party in 1952 with the support of the 'Groupers'. Despite this Marsh did not leave the Labor Party in 1955 when most members of the industrial groups split off to form the Democratic Labor Party. In 1957 Marsh was elected as an organiser for the Labor Council of New South Wales, the peak representative body for trade unions in the state. Shortly after in 1958 he became assistant secretary and then Secretary of the labor council following Robert A. King's death. During this time he also served on the executive of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, including a period as junior vice-president. In 1962 he was elected to fill a vacancy in the Legislative Council, the upper house of the state parliament. He would continue to sit in the legislative council until 1976. Marsh died at Bankstown on 9 May 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Ralph Australian trade unionists Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Members of the Order of the British Empire 1909 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians