Published: 23/05/2024
Category: Retired Unionists Network
Published: 23/05/2024
Category: Retired Unionists Network

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The RUN Committee is keen to promote retired members groups around Australia.  In this issue we are featuring the Vintage Reds of the Canberra Region who recently celebrated their tenth anniversary and the United Fire Fighters Union (UFU) Retired Members Branch in Victoria.

Vintage Reds of the Canberra Region: Retired Progressive Trade Unionists

They have a simple formula; a meeting at 11.00 am, always with a guest speaker and followed by lunch.  They do not charge a membership fee, but pass the tin around to collect donation.  The Vintage Reds have a website: vintagereds.org.au.   

The VRs celebrated their tenth anniversary in great style with a lunch at the Ainslie Football Club on 28 February 2024.  The VRs are pleased with their achievements over the 10 years, growing from strength to strength.  Throughout their first decade, they have lobbied Governments for changes; written submissions to various Senate Committees; worked on the ACTU’s marginal seats campaigns in Eden-Monaro and Gilmore, the UnionsACT Campaigns during territory elections and the UnionsNSW state election campaign in the seat of Goulbourn; they have followed closely the Aged Care Royal Commission and are now lobbying for changes to the ACT Retirement Villages legislation.   In 2022, Federal elections, they launched their own campaign “Our Age Care is in Crisis Put the Liberals Last” and distributed 15,000 flyers in the southern end of Gilmore.


Vintage Reds 10th anniversary lunch, 28 February 2024


Campaign materials distributed by Vintage Reds in marginal seat at the 2022 election.

United Firefighters’ Union Retired Members Branch in Victoria  (UFU/RMD Vic)

The UFU Retired Members Division (RMD) came into being in early 2015 when the UFU Vic Management Committee said that one’s work for the betterment of others, should not end upon a person’s retirement from an industry and that an ongoing association with retiring UFU members is desirable as it would promote goodwill and a continuing friendship with our retiring members.  It would also promote co-operation with them in the Vic Branch’s activities for improving living, environmental, social and economic standards of workers in the firefighting Industry and the workers.

RMD Management Committee is made up of 7 UFU retired members and approximately 400 members.

The services the UFU/RMD provides are essentially welfare, support and social activities:-

  • the welfare services include for example, access to the union’s solicitors, annual phone contact and a call-in phone line;
  • the support services can be anything from a concierge service to home maintenance assistance; and a quarterly newsletter to all retired members; and
  • regular social events which include monthly lunches around Melbourne and 5 day holiday tours.  .  Retired members maintain access to the union’s solicitors and assistance with old Workcover claims. 


UFU RMD Committee in 2022.  L to R: Sec’ Russell Hawthorn, Com’ Member Eileen Rudd, Pres’ Eddie Mc Mullen, Fire Rescue Vic’ Commissioner Ken Block (guest speaker, now retired), Committee’ members Rod Knowles and Glen Marks, all retired firefighters.

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Snapshots of Retired Members’ Groups

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Snapshots of Retired Members’ Groups