Lisa Cruickshank, long-time activist, feminist, union stalwart, friend, sister and mother died peacefully at home surrounded by family and friends on November 2.
Lisa lived her life with courage, commitment, determination and love. She once wrote that: “I’m not about to prioritise class v gender v ethnic struggles — if there’s a decent blue going on, it deserves support.”
In the course of her short but eventful life, she was on the right side of many decent blues, including: supporting the antinuclear power and antiwar movement; resisting Dawkins’s reintroduction of university fees (as the President of Swinburne Student Union, the last holdout for free higher education); opposing the privatisation of prisons and the closure of Fairlea Women’s Prison; and traveling to North Korea to support pro-democracy forces there.
She was often on picket lines as a member of the Builders Labourers Federation and, later, as CFMEU official. For holding the picket line at 417 St Kilda Rd, following the deregistration of the BLF, Lisa was honoured to be named as a BLF Stalwart and the certificate had pride of place on her wall for many years.
Lisa worked her way up from labouring on building sites as a strong and committed feminist and union member, to working for the health and safety of members on site. As a union official she dedicated her life to the cause of occupational health and safety in the construction industry and was an expert in asbestos removal and the health of members with asbestosis.
It can't have been easy in the male-dominated construction industry — the ceiling she faced was more concrete than glass. But Lisa found support from progressive men who were ready for women in the industry, and her work, expertise and commitment earned her respect and recognition.
Lisa also dedicated her life to Radio 3CR as a former committee member and chair of the Community Radio Federation and as co-presenter, with Susanna Duffy, of the radical “Left after Breakfast” Friday morning radio programme, a popular show that brought her insightful political analysis to a large audience. There were jokes, too.
Lisa was not one to lose sight of people in her focus on causes. She always had time for those who needed help, whether friends or strangers. There’s many a person she fed, let sleep on her couch, and helped to put back together when broken or hurt. She gave so much to all those who knew her. Lisa loved fiercely and was loved in return.
Farewell, comrade. You are missed.
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