Gilbert Stephen Casey

Gilbert Stephen Casey (1856 – 2 October 1946) was a trade unionist, agitator of the early Australian labour movement and a utopian socialist.

Gilbert Stephen Casey was born in 1856 in County Clare, Ireland, the son of Patrick Casey, a storeman, and his wife Susan (née O'Dea). With little formal education, Casey went to sea and came into contact with trade unionism. He probably immigrated to Queensland, Australia, in October 1883 and worked as a seaman, bushworker, coalminer and wharflabourer.

On 14 October 1883 Casey married his first wife, Alice Tighe (née Shile), who had already been married twice before. She left him in 1895 in New Australia and he then married Maria Antonia Sosa, a Paraguayan woman.

With Maria and their two sons, Casey raised cattle at La Novia, "dabbled in sidelines" at Asunción, and wrote occasional letters and articles for the Australian Labor press. Casey was for many years the chief of police at New Australia, until he died on 2 October 1946 in New Australia, Paraguay.

In February 1886, Casey was associated with the Queensland Maritime Council through the Brisbane Wharf Labourers' Union which he helped form the previous year. In 1888 the council sent him on an organizing mission to Maryborough, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville; there he helped to found the Townsville Trades and Labor Council (T.L.C.).

As a member of the Brisbane T.L.C., Casey became a trustee for the Trades Hall reserve, worked for the June 1889 reconstitution of the council into the Australian Labour Federation (A.L.F), and became a member of its central district council.

In December 1889, along with Thomas Glassey and Albert Hinchcliffe, Casey successfully went to and brought the bush unions into the A.L.F. Casey was appointed full-time in April 1890 and in his first frenetic three months organized new unions and established district councils of the A.L.F. at Maryborough, Rockhampton, Charters Towers and Townsville. In February 1890 Casey was appointed the first chairman of the board of trustees of the Worker.

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