Labour Australia

John Carr

Chronicle (Adelaide), 13 June 1929, p 50

By the death of the Hon. John Carr, M.L.C., which occurred at his residence, Dale Street, Port Adelaide, on Thursday evening, the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party has lost one of its most valued and zealous members. His untimely death will be a great shock to his many friends throughout the Commonwealth. Mr Carr was taken ill Friday, and suffered a severe stroke on Thursday.

Born at Port Adelaide on July 15, 1871, he was educated at the Port Adelaide school, under the late Mr. Allen Martin. From the age of 18 years he commenced to evince a keen interest in the Labor movement. He was three times President of the Port Adelaide Working Men's Association, which is now a branch of the Waterside Workers' Federation. From 1903 to 1915 he held office as secretary of the organisation. During the period between 1890 and 1915 he attended many maritime conferences as a representative of the union. The fact that no strikes occurred with the union during that time is eloquent testimony to the work of Mr. Carr and those who assisted him. His father, the late Mr. Thomas Carr, was one of the foundation members of the Working Men's Association, and was the mover of the first resolution as a body. Mr. Frederick A. Carr, a brother of Mr. John Carr, is the present secretary of the Waterside Workers' Federation. During his career in the Labor Party Mr. Carr occupied numerous secretarial positions in various bodies.

It was never Mr. Carr's ambition to enter the political sphere. In 1915 he was induced to allow himself to be nominated for a Labor plebiscite for one of the Central No. 1 seats in the Legislative Council. Although he gave his consent with much indifference, he obtained selection. No man was more surprised than Mr. Carr when it was subsequently announced that he had been elected to Parliament unopposed, Since then he has retained the seat for the Party, and his valuable and untiring work in that capacity is widely known and appreciated. During his Parliamentary life Mr. Carr has also achieved prominence for the useful work he has performed on various select committees.

In his younger days Mr. Carr was a keen supporter of all forms of manly sport. He was a footballer, and for two years he was secretary of West Torrens Football Club. Principally through his efforts, the club became affiliated with the South Australian League. The club honored Mr. Carr with life membership.

Mr. Carr leaves a widow, one daughter (Mrs. A. Antonsen, of Dale Street, Port Adelaide), and two sons (Messrs. George Carr, of Dale Street, Port Adelaide, and John T., Junr., of Dale Park. There are four grandchildren. His mother, who is 85 years of age, resides at Peterhead.

There are nine brothers living— Messrs. Charles T. Carr (Peterhead), William H. (Albert Park), Thomas (Pennington), Robert (Bowden), Arthur, George, and Frederick A. (Finsbury Park), Aleck (Pennington), and David (Peterhead).