Taking up the fight

Worker and community advocate Veronica Black has had her fair share of battles.

The fight for worker’s health and safety at ANZ bank bought Veronica Black and husband Matt Goodwin together.

“Our eyes met across a strategy meeting table and that was it.”

Working for rival state branches of the Finance Sector Union, they kept their blossoming relationship under wraps until deciding to live together.

The pair settled in Sydney's Newtown where they live with their three children, and ten years later 36 year old Veronica is Director of Organising in the union's NSW/ACT branch.

Veronica's interest in community activism was sparked at Southern Cross University in Lismore where she answered a student newspaper advertisement for volunteer mediators. Veronica completed the training, but didn't enjoy mediation.

“I prefer to pick a side and fight, rather than be a balanced adjudicator.”

Veronica became active on the student representative council and sat on the university's academic board.

“Few union organisers made the trip to Lismore, so people in the community often called me for industrial help. My passion for union organising grew from that experience.”

An Organising Works traineeship led to a placement with the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union.

With a growing reputation for fighting for others, at the age of 20 Veronica was in a fight for her own life. In the 1995 state election Veronica ran for the seat of Ballina. At the time she was the youngest woman to win pre-selection for a NSW seat. While on route to an ALP campaign training session, the car Veronica and her campaign director were travelling in left the road at high speed, and slammed into a tree.

As the front seat passenger, Veronica bore the brunt of the collision and sustained multiple serious injuries. A broken leg, multiple stitches, damaged liver and collapsed lung kept Veronica in hospital for months, however it took another year before the full extent of her injuries was known.

“I broke my back in three places, needing spine fusion surgery to prevent spinal cord damage.”

Doctors told Veronica she would never work fulltime again. She dutifully followed the doctors’ orders, but eleven years ago she reached a turning point. After fighting for her life and recovering from injury, Veronica had one more fight ahead of her.

“I couldn’t listen any more. I decided I would do the things I wanted to do. I would have a life and make a contribution, and just deal with the pain rather than sitting at home feeling miserable.”

Veronica continues to experience chronic pain and back problems but is working, and enjoying life with Matt, and children Zac, Jake and Kate. Her passion for art and reading helps sustain her.

By combining political activism with a love of photography Veronica has amassed a vast collection of social movement images, urban landscapes and portraits, and she collects Booker Prize nominated books.

“I keep old nominee lists in my handbag, so I can search second-hand bookshops. I will read them all eventually.”

“The accident helped me gain a longer term perspective. Things take time, and some things are completely out of my control. I can't fight that.”

This profile was written as an assignment from a course I am undertaking with the Sydney Writers Centre and was published with the permission of Veronica Black.