Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to celebrate the life of the late John Barry McClean AM. All who knew John knew that he was a hardworking and thoroughly decent man. Throughout every aspect of his life, he demonstrated tremendous strength of character, strength of personality and strength of mind—a true gentleman, driven by a determination to give working men and women, and their families, a voice equal to their bosses. I knew John as a great union leader. Those who were close to John knew that he could always be relied on.

John was born in Arncliffe, at the Rosslyn Hospital, on 13 September 1934, to parents John and Mabel McLean. He started school at Arncliffe primary school, then went to high school at Newington College, where he was a boarder while his father was serving in the Army during World War II. After completing his Intermediate Certificate and leaving school, he started working for the Shell Oil Company as a pump boy, refuelling sales vehicles and trucks at Pyrmont. He was offered as a job as a tanker driver and moved to Queanbeyan, before being transferred to Wollongong, transporting fuel up and down the notorious Bulli Pass. Later he went to Darwin as an aircraft refueller, where he met Thelma, who was a nurse in Darwin at the time. Of course, she later became the love of his life.

John returned to Sydney and became a local TWU delegate in a fuel yard in 1968, and then, in 1974, he became a full-time Transport Workers Union official. He was appointed the Sydney sub-branch secretary in 1982 and was elected as New South Wales secretary in 1989. John always aimed to deliver progressive but stable leadership in the union and believed that solidarity is everything. As he wrote in the Voice of the Transport Worker in 1992:

The premise underpinning the Transport Workers Union of today is that change involves all of us working together for the same goals. Co-operation and progress underpins everything we believe as a union and everything we fight for.

I remember him helping one big personality from Qantas who was fighting to get his job back after he played hooky from the airport and ended up at the rowers club. The manager sent a supervisor to pick the fellow up, but they ended up both getting drunk and were unable to return to work, let alone drive. This Qantas worker had suffered a few setbacks in his life. John knew that the loss of his job, on top of everything else, would devastate his family, so he went out of his way to ensure he got his job back, and get his job back he did.

When it came to dealing with employers, John was always tough but also genuine, and he was respected. I know Thelma and family were greatly moved by transport giant Lindsay Fox's words of condolence on John's passing. They were words that conveyed that John was just as respected by the employers as he was by the workforce. As a union official, John never forgot who he was and why he was there. His guiding principle was always doing what was right by tough workers in a tough industry.

He was a staunch democratic progressive when it came to matters of economic justice but a fierce opponent of communist influence in the union movement. Professor Mark Hearn interviewed John in his historical account of the TWU, Organising Union. On John's turbulent years fighting Left political influence he asked, 'You were getting threatening phone calls at the time, weren't you, John?' John answered:

Yes. Of course, you never knew who it was, but that was par for the course, I suppose. You cope with lots of things yourself, but when it's your children and your family, it's things they shouldn't have to put up with. But the wife was unbelievable with the support through all that she gave.

John went on to say, 'I'm very lucky Thelma is a highly trained nurse, and that's what helped me through all my illnesses. She's been exceptional and still is.'

When John retired for health reasons after 30 years of service, he rightly said he was proud of the legacy he left in the union. In 1993, he was deservedly appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the trade union movement, particularly through the Transport Workers Union.

John knew and understood the importance of Labor governments for working families. He joined the Australian Labor Party in 1954, at 20 years of age. While John had all the makings of a great MP, he never sought a seat in parliament, believing he could do more for the people of Australia, first and foremost, by continuing his role in the union movement. At the New South Wales Labor Party conference in 2016, John was awarded life membership of the Australian Labor Party, formal recognition of his continuous active and committed service to the party, its principles and its values for more than 40 years, including as a trustee of the New South Wales branch of the ALP.

More than anything else, John was a family man. John was described by his children as a brilliant father, tough but always fair, with plenty of kindness. With Thelma working night shifts while in obstetrics, she needed a family out of the house so she could sleep. So John would take the children on weekend adventures: seeing his beloved Dragons play, visiting relatives, visiting the Menangle Rotolactor, watching the hang-gliders at Stanwell Tops, mini bike riding at Menai and many days getting burnt at Cronulla Beach.

John's kindness was extended to many others as well. One of his children's friends gave him the nickname 'Pa', as the McLean family home was a place where everyone was welcome and Pa was a father figure loved by many. This nurturing and caring spirit was evident throughout John's life, as he and Thelma fostered 40 children over the years.

When John retired early, it was perfect timing for him to become a grandfather, a role he was made for. With his never-ending patience, he would keep his grandchildren entertained for hours. Driveway picnics in the Trakka, choccy milks, feeding the dogs, and wooden train networks that stretched from room to room are early memories that will endure. As the grandchildren grew, John and Thelma would always be at special events such as grandparents days, music or dance performance, and weekend soccer and cricket.

When 14 members of the family visited Parliament House, MPs and senators came to pay tribute to the late, great John McLean. The Hon. Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, said: 'He was a giant in the industry, respected by the workers and the employers. He had a conciliatory approach, a way of bringing people towards agreement.' The Hon. Tony Burke MP remarked, 'I was just one of the many thousands of people standing on the shoulders of John McLean.' Senator Glenn Sterle, senator for Western Australia, stated: 'John was an aspirational leader. His passion and commitment to the men and women of the transport industry inspired a generation of future union leaders.'

John loved his family, he loved his work and his union, he loved the Labor Party and he loved his team, the Dragons. He loved life and he lived it to the fullest—loving husband to Thelma for over 60 years; caring brother of Joyce and Fred; devoted father to John, Francis and Rodney; and doting grandfather for Georgia, Siobhan, Lachlan and Amanda. John passed away on 11 August 2023 at the age of 88. Perhaps John's brother Fred sums the man up best when he says: 'John had a reputation as a man of honour and integrity. He was a strong man when he saw injustice, but also a gentle man and a gentleman.' Vale John Barry Maclean, AM, friend and mentor.