Decision details

Moved by Councillor Worling, seconded by the Chair (the Lord Mayor) -

It is resolved that:

(A)      Council note:

(i)         on 17 November 2024, Emanuel (Mannie) Joshua De Saxe sadly passed away at age 98. He is survived by his 2 daughters, his son and his 3 granddaughters;

(ii)        Mannie De Saxe was a passionate socialist, fierce fighter for justice, gay liberationist and comrade to many;

(iii)      from his early life in a Jewish family opposing apartheid in South Africa to his condemnation of the war in Gaza, Mannie stood proudly with the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation as well as supporting workers’ rights and the fight for socialism;

(iv)      despite knowing he was gay for some time, Mannie dutifully followed the life expected by his family and married. He and his family migrated to Australia in 1978 so his son would not have to serve in the apartheid army;

(v)       after his marriage ended, Mannie began to get more politically active and felt more confident to come out as gay, at 61 years old;

(vi)      at a demonstration in April 1988, Mannie was invited to attend a meeting of a group called Gay Solidarity (GSG, later renamed Lesbian and Gay Solidarity). Alongside Socialist Action, GSG became a home for Mannie where both his politics and his sexuality were welcomed and celebrated;

(vii)     after several years working together in GSG, Mannie formed a loving partnership with another legendary activist named Kendall (Ken) Lovett;

(viii)    when HIV/AIDS hit Australia, Mannie and Ken actively protested the homophobic backlash, fought for better care of those who were ill, and volunteered as carers to many young men who were dying from the disease;

(ix)      they worked to ensure those lost to HIV/AIDS were not forgotten. They played a key role in establishing Sydney Park AIDS (SPAIDS) memorial grove project, and other memorial gardens later in Melbourne;

(x)       Mannie remained active throughout his life on a wide range of issues. He and Ken were fixtures at rallies for refugee and migrant rights, and worked with Meals on Wheels, reaching out to isolated and aged people. They also campaigned to support marriage equality;

(xi)      in 2001, Mannie and Ken relocated from NSW to Victoria and settled in Preston. They were only separated by Ken’s death in 2020, after nearly three decades together;

(xii)     from Melbourne, Mannie set up a variety of web pages which documented cases of gay, lesbian, transgender and HIV/AIDS (GLTH) hate crimes, both in Australia and around the world. Even in his later years, he endeavoured to draw attention to the iniquities perpetrated against the GLTH and wider communities; and

(xiii)    Mannie fought for a socialist world right to the end. He remained mentally sharp, always up for a lively—and lengthy—discussion about the world. His interests spanned politics, music, film, literature and more. May he Rest in Power;

(B)      the Lord Mayor be requested to write to Mannie De Saxe’s family expressing Council’s condolences; and

(C)      all present in the meeting observe a minute’s silence to commemorate the life of Mannie De Saxe.

Carried unanimously.

X113756

Note – All Councillors, staff and members of the public present stood in silence for one minute as a mark of respect to Mannie De Saxe.