Manfred Douglas Cross: Chairman of the Library Board of Queensland and a lover of libraries, history and scholarship

Manfred Cross AM, Queenland Labor Party politician died on 30th January 2024 leaving a considerable legacy of both political and community contributions.  Manfred was born in Brisbane in 1929 to Manfred Cross, a telegraphist, and Mary McLennan a dressmaker.  He found employment as a Public Servant and was then elected to the Federal Parliament for the seat of Brisbane in 1961. Manfred Cross was a key figure in the Queensland Labor Party.

Following his retirement from politics, Manfred became the Chairman of the Library Board of Queensland from 1989 until 1996.  This was an important era in the history of the Library Board of Queensland, following the introduction of the new Libraries Act of 1988 and the establishment of the library in new premises at South Bank in that same year.  Manfred Cross, a book collector and lover of Libraries wrote in his first report as Chairman to the Premier of Queensland in 1989 that he had been on the Council of the National Library of Australia and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library Committee.  He noted that in this new role, he was impressed with the competence and dedication of the staff.

Manfred was closely involved in the various activities of the State Library of Queensland during the 1990s including the Queensland Heritage Retrieval Project where he travelled with Senior Librarian Christina Ealing-Godbold and Historian Jennifer Harrison to work in London.  Based at Queensland House in the Strand, the team selected materials suitable for inclusion in the John Oxley Library collection.  Almost 300 collections were added to the John Oxley Library as a result of this project.  Christina travelled to Cambridge University and other repositories with Manfred Cross, using either British Rail or the Queensland House Chauffeured Limousine, A great conversationalist with an in-depth knowledge of both political and Australian social history, Manfred was a valuable addition to the project team with an excellent ability to place collections in context.

Another project for which he had passion and enthusiasm was the establishment of the Workers Heritage Centre at Barcaldine where he worked with Deputy Premier, Tom Burns and Senior Reference Librarian, John Oxley Library - Christina Ealing-Godbold on developing the first exhibition for that centre. The Exhibition was opened at Parliament House in Brisbane in 1993 in the presence of Gough Whitlam, Tom Burns and other esteemed labor leaders before being dismantled and re-erected permanently at the Workers Heritage Centre at Barcaldine.  Manfred Cross was much involved in the Centenary Celebrations of the 1991 Shearers Strike in Barcaldine and delivered numerous historical addresses.
 

In keeping with his support for the State Library of Queensland, Manfred Cross has donated his papers to the John Oxley Library as well as those of his father (also named Manfred Cross), a young soldier who experienced the horrors of World War one.  Included in the Manfred Cross Papers are the ALP working files for the 1967 Referendum as well as annotated ALP convention proceedings and reports. 

Manfred Cross continued as Library Board Chairman until 1995/1996. However, Manfred’s enthusiasm for books, librarians and scholarship never waned and he was a regular visitor to the State library of Queensland.

Christina Ealing-Godbold, Research Librarian, State Library of Queensland

Collections held by State Library

• Manfred Cross Papers
  Personally annotated copies of Australian Labor Party Labor-in-Politics Convention (later State Conference) reports and proceedings. Unrestricted access for items more than 20 years old.
• Manfred Cross Papers ca. 1963 - ca.1977
  Manfred Cross personal ALP working files eg 1967 Federal Referendum file kept by Manfred Cross as Campaign Director (Brisbane FDE) (subj: Aboriginal Affairs); candidate selection material eg file of personal history sheets re nominations for State election 1972 'Records of candidates presented to reconvened convention of 1972' and some annotated Australian Labor Party convention proceedings and reports. Unrestricted access for items more than 20 years old.

Further reading

• Manfred Cross Collection Digitised @ SLQ
  A World War I collection donated by the family of Manfred Cross