Vale QTU Life Members Joy Buhmann and Terry Prindable
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128, 21 July 2023, page no.4
Joyce (Joy) Buhmann (Lock/James) was a teacher and union member from 1946 to 1948, and again from 1961 to 1988, and began her active union involvement after being readmitted to teaching in 1961.
Joy’s activism centred on justice for married women teachers, human relationships courses in schools, class sizes and sexism in education. Joy pursued equal pay, permanency and long service leave rights for women teachers at a time when many others would not.
Joy was a long-time feminist who understood the importance of working within structures. She knew firsthand the discrimination against women teachers:
- paid 90 per cent of the male salary for many years
- as a married woman sacked each Christmas and then reappointed each January to save the government a few weeks' wages
- as a widow and mother, not receiving the children’s benefit that children of male teachers were entitled to
- entitled to a lesser superannuation benefit.
Joy was a regular attendee at branch meetings, a senior office holder and a member always willing to shoulder responsibility.
Vale Joy.
Terrence (Terry) Prindable first became a member of the Queensland Teachers’ Union in 1965 and became a Union Representative in 1973.
He was instrumental in the 1974 campaign for class sizes. Labrador State School, where Terry was a Rep, was the only school on the Gold Coast that actually went on strike during this campaign.
Terry became the Union Rep at Southport SHS in the late 80s through to 1994, was the Vice-President of Southport branch, and was a pivotal speaker at strike meetings throughout his 39 years of membership.
Terry was reliable. He regularly attended branch meetings and was always helpful during those difficult times of workplace reform. Terry was also an influential speaker and regularly appeared on TV during his activism. Terry was the epitome of grass roots activism.
Vale Terry.