Struggle and Resistance in the Far North – Chapters
- Far North Queensland
- Growing up in Australia
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
- Queensland Political Culture
- Princess Alexandra Hospital Spinal Unit
- People with Disabilities
- Cairns Regional Council
- Conservative Council
- ALP Qld
- Abortion Law Reform
- Fighting Fossil Fuel
- Local Government Corruption
- Losing to Labor
- A Moderate Council
- Council Mayors Silencing Dissent
- Socialist Alliance and Fighting Fascism
- Jenny Pyne, Life and Pain
- Cairns Council Swings Right
- Farewell Comrades
Rob Pyne’s Struggle and Resistance in the Far North, is a glimpse into Far North Queensland politics, history and culture. It is an account of the region’s hidden stories and prominent identities. Rob gives his account in concert with his own story. As a result, this work links the personal with the political in a unique way.
This is a story of oppression and fightback, taking the side of the underdog in the fight against authority. The account begins with early European arrivals and their struggle surviving in a strange and alien land.
However, as new arrivals began to prosper, life became increasingly oppressive for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They were attacked, disenfranchised and denied full citizenship. As a result, Australia’s first people determined to resist authority and fight for change, as would future oppressed minorities.
The battle against violence and discrimination was also encountered by Pacific Islanders taken from their homes and used as slave-labour for the sugar industry.
Later, Italian cane cutters, the unemployed and poor people formed unions and associations to combat injustice. As a result of this struggle socialist heroes emerged to champion the fight for rights and a better life.
LQBTIQ Struggle and Resistance in the Far North
More recently environmentalists and the LGBTIQ community have come forward in the battle for the natural world and the human rights of same sex and gender diverse communities.
This included neo-nazis protesting against the rights of transgender people and capitalists opening new coal mines, despite the dire consequences for humanity.
With the decline of the of the Communist Party, it was parties such as Socialist Alliance and the Queensland Greens that took up positions in the vanguard of the struggle for the human rights of oppressed people.
The struggle for respect, equality and human dignity may never be completely won. As a result, the fights with Conservatives for the soul of humanity will continue. So it has become clear what characterises our fight for a better world, ‘Struggle and Resistance’.
Who is Rob Pyne?
Rob Pyne was born in 1967. He worked in various jobs, until breaking his neck in 1991, becoming a quadriplegic. Consequently, he received lengthy care in Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Rob married his fiancé Jenny while still in hospital. Following this, the pair returned to Cairns where they lived in the suburbs of Bentley Park and Mount Sheridan.
Rob subsequently completed a BA in History and Politics and a Law Degree. He also worked at James Cook University from 2000 to 2007.
Rob campaigned successfully for election to Cairns Regional Council in 2008. Consequently he completed two terms and then won election to the Queensland Parliament in 2015. As a result of his subsequent electoral defeat, Rob returned to Council, winning Division 2 in March 2020.
The stage was then set of the final chapter of Struggle and Resistance in the Far North. However, not all stories have a happy ending.
Jenny’s sudden death in July 2022 shook Rob’s world. His grief, difficulties with his own health and a lawsuit from former LGAQ CEO Greg Hallam all led to Rob’s decision not to seek re-election as the Councillor for Division 2.
Rob says his greatest achievement in life was his marriage to Jenny and raising their only child Kate in a warm and loving environment.