John Ducker migrated to Australia with his family in 1950, and became an ironworker and active in the Federated Ironworkers Association, at that time controlled by the Communist Party of Australia.
14 Facts About John Ducker
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From 1952, John Ducker was an official of the union under the new anti-Communist leader, Laurie Short.
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In 1961, John Ducker moved from the Ironworkers to become an organiser for the Labor Council of New South Wales, becoming first an organiser and in 1967 becoming assistant secretary.
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John Ducker was president of the New South Wales Labor Party and vice-president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
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John Ducker was a powerful supporter of Federal Labor Leader Gough Whitlam.
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In 1970, John Ducker was a leading figure in the internal crisis in the Labor Party that cemented Whitlam's leadership.
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Coventry, John Ducker was a "prolific informer" for the United States of American throughout the 1970s, providing inside-information about the Labor Party and the ACTU.
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For example, when Frank Sinatra insulted women journalists, causing a nationwide boycott of the singer, John Ducker worked with the Ambassador and ACTU President Bob Hawke to bring about a quick resolution.
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John Ducker had a long association with Mater Maria Catholic College.
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In 1979, John Ducker's health declined and he resigned all his official positions, but Wran appointed him chairman of the New South Wales Public Service Board.
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John Ducker remained a powerful influence behind the scenes, supporting younger Labor leaders such as Graham Richardson, Bob Carr and Paul Keating.
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John Ducker was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1979, and the Catholic Church awarded him a Papal knighthood.
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John Ducker was appointed to several company boards, including Qantas and the poker machine giant Aristocrat Leisure Industries.
14.
John Ducker married Valerie Elizabeth Smith in 1963, and they had two sons and one daughter.