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.