Jim O’Neill was born in England in 1927. Even as a young apprentice, Jim showed the characteristics of a good union official by organising an apprentice strike. Following this, he was given an ultimatum of either losing his job, or going to sea during the war. Jim chose the latter and was assigned the most dangerous job of all – sailing on the minesweepers.
Jim joined the Boilermakers’ Union in Australia in 1950 and was an activist on many jobs, including workplaces in Tasmania. In 1958, Jim became a Shop Steward for Fluor during the building of the Altona Petro-chemical complex.
