Anderson, Carl (Charlie) 1860-?
B. Ballarat, 1 May 1860 M. Louise West, 5d, 1s. D. Ringwood, ?
Grew up in Victorian goldfields; first worked as pupil teacher in Ballarat district and in uncle’s store, SA as assistant and bookkeeper. Travelled in SA and Victoria as travelling salesman selling clothing, jewellery, saddlery etc. Worked in butcher’s shop, Narracoorte, being part of committee that won Wednesday half-day holiday, 1879.
Secretary of Butchers’ Union in Adelaide, 1881-1882. Moved to Melbourne where elected foundation secretary of Victorian Amalgamated Butchers’ Union, 5 May 1890, which changed its name to AMIEU in 1912. Remained Victorian secretary until 1934. First federal president AMIEU 1906-1934. One of first three union secretaries to occupy office space at Melbourne Trades Hall. Prominent in Anti-Sweating League; member of first Butchers’ Wages Board in Victoria, 1900. Member and 1914 president of Eight Hours Day Committee. Delegate and executive member, Melbourne Trades Hall Council. Founder and secretary of Trades Hall Salaried Officers Association. Also took interest in Secretaries Union and gave valuable service to ALP candidates during elections as scrutineer.
Tall and active, in his youth cricketer. Dammed with faint praise by union historian who records, ‘In his later years Mr Anderson was a man with somewhat fixed, conservative ideas, and because of this he was frequently the target for criticism by militant members of the Union’ and’ As trade union secretaries go Carl Anderson was fair, average quality’.
Australian Worker, 20 Feb 1914; 22 Feb 1922; Labor Year Book, 1934/5; Labor Call, 22 April 1914, 23 April 1914, 9 Feb 1922, 8 March 1934; Davis, 1974