RTBU Has Lost a Friend - VALE Daryll Hull

The RTBU Has Lost a True Friend and Mentor – Vale Daryll Hull

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Professor Daryll Hull and pay fitting tribute to this greatly appreciated, highly respected and much-loved man. Much of Daryll’s career information has been selected from an obituary from Shipping Australia, 8 October, 2021. Known widely for his great intellect, compassion and understanding, Daryll passed away suddenly on Thursday 30 September 2021 in Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital.

Part of the Railway Family

Daryll was the son of a railway worker. His father joined the New South Wales Railways as a young school leaver. He trained as a guard and the remainder of his working life he was part of the railway family. Daryll described his “earliest memory as a child was of the railway yards in Dubbo in New South Wales. We lived in the shunters’ cottages near the showground. Coal and soot was the backdrop to my childhood. We stood apart from the rest of the community as part of the railway family…My earliest playmates were the children of other railway workers. When I was old enough to accompany my father to the local hotel, it was a place that railway people drank”. (Foreword to On Wooden Rails, Celebrating 150 Years of Work on the NSW Railways) Daryll never lost his passion or concern for the welfare and working lives of rail workers, and workers across other industries. As former NSW Branch Secretary Nick Leowcki recalled, “I first met Daryll Hull in the late 1990’s he came to the RTBU office and asked to meet with me. He introduced himself and said he had just returned from Western Australia where he was undertaking consultancy work with the State Government and the representatives of the Milk industry following deregulation. He said he had been following in the media the Union’s campaign opposing the contracting out of the NSW Infrastructure work. I explained to him that if contracting out went ahead there would be thousands of regional jobs affected. Daryll said he would think about what I had told him. A couple of days later he contacted me and organised a meeting where he put forward a campaign plan that would gain both political and community support for the union’s position. The result was the production of a report “Back On Track” that contained research undertaken by Newcastle University highlighting, by rural regions and electorates, the impact on job losses and the loss of financial income within these regions. The report identified the Liberal/ Labor or National Member in each affected electorate. This report was the basis of an ongoing campaign that resulted in the then Transport Minister, Carl Scully, convincing Premier Carr and cabinet to abandon the contracting of out of infrastructure in NSW. Daryll also assisted the Union with main projects including the Union negotiations with station reform. Consultants engaged by the State Rail Authority developed a ranking system for gradings on stations that reflected the duties and responsibilities. When this system was applied to the larger city stations this would have resulted in current station staff grading being reduced. Daryll helped the Union by arguing that the ranking system for larger stations did not take into consideration the large volumes of customers and responsibility for crowd and safety control. The union was successfully in having this included in the ranking system and was called the Daryll Hull Overlay. This protected the gradings of hundreds of station staff.” Daryll never stopped assisting the RTBU in its strategic planning and how to influence government through both media and lobbying to achieve our outcomes. “Daryll became a mentor to many of the RTBU organisers and myself. He had the ability to look at a problem, identify the strong points, weak points and recommend a way forward. This was highlighted with the sale of National Rail and FreightCorp. The Federal Government were proposing the sale National Rail. Daryll outlined to the Union that unless we understood the National Freight Market arguing against the sale of National Rail would have little impact on the Federal Government. Daryll was able to convince the then State Treasurer, Michael Egan, to fund a union report into both National Rail and FreightCorp. The Treasurer agreed and the Union engaged Price Waterhouse Coopers to prepare a report within the terms of reference prepared by Daryll Hull. This report revealed that the sale of National Rail would significantly impact on the viability of FreightCorp as the report identified that 80% of FreightCorp’s revenue came for 10 major coal contracts that were due to expire over the next 2 years. Daryll, with Union Organisers held meetings across NSW explaining to Members the findings of the report and implications to jobs if National Rail became a competitor against FreightCorp. Over 2,200 members attended meetings and gave the Union direction on how to move forward. The final option was that the NSW Government negotiate with the Federal Government a joint sale of National Rail and FreightCorp with protection for the existing working conditions in both National Rail and FreightCorp.”

On a more personal note, Nick Lewocki stated that “after my retirement Daryll and I continued on a weekly basis to discuss politics, world events, what was happening with our families and the odd day fishing in my boat. I will miss my mate Daryll Hull and our weekly talks.” More recently, Daryll was actively involved in assisting the RTBU in developing a series of resources and events to commemorate the 1917 Rail Strike.

