Labour Australia

Oscar Bryant, by Fairfax Corporation, 1930s

National Library of Australia, 51895090

Oscar Bryant (1877-1969) engineer and trade union leader 

Birth: 1877 at Waterloo, Sydney, New South Wales, son of native-born parents William Bryant, labourer, and Matilda, née Anderson (1839-1921. Marriage: 1901 at Wickham, Newcastle, NSW, to native-born Annetta May Hynes (1880-1950). They had a son and a daughter. Death: 12 April 1969 at St Vincent's Hospital, Bathurst, NSW. Religion: Presbyterian.

• Joined Australasian Society of Engineers (ASE) which had been founded in February 1890 when it broke away from the Amalgamated Society of Engineers and was closely associated with Herbert Goodere, its first president. Bryant became the first full-time official of the society.
• In 1914 elected Secretary of NSW branch of the ASE and remained for 13 years. Arbitration advocate in Federal and state courts. Delegate to NSW Trades and Labor Council. Was responsible for moving union offices to Trades Hall. Executive member and chairman of Trades Hall Association. Union representative on Eight-Hour Day Committee.
• Represented iron trades on munitions committee.
• Appointed industrial inspector, NSW Department of Labour and Industry under the Early Closing Act shortly before the State election in October 1927, he was sacked by the new Bavin government immediately after it took office.
• From 1930 to 1951 Bryant was industrial advocate with Industrial Department, NSW Labor Council.
• Competent and knowledgeable in arbitration issues.
• Member of the Belmore branch of the Australian Labor Party.
• Cause of death: uraemia, nephrosclerosis, generalised atherosclersosis, fractured left hip and humerus.

Sources
The Australasian Engineer, October 1927, June 1951, May 1969 and June 1973; Labor Year Book 1933, 1934/5; Labor Daily (Sydney), 13 January 1927, p 6, photo and biography par: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/25635599