John Hynes Print Page

The monument erected by fellow unionists over the grave of John Hynes who was shot by an unknown person while manning a picket line at South Johnstone near Innisfail in 1927. The shooter was never apprehended.

Hynes was one of a party of men who were manning a picket line on the road from Wangan to South Johnstone on the 4th July 1927.  They were approached by a man with a foreign accent who fired a number of shots and then ran off in the direction of South Johnstone. Hynes ran in the direction of the man and several more shots rang out severely wounding Hynes who later died from his injuries. Efforts were made to find the gunman and on the following night pickets approached a man who fired upon them. Police at the time were confident that the alleged gunman could not escape and they believe he had not acted alone.

Considerable excitement was caused by three or four hundred industrialists, the majority of whom were strikers from South Johnstone who demonstrated in the streets of Innisfail. The men had attended the funeral of John Hynes and marched in a body back to town carrying a banner and red flags. They paraded in the streets singing "The Red Flag" and finally demonstrated outside the office of the Innisfail District Canegrowers Association. Their yells and shouts of "Murderers! Scab Organisers!"  were accompanied by a shower of stones which were thrown at the roof and the side of the building, the occupants of which, including female typists, were greatly alarmed.
Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton), 6th July 1927.

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