She Never Was Afraid
The Biography of Annie Buller, by Louise Watson
Epilogue
Annie's life came to a close on January 19th,
1973 Harry's just a short while before both of them gently and
without much pain. It was as though they took each other by the hand and
quietly tiptoed away.
At Harry's funeral the speaker for the Party paid
a special tribute to his long years of work in the movement, and his
dedication to that work. He spoke of Harry's many talents, and the
contribution he made as a writer in spreading the ideas of socialism,
particularly in the Jewish community. He loved the Jewish language and
the Jewish culture.
It was stressed also that his profound
internationalism was a great source of strength for our Party in the
difficult periods when revisionist currents tried to impose themselves
on our movement and take it away from its historic responsibilities.
The warm human element of Harry's nature was
spoken of too, which was evident in his deep devotion to Annie, his
pride in her activities, and his care of her when she was ill.
It was pointed out that each person leaves his
mark in the course of his or her lifetime. Harry left his, and it is a
good one. He was a capable and highly esteemed worker.
Annie's funeral service was a simple one, but
within it all the love and respect which was accorded her during her
lifetime. The flame had gone out, but for the many, many comrades and
friends who were there, the embers still glowed.
Telegrams of sorrow at the passing of such an
outstanding Communist woman, and condolences to her son Jim, his wife
Grace, and daughter Carol, arrived from all over Canada.
William Kashtan spoke as General Secretary of the
Communist Party of Canada, and also as a friend