A Stellar Career

With an illustrious career spanning 40 years, Daryll has made tangible impact across the realms of industry, business, government and academia. Through his commitment and dedication, he leaves lasting impressions on many and will be remembered for his brilliant mind, generous spirit, and steadfast belief on the form and meaning of decent work, cooperative management and common ownership as the underpinnings of a new global social and economic paradigm. As well as being an all-round inspiring human, his lifetime of career achievements is also commendable. He ran his own successful businesses, assisted others to develop their business, and acted as an advisor and mentor for senior executives, academics and university students. Daryll also established the Transport and Logistics Centre, a national research centre funded jointly by the Federal and NSW Governments and worked with university research Centres at UNSW and Macquarie Universities. He was a senior public servant in Australia, the corporate projects planner for a major public company, Director and Chair of several computer software companies, Founding Director of a listed venture capital group, Chair of an industry forum in matters of road safety, head of a national research policy centre in transport and logistics, and a private consultant to various corporate clients. Daryll’s most recent post was as a Professor at Macquarie University and co-Director of Centre for Workforce Futures in the Faculty of Business and Economics, now the Macquarie Business School, Chairman of Engage Marine, and Co-founder of Future Ports 2050. “It has been a highlight of my career to collaborate with Daryll first at University of NSW when I was the Director of the Industrial Relations Research Centre and from 2011 at Macquarie University. As co-Directors of the Centre for Workforce Futures from July 2018 we shared a passion for envisioning a Future of Work in line with the UN’s Sustainability Goals and particularly Goal 8 Decent Work, to which Daryll made an immense contribution throughout his life. Daryll touched many people with his kindness and generosity of spirit, his support and his quick wit, intelligence, and insight and his irreverent sense of humour. His recent efforts to promote the reshaping of traditional models of work consistently focused on models of decency and co-operation. Together with many others, from a wide range of sector, I mourn Daryll’s passing and am committed to carrying on his legacy.” Professor Lucy Taksa, Director Centre for Workforce Futures at Macquarie Business School . “As a teacher, mentor and friend, Daryll pushed anyone he cared for to truly define themselves, what they stood for, and how they can make their industry and the world a better place. Daryll lived an inspired and authentic life which sets an example for all who knew him. He will be profoundly missed,” added Peter Creeden, MD at MPC International and Co-founder Future Ports 2050. Among his many contributions, Daryll was also working with key stakeholders on research relating to mental health in the transport and logistics sector through the development of the Steering Healthy Minds Project, in partnership with TWU and TEACHO Limited. “Daryll’s firm view was that all Australian workers deserved far more from their industry, regulators and politicians, and he spent his life addressing that gap with humour, insight and integrity which was quite often the glue that shaped industry and training policy at the highest of levels,” shared ITF President and National Secretary of the MUA, Paddy Crumlin, in paying tribute to Daryll’s optimism, calmness and perseverance. “Daryll’s ability to bring people together to get things done was unrivalled. He was always involved in multiple projects designed to make the world a better place, but never too busy to lend an ear, or impart some words of wisdom. And he always let you know how valuable you were,” added Simon Earle, a close associate of Daryll’s. Daryll’s international work wasn’t only confined to Australia, extending across East Asia and into Europe. He was a long time Mission Leader for technology-based policy advice and technology business incubation and science parks with the United Nations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines, China and India. Work also took him to Europe where he advised on matters of work organisation and management, based in Oxford at Ruskin College; and at the Inter University Centre in Dubrovnik (in the former Yugoslavia). At home, (in Australia) much of Daryll’s recent work concentrated on re-defining and reshaping traditional models of work, always with a focus on ’decent and co-operative’ work models. Industrial Relations lawyer Christa Lenard had the pleasure of working alongside Darryl on a number of maritime projects. “There are very few people who can demand the respect of the unions; of Boards; of business and every other stakeholder in between. Daryll was always that person – steady in the centre. When he spoke, the room listened.” Daryll is survived by his beloved wife, Merryn Hull, his children Arlyn, Nina and Fearn, sons-in-law Darwin and Renee and his much-loved grandchildren Emily, Harvey, Fraser, Hazel and Luca.The RTBU extends its condolences to his family at this sad time. Editor’s Note: I had the great honour and privilege to have known Daryll during much of his involvement with the RTBU, professionally and socially. Daryll also generously provided the Foreword to my book, On Wooden Rails. I also worked with Daryll briefly at TALC, and will always remember him as a truly genuine, highly principled and incisive man. His presence and contributions will be greatly missed in our industry, and many other sectors that he touched.