Pat Mackie
Encyclopedia
Pat Mackie was a New Zealand
miner and unionist, who gained national attention as the leader of the Mount Isa Mines Strike of 1964.
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Mackie's pseudonym came from a misprint on his payslips when he first began work in the mines, which he attempted to have corrected. However the company kept producing cheques and payslips in the name of "Mackie", and ultimately he adopted the name.
Mackie was a member of the Australian Workers Union (AWU) and became the de facto leader of the strike. While it was AWU policy to resolve the dispute through arbitration before the Industrial Relations Commission
, he pursued direct militant action and insisted on an enterprise agreement with the company. As a consequence the AWU expelled him from the union, which allowed the company to terminate his employment. The dispute was prolonged by the insistence of strikers that he be reinstated, a demand that was never met.
After the dispute, Mackie was banned from Mount Isa Mines, and the government unsuccessfully tried to have him deported to New Zealand.
, and spoke with an apparent American accent, he was often portrayed as an "American gangster" and foreign communist. Mackie lived for a time on the Mineside and later lived on Buckley Avenue, Parkside near the Mount Isa State High School. He also drove a Willy's Jeep. Sometimes he was accused of deliberately weakening Australia to help an invasion by communist China
, and his criminal record was constantly mentioned.
Mackie successfully sued a newspaper owned by Australia media mogul Frank Packer
in the early 1970s for defamation. He won damages totalling $30,000. A third was awarded for misrepresenting his criminal record, while the remainder was awarded for misrepresenting his involvement in the dispute.
] musical production entitled Red Cap which premiered at the Mount Isa Civic Centre on 11 July 2007.
Pat Mackie died on 19 November 2009, aged 95.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
miner and unionist, who gained national attention as the leader of the Mount Isa Mines Strike of 1964.
Early life
Mackie was born in 1914 in New Zealand as Eugene Murphy. He gained a criminal record in a number of countries under various aliases. Eventually he went to work as a miner for Mount Isa MinesMount Isa Mines
The Mount Isa copper, lead, zinc and silver mines near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia are part of the Xstrata mining company.-History:In 1923 the orebody containing lead, zinc and silver was discovered by the miner John Campbell Miles. The company Mount Isa Mines was founded 1924 but full scale...
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Mackie's pseudonym came from a misprint on his payslips when he first began work in the mines, which he attempted to have corrected. However the company kept producing cheques and payslips in the name of "Mackie", and ultimately he adopted the name.
Mount Isa Mines strike
The dispute which led to the Mount Isa Mines Strike of 1964 involved numerous issues of pay and conditions and lasted an unprecedented 32 weeks.Mackie was a member of the Australian Workers Union (AWU) and became the de facto leader of the strike. While it was AWU policy to resolve the dispute through arbitration before the Industrial Relations Commission
Industrial Relations Commission
Industrial Relations Commissions are government courts or tribunal set up by a state or country to regulate and adjudicate on employment and industrial issues between employees and employers...
, he pursued direct militant action and insisted on an enterprise agreement with the company. As a consequence the AWU expelled him from the union, which allowed the company to terminate his employment. The dispute was prolonged by the insistence of strikers that he be reinstated, a demand that was never met.
After the dispute, Mackie was banned from Mount Isa Mines, and the government unsuccessfully tried to have him deported to New Zealand.
Media profile
Mackie was the subject of intense media speculation at the time of the dispute, and became an iconic figure in Australia. As he wore a baseball cap of the Boston Red SoxBoston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, and spoke with an apparent American accent, he was often portrayed as an "American gangster" and foreign communist. Mackie lived for a time on the Mineside and later lived on Buckley Avenue, Parkside near the Mount Isa State High School. He also drove a Willy's Jeep. Sometimes he was accused of deliberately weakening Australia to help an invasion by communist China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and his criminal record was constantly mentioned.
Mackie successfully sued a newspaper owned by Australia media mogul Frank Packer
Frank Packer
Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer, KBE , was an Australian media proprietor who controlled Australian Consolidated Press and the Nine Network.-Biography:...
in the early 1970s for defamation. He won damages totalling $30,000. A third was awarded for misrepresenting his criminal record, while the remainder was awarded for misrepresenting his involvement in the dispute.
Legacy
Mackie's story inspired a http://www.qmf.org.auQueensland Music FestivalQueensland Music Festival
The Queensland Music Festival is a series of musical events staged in a number of locations in Queensland, Australia usually around late July, every second year. It is financially supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and a wide range of other partners...
] musical production entitled Red Cap which premiered at the Mount Isa Civic Centre on 11 July 2007.
Pat Mackie died on 19 November 2009, aged 95.
External links
- Portrait of Pat Mackie in the National Portrait Gallery (Australia)National Portrait Gallery (Australia)The National Portrait Gallery of Australia is a collection of portraits of prominent Australians that are important in their field of endeavour or whose life sets them apart as an individual of long-term public interest...
by Nancy BorlaseNancy BorlaseNancy Wilmot Borlase AM was a New Zealand-born Australian artist, well-known for her landscape-based abstract paintings and portraits, and as a critic and commentator...