VALE Bryan Williamson

The RTBU has lost a long time stalwart earlier this year with the passing of Bryan Williamson. Bryan was a fixture of the Locomotive Division for many years, an affable, jovial man, always ready to share a yarn. However, when it came to representing and defending members, either at Lithgow, through Divisional Committee, or industrial negotiations, he was relentless and tenacious.

Family, friends and workmates gathered at St Patricks Church Lithgow on 5th January to say their final farewells to Bryan.

RTBU Branch Secretary Alex Claassens delivered a Eulogy at Bryan’s funeral. The following is an edited extract from that eulogy.

So, I am deeply honored to be here today and provide a eulogy for Bryan, Pigdog as he was affectionately known to many in the railway, it was apparently given to him because once he had your ear he wouldn’t let go and I’m certain some managers that we have had dealings with over the years would also attest to his relentless pursuit of members entitlements.

Bryan started his railway career in Queensland sometime after Changeover Day, or ‘C-Day’ on 14 February 1966 when Australia switched to decimal currency, and we know this because he used to carry some of his old paydockets to show the young blokes what he used to get paid, one was for $97 per fortnight and the other was $102. We know that he was a fireman at Hughenden which was on the Mt Isa line and he later transferred to Townsville.

Then in 1978 as part of an exchange program known as the Kyogle Agreement between the Queensland Government and the NSW Government he was able to be transferred to Lithgow and after training he was promoted through the ranks to become a Class 5 Driver and stayed in Lithgow Loco until he retired from Pacific National in February 2013.

I started at Lithgow Loco in 1978 and was really lucky to be rostered with Bryan initially when he was an acting driver and then on many occasions when he became a fully-fledged Class 5 driver. In fact, I credit Bryan for being a mentor to me at a very early stage in my working life and he is directly responsible for my desire to help others as it was Bryan that convinced me to join and become active in the Union and the ALP.

His generosity was boundless as many will attest to, a common saying that “someone who would give you the shirt of their back” does not do him justice.

I think we would all be shocked by the amount of volunteer hours that he put in over his many years of caring for others, particularly after he retired from the railway to look after Lorraine. The locals here today would know that he also spent many years driving the community bus and making sure that those in need could get to where they needed to be. He also helped a number of people with little jobs that they were unable to do themselves.

Certainly, he never really retired from the union continuing to represent members right to the end, he was always there for us and whenever any of us contacted him and asked if he could help out, he was there. Officially, when he finished with Pacific National, he worked for us for a few years travelling to all of the freight depot locations where he met with members and he would then report to the Loco Division Executive. He officially resigned from the union in March 2015

The ALP will never really know the extent of his Labor over the years so whether he was campaigning for his very close friend Cass Coleman or any other candidate that he was asked to support.

Susan Gregory the Lithgow ALP Branch President has penned the following;

“He was a loyal and hardworking member of the Lithgow Branch of the ALP and served as the Branch

Treasurer and keeper of the meeting room key. Bryan was particularly wonderful at election time. He was always willing to set up for pre poll and to take material away at night. He was always there, just when something needed to be done, and he did it willingly and efficiently. His front fence always displayed corflutes and his car graced Main Street with Labor posters from early morning during campaigns. Bryan provided political and personal support for Lithgow Deputy Mayor Cass Coleman in all of her campaigns, acting as her agent in local government elections and teaching her daughter to drive. He was a loyal friend and comrade, always calm, always ready to help, always ready with wise advice. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”

Bryan, you have done your bit, you have passed on immense wisdom to the next generation within both of your families and you have set a shining example to live, loving others, and life as it should always be.

Rest in god’s hands and for us that remain we will always remember your many lectures on everything important in life with a smile on our face.

Bryan’s son Wayne also provided the following information highlighting Bryan’s love of all things locomotive.

Apart from his lifelong career on the railways, many other aspects of my father’s life were filled with his keen interest in trains. It’s a given that we were often track side when the 3801 was on the move, I recall seeing the