Edward Emanuel Isbey was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
27 Facts About Eddie Isbey
1.
2.
Eddie Isbey was born in London in 1917, the son of Alec Eddie Isbey a tailor who immigrated from Lithuania.
3.
Eddie Isbey received his education in London and gained a diploma in industrial management.
4.
Eddie Isbey was a clothing factory manager from 1948 to 1953, then went into dairy farming in Mercer and later Hokianga, before working on the waterfront.
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Eddie Isbey was then elected the president of the New Zealand Watersiders Union, retaining the role for 11 years from 1959 to 1970 in conjunction with being the Auckland president for 12 years from 1956 to 1967.
6.
Eddie Isbey was a close friend and associate of leading unionists such as Tom Skinner and Jim Knox.
7.
Eddie Isbey was the vice-president of New Zealand Rugby League and an administrator of several theatres in Auckland including the board of the Mercury Theatre and the Auckland Theatre Trust.
8.
Eddie Isbey was the chairman of the special committee of the New Zealand Shipping Corporation.
9.
Eddie Isbey joined the Labour Party upon arriving in New Zealand and served as a delegate to the Auckland Labour Representation Committee and later the Auckland Labour Regional Council.
10.
Eddie Isbey was selected as the Labour candidate for the electorate of Grey Lynn ahead of the 1969 election.
11.
Eddie Isbey was successful and resigned his trade union roles after entering parliament.
12.
Eddie Isbey's win was something of a surprise with Stan Rodger, President of the Public Service Association, seen as the front-runner.
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When Labour was in opposition Eddie Isbey was shadow minister for Labour, Immigration, the Arts and Sport and Recreation.
14.
Eddie Isbey was one of the earliest proponents of nuclear-free legislation.
15.
Eddie Isbey introduced a bill to make New Zealand nuclear-free in 1976 but it was voted down by the Muldoon Government.
16.
Later, in 1982 Eddie Isbey received a public anti-nuclear petition when it was presented to parliament.
17.
In 1977, Eddie Isbey received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.
18.
Eddie Isbey stood against Labour's incumbent Auckland Central MP, Richard Prebble, for the nomination but was beaten by Prebble.
19.
Eddie Isbey then set his sights on unrelated seats after allegedly being promised "we will find you a safe seat Eddie" by the party hierarchy.
20.
Eddie Isbey put himself forward for the seat of Te Atatu before withdrawing at the last moment on a tip he would win the Waitakere nomination.
21.
Eddie Isbey won the Papatoetoe seat and represented it from 1978 to 1987, when he retired.
22.
Eddie Isbey was replaced in the Papatoetoe electorate by Ross Robertson.
23.
In December 1987, shortly after leaving parliament, Eddie Isbey was appointed to the board of the Accident Compensation Corporation.
24.
Eddie Isbey met Annette while attending an art exhibition in Auckland.
25.
Eddie Isbey's pastimes included theatre, boats, reading, art, watching football, and boxing.
26.
Eddie Isbey crewed a whaling ship to Antarctica in 1939 before joining Merchant Navy during World War II.
27.
Eddie Isbey was president of the Auckland Labour Representation Committee and stood twice for the Auckland City Council in 1959 and 1962, but was unsuccessful.