Life Member presentations

At our last Divisional Council for the year the Locomotive Division unveiled the RTBU Locomotive Life Membership  Honour Board that will hang with pride of place within the walls of the NSW Locomotive Division Offices.

We know that this Board will inspire young and upcoming delegates as recognition of the long-standing integrity, honour, and dedication to our membership demonstrated by the delegates who preceded them.

Existing Loco Division Life Members were presented a specially commissioned Life Member Locomotive Delegate Pin in recognition of their dedication to the Locomotive Division membership.

Life Membership is awarded as a mark of respect and recognition from the highest decision-making body of the Locomotive Division – Divisional Council. A committee that has consistently been comprised of union leaders in their own right.

Recipients present at the unveiling;

·       Bruce Matthews – 42 years, 

·       Paul Collins – 48 years,

·       Rodney Short –  45 years,

·       John Aquilina – 48 years,

·       Bob Proctor – 43 years, 

·       Ian Wyllie – 29 years, 

·       Allan Barden – 43 years, 

·       Dave Mathie – 52 years, 

Recipient presented at the home as they were unable to attend;

·       Terry Quinn – 42 Years

Between these nine Life Members there is a total of a combined 392 years of service to the railways.

Locomotive Life Membership does not solely consider the length of service to our union, although it does make up a component during Council’s deliberation for those who receive it. Rather, this recognition is an extension of the continuous dedication to the betterment of our Divisional membership on every level.

A Life Membership that extends to those who;

·       Carried the torch when we needed it the most,

·       Could not stomach injustice within the workplace,

·       Stood up for those who felt they didn’t have a voice,

·       Picked themselves up when industrial and political circumstance couldn’t get any worse,

·       Fought the boss and government on every level,

·       Believed that social justice extends beyond the workplace and into our communities,

It is the intention of the Division to make alternate arrangements to get Life Membership Pins to the Life Members who were unable to attend and to the families of those Life Members who have passed away.

Divisional Council stood to observe a minute silence in remembrance of Life Members who are no longer with us a mark of respect for those who gave so much to this Union and its members.