
Issue No 12		07 May 1999

News

Union Raises the Roof for Beryl

By Phil Thornton

CFMEU roof tilers have come to the aid of an uninsured pensioner who lost her roof in the Sydney storms.


	Union Samaritans To Storm Rescue

"I just ran and sat in the chair and shook."

- Pensioner, Mrs Beryl Annesley

Mrs Beryl Annesley, 72, was all alone on 14 April when giant hail stones came crashing through her roof in the storm that also damaged 18,000 Sydney homes.

"The noise was unbelievable. I was very scared and shaking. I thought about crawling under the bed, but I just ran and sat in the chair and shook."

Fortunately for Beryl her neighbour braved the large hailstones and rescued her. "Peter rushed in and brought me to his place and I stayed there all night."

But Beryl's troubles were just beginning. Her roof was now destroyed and rain threatened to wreck what remained of the home she had lived in for 71 years. Beryl's roof urgently needed repairing but she wasn't covered by insurance. "I had nothing here to pinch. I didn't think I needed it."

Unknown to her the NSW Department of Community Services contacted the CFMEU and asked if they could help Beryl out.

The union sent rooftilers' and cottage sector organiser, Malcolm French, to assess the damage.

"I thought he'd come to give me a quote. It was such a relief when he told me the union were going to fix my roof for free, I jumped for joy!"

Beryl worked hard to bring four kids up and says, "I was a staunch unionist. I worked in a jam factory, ham and beef processing and food shops. My husband was a wharfie and also worked for Sydney City Council."

CFMEU member and rooftiler Gary Rowe looks at Beryl's smashed roof, shakes his head and says, "It's good to be able to help out. We've done a few jobs for people who haven't been insured. It's good to see them smiling again."

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Issue 12 contents

Interview: The Call of the Wild
We meet a union organiser who�s taking the union message into the call centres.

Unions: After the Gold Rush
Call centres are the boom industry and governments everywhere are touting them as major job creators - particularly in regional areas.

History: From Steam Trains to Information Superhighways
A new project is dedicated to promoting the heritage of the Eveleigh railway workshops.

Work/Time/Life: This Working Life: Issue #1
The debut issue of the ACTU's new monthly bulletin for it's Working Time and Employment Security Campaign.

International: British Unions Halt Membership Decline
Union membership has stopped falling in the UK for the first time in 18 years, suggesting that unions� increased committment to recruitment and organising is starting to pay off.

Review: Cold Warriors' Secrets Exposed
NSW Attorney General Jeff Shaw looks at two books that lift the lid on Cold War espionage.

» Push for Decent Call Centres

» Shaw Unveils Second Wave

» Union Raises the Roof for Beryl

» Cotter Withdraws Currawong Standover Claims

» Reith Second Wave Will Prolong Industrial Disputes

» It�s Rio Telstra -- Union Braces for Attack

» Fears of AWA Push in State Rail

» Age Tele-Centre Seeks Pay Equity

» Advocate Ads to be Referred to Auditor-General, ACCC

» Labor Council to Stage Pre-Drug Summit

» Guest Report

» Sport

» Trades Hall

» Piers Watch

» Wran Wrong on Wrepublic

» Digging the Dirt-Digging

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