Vale Robert ‘Noddy' Belzer

Share your thoughts about Robert and send a message of condolence by posting a comment at the bottom of this page or emailing  rights@cpsu.org.au 

Mr Belzer, 67, was a CPSU activist and delegate, and for many years he was CPSU's Telstra Section Secretary.

In 2004 he was awarded CPSU life membership. This award coincided with Noddy being made redundant by Telstra, after 40 years in the industry.

CPSU National Secretary Stephen Jones paid tribute to Mr Belzer saying his contribution to unionism was considerable.

"Noddy will be remembered as a person who made a big difference in many workplaces," Mr Jones said.

"He was a true crusader for workers' rights and will be sadly missed by colleagues and union friends. His quick wit helped ease difficulties through many tough negotiations and he never gave up.

"We estimate Noddy was a union representative on more than 1,000 staff selection panels and advised more than 3,500 departing Telstra staff members on redundancy matters,"said Mr Jones.

A Victorian, Mr Belzer started work in the office of the Post Master General in 1971, just before it was split into Australia Post and Telecom.

He became a Telecom activist in 1975 and soon joined a reform group in the Administrative and Clerical Officers Association (ACOA). They had the aim of making the union more representative of its members and more active on industrial and social issues.

He helped negotiate of reams of major industrial agreements including the agreement which introduced the Administrative Officers Structure still used in awards today.

His activism expanded to include superannuation and in 2002 the ACTU appointed him as a board member of the Telstra Superannuation Scheme and to the Aviation Industry Superannuation Trust in 2004.

"I remember one CPSU Governing Council meeting a few years ago when Noddy told the gathering: ‘Superannuation seems boring when you are young. It becomes more interesting the older you get. To me, right now, it's fascinating'." recalled Stephen Jones.

CPSU organiser, John Jamieson described Noddy as a "bloody good bloke, a passionate unionist and an active Labor Party member" as well as "a gentleman who loved fine wine and Greek food".

John said Noddy always remained true to his saying of "never waste good money on cheap wine".

Mr Jamieson recalled an email exchange just weeks before his death in which Noddy said, "I have always tried to make the world a better place for those of us who inhabit it. I guess that's one of the myriad reasons I had for becoming a union official. Rage over injustice helps".

Mr Belzer had a passion for trains, especially steam trains, and travelled the world to photograph, ride on or experience steam trains. Each year on November 28 Mr Belzer and his ‘gunzel' mates would meet to discuss their adventures and plan their next trip. Sadly last November he was too ill to take part in their much planned trip to India.

Mr Belzer is survived by his wife Maureen and his son Luke.

Eulogy for Robert 'Noddy' Belzer by Stephen Jones CPSU National Secretary

It is with great modesty that I give this eulogy to Noddy Belzer as the National Secretary of the CPSU. By my count I am the 7th to serve as National Secretary of the Union since Noddy joined us as a member in 1971. All of them were greatly affected by Noddy and his work as a union leader. Most of us have nothing but gratitude and admiration for his years of dedication.

There may be one or two exceptions - let me explain why.

When Noddy joined the precursor to the CPSU in the early 1970's it was a very different organisation. While many unions were modernising and taking great steps to ensure that the union reflected the increasing diversity within the workforce ours was frankly dragging its feet. It was a very conservative, undemocratic and barely representative organisation. Noddy joined an organisation called the ACOA Reform Group - and became a leading member here in Victoria.

Along with Comrades like Doug Lilly, David Bunn, Sue Mountford, and federally Paul Munro, they worked tirelessly to democratise the union and to put it on a more progressive footing. For many years he was the editor of the groups publication "Alternative Viewpoint" and their activities attracted more than a few law suits and equal measure of slanderous attacks from their incumbent opponents.

By the early 1980's the reform group had been elected to the majority of influential positions in the union. It is to rank and file activists like Noddy that the current generation of unionist owe a great debt, for without his effort there would have been no way for us to participate in the affairs of our union. Noddy was a part of the class that paved the way. He became Vice President and then President of the influential Victorian Branch of the union making him a key member of the unions executive committee.

These were positions he held from 1982 - 1999, and during this time he became famous as the best chairs in some of the most rowdy meetings in the unions history. Whether it was meetings of several thousand, with standing room only at festival hall, or the closer hand - to hand venue of an executive meeting, Noddy's trade mark wit, wisdom and even handedness disarmed and endeared him to even to those who were his fierce adversary.

It was this ability that made him the popular choice to become the National President of the Communications Divisions of the union from 2000 - 2004. This meant he was a union president for over 2 decades: a feat unrivalled in the history of our union.

The most remarkable part of Noddys 35 years of union activity is that the overwhelming majority of it was done on his own time. OK some of it may have been on his employers time - but not so much in the latter years.

He was a key member of the unions negotiation team with Telecom, Telstra and many of its offshoots for 15 years, negotiating agreements which underpinned the massive restructures that took place in the Telecommunications industry from 1990 to 2004. These were not small deals. Every one of them would be worth $ millions and affected over 30,000 workers.

At the same time he was active in his own workplace representing thousands of members on their workplace problems - he became known as the keeper of the knowledge in Telstra. This was a valuable skill in the decade from 1995 when Telstra slashed thousands of workers from its ranks, and anybody who new anything about how things worked had inevitably been packaged out the door.

During one of many wine appreciation evenings with Noddy was telling a story about an individual who had just come to him after 37 years of employment. They needed advice as they were about to be made redundant. Noddy was disgusted with the shabby way this guy had been treated after long and loyal service.

He told me he would deal with up to 10 of these a week. I asked him how many people he had helped with their redundancy over the last decade. We calculated there were no less than 3,500 individuals who had been through the door of his office seeking his advice. That's 3,500 thousand Australian's that Noddy helped through their period of adversity.

In 2001 Noddy was appointed as an employee representative on the Board of Telstra Superannuation, and in 2004 he became a director of AvSuper. These are roles that he threw himself into with enormous enthusiasm and diligence. He never forgot that he was an employee representative on the Board and spent a lot of time advising the unions and their members on important issues affecting their retirement savings.

Louise Persse and I visited him at home a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be a personal visit, but that quickly turned into Noddy briefing us on all the things that we needed to do to carry on his work as an employee representative trustee at Telstra Super and AvSuper.

In 2004 we made Noddy a life member of the union. It was said at the time of making that award, that a union that has no plan for the future has no purpose, but a union without a knowledge of its past has no soul - and with Noddy we are lucky enough to have in the one man a knowledge of the battles past but an eye firmly fixed on how this must inform, but not constrain the future. We shall miss this.

Last night I was looking through some photo's of Noddy. My 2 year old came over to offer his assistance. He pointed to one of Noddy and I and said, look there's a photo of Daddy with Santa. My 5 year old, who because of her greater age and maturity is the household expert on all things Christmas, came over and studied the photo carefully. In her most considered tone she declared, no that's not Santa, because Santa doesn't wear a checkers shirt. Not to be out done the youngest replied - yes he does - when he's making toys for all the children.

Noddy always wore these shirts and I can think of no better words than these to end the eulogy to our dear comrade Noddy Belzer.