DANNY Harris a person who can best be described as a quintessential Australian.
He’s a person that has spent his working life making sure that his fellow workers are being represented in a fair and equitable manner.
A retired union organiser and a man with a wicked sense of humour, Mr Harris recently revealed his journey from central Victoria to Mildura during a chat over a coffee.
Born in 1952, the 10th child in a family of 11 children, Mr Harris grew up in the central Victorian town of Maryborough.
“We were what people would call a typical Irish-Catholic family,” he said.
“My parents did their best to make sure that our church, the Catholic Church, wasn’t going to be empty.
“Along with my siblings, I had an amazing childhood that I’m sure that has helped make me the person that I am today.
“What was unique about us was that it was like we had two families. Mum and Dad had five children before the second World War started.
“Dad, determined to do his bit, enlisted in the army and served the duration of the war in Western Australia, not returning until the war ended five years later.
“And of course, being the good Catholics that my parents were, they went on to have another six children.
“By the time I came along my eldest sister, who was 20-plus years older than me, had left home.”
Mr Harris, like his siblings, attended St Augustine’s Primary School and then St. Joseph’s College.
When he was 15, tragedy struck the Harris family.
“Sadly, mum passed away. It was then that my elder sister stood up and became like a mother to me and the rest of the younger members of the family,” Mr Harris said.
“Like other people that have been faced with tragedy, life went on. I was playing football and kept busy with all the things that people my age were doing.
“Our family was a strong family and there was the sadness of losing mum, but as a family we kept going.”
Mr Harris fondly recalls the experiences with family and friends including some hijinks and practical jokes which would be hair-raising today.
“We must have driven our neighbours mad,” Mr Harris laughed.
Apart from his time in the army, his dad spent his working life as a postie.
“When dad retired, he was given a certificate that honoured his working career and his long service to the post office,”Mr Harris said.
“It also mentioned that he had, in delivering mail, notched up around 2 million miles on his trusty post office bike.”
In 1969, Mr Harris started his working life when he commenced work with the Victorian Railways in Maryborough.
“I started working in the office. I loved the job! I loved the people that I worked with!” he said.
“While some people would rather not go to their place of employment, for me I looked forward to turning up to work every day.
“Some of the funniest things that have ever happened to me in my life, happened at work.”
The railways were heavily unionised which, Mr Harris embraced. He became a workplace union delegate, then sub-branch secretary.
“I was then appointed to position of industrial officer/organiser following a period of secondment,” he said.
“At the same time, I joined the ALP and served as a local branch and state branch office-bearer.
“This was of course very challenging times, with conservative governments in power both federally and state.
“Workers’ jobs, pay and conditions were constantly under threat. This led to a whirlwind of industrial activity.
“Trains, trams and government buses were under attack and the unions mounted a spirited and co-ordinated response.”
The early 1990s saw union amalgamations which led Mr Harris to move from public transport to local government.
“This was a highly emotive situation,” he said. “Amalgamating unions; fierce resistance from some quarters; we received death threats and bomb threats.
“I will always remember the day that one Molotov cocktail bounced off our office doorway. Physical altercations over the road at The Lincoln Hotel in Carlton were commonplace.
“Local government-wise, nasties I’d encountered previously in the rail sector, Mr. Kennett had now unleashed on councils, forced amalgamations, forced contracting out and the like.
“I remember thinking, here we go again!”
Mr Harris’ organising commitments saw him cover most of Victoria. It was in Mildura where he met his partner Shirley. They married in 2017 and settled in the region.
A father of three from a previous marriage, he speaks fondly and proudly of his now adult children.
“They’ve all sought out careers in helping others: teaching, community health including educational/instructional programs for schools. I’m immensely proud of them.”
After retiring in 2022, and now living in Mildura, Mr Harris took up a suggestion to involve himself with community radio and says he has loved his time doing so.
“Great lot! Volunteers from all walks of life and now employing a co-ordinator to steer the ship. We’re in good hands I reckon,” he said.
“I’d recommend it to anyone with time on their hands. I don’t think that retiring from work should mean retiring from life.
“I really encourage everyone who has retired to consider being involved in a community activity.
“Giving back to your community is satisfying and beneficial to not only your community, but for yourself.
“I love living in Mildura. The climate suits me.
“Life’s journey always throws up surprises and the interesting patchwork quilt that is our Mildura area is made up of disparate and different characters and their stories.
“I treat every new day as another of life’s great adventure. Life is good!”
