Obituary: Steven Gibson

Steve Gibson died suddenly on Sunday, October 26 from a 
massive heart attack. Steve was born in WA but moved to Victoria 
and lived in Melbourne and grew up in the working class 
movement.

He became a locomotive engineman and rose to become the Secretary 
of the Victorian division of the Australasian Federated Union of 
Locomotive Enginemen (AFULE). He was employed by VicRail until 
his retirement in 1992. He remained active in the rank and file 
group of retired engine drivers and was well-known and respected 
in the Victorian trade union movement.

Steve was a long-time member of the Communist movement and was a 
foundation member of the Socialist Party of Australia (now 
Communist Party of Australia) in which he held a number of 
positions. He was a member of the CPA's Central Committee for 
many years until his resignation from that position earlier this 
year.

He was the President of the Victorian State Committee and in that 
capacity was a leading personality in the Party's Melbourne 
organisation.

Steve was active in the Australia-Cuba Friendship Society and was 
for some time the Chairperson of the Victorian branch of the 
ACFS.

He was also an active member of the Australia-DPRK Friendship 
Society and had visited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 
on the occasion of the 58th anniversary of the foundation of the 
Workers' Party of Korea only a short time before his death.

Steve was very concerned about developments in rural Australia, 
taking up the issues of land clearance, salination and irrigation 
by cotton growers and the big agro corporations.

His contributions to the discussion in the Party were always 
based on a firm working class position and he was a firm and 
convinced advocate of Marxism-Leninism. He always sought the best 
way forward to advance the work of the Party and the working 
class movement.

He expressed his ideas in a forthright manner convinced that the 
future belonged to the working people in a socialist society.

He was infectiously optimistic, was popular among his comrades 
and often brought humour into his work with fellow working class 
activists.

Steve was a true son of the working class and his sudden death is 
a shock to all who knew and respected him. Steve was 70 years of 
age at the time of his death.

The Guardian conveys sincere condolences to his family, 
comrades and friends.