Labour Australia

Tribune regrets to report the death of Arthur Howells, of Olinda, Victoria.

Arthur was a leading activist in the Victorian Council Against War and Fascism in the 1930s. He played a prominent part in the Egon Kisch episode and in activities in support of the Republic in the Spanish Civil War. He married his co-worker, Margaret, in 1937. He and Margaret both made important contributions in the difficult uphill battle for peace and freedom in the pre-war years.

After marriage (and a term in the RAAF during the war), Arthur set up as a nurseryman in Olinda and became active locally in many fields, especially in art and theatre groups and in the Rhododendron Society. The Howells' home has served as a magnet for progressive thought and activity of different kinds in the Dandenong Ranges for nearly half a century. Arthur was an independent thinker, with strong working class instincts, and a good and staunch friend.

His book Against the Stream, published in 1982, tells his life story up till 1939. He was a keen writer and wrote on Henri Bartesse, the Spanish war, on his RAAF experiences in the Northern Territory, and also a book for children. He painted, acted and had a deep interest in the arts generally. Tribune expresses sincere sympathy to Arthur's wife, Margaret, his daughter, Philippa, and his grandchildren.