22 Facts About Gerald O'Brien

John Gerald O'Brien, known as Gerald O'Brien, was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Gerald O'Brien joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1942 when he was 17 and trained as a radar operator in Harewood and Wigram.

Gerald O'Brien did not see overseas' service as the Americans "had enough manpower in [that] area".

Gerald O'Brien owned and operated his own business Enzart Import Ltd.

Gerald O'Brien was a member of the Brooklyn Progressive Association and Brooklyn Community Association.

Gerald O'Brien joined the Labour Party and in 1946 he became the Brooklyn electorate secretary, the seat represented by Prime Minister Peter Fraser, and later became chairman.

Gerald O'Brien stood as a Labour candidate for the council himself in both 1959 and 1962 but was unsuccessful.

Gerald O'Brien declined the invitation however, citing the demands of running his business would be incompatible with a parliamentary candidature at that time.

Gerald O'Brien represented the Island Bay electorate from 1969 to 1978.

Brian Gerald O'Brien was elected in 1971 and served as a councillor until 1980 when he retired.

Gerald O'Brien was particularly opposed to the Vietnam War and was honoured by the Vietnamese in appreciation.

Gerald O'Brien went as far as to use his importing business to bring goods from Vietnam into New Zealand, directly defying the policy of the Holyoake government.

In 1974 Gerald O'Brien was elected as Vice-President of the Labour Party.

Gerald O'Brien switched his vote to John Kirk, who got the nod.

Gerald O'Brien was on the committee that chose David Lange at the 1977 Mangere by-election.

Gerald O'Brien was charged over an incident in 1976 in Christchurch, where he allegedly asked two boys back to his motel room for a drink.

The charges were thrown out, and Gerald O'Brien maintained that it was nothing but an attempt by political enemies to "get rid of me".

Gerald O'Brien stated that he got more sympathy from members of the National Party than from his own party.

Gerald O'Brien was deselected by Labour for the Island Bay electorate.

Gerald O'Brien ran against the official Labour candidate, Frank O'Flynn, and received some 3,700 votes at O'Flynn's expense, almost costing O'Flynn what had always been a Labour bastion.

Gerald O'Brien reaffirmed his rift with Labour at the 1979 Christchurch Central by-election where he endorsed the Social Credit candidate Terry Heffernan.

Gerald O'Brien was survived by his wife of 61 years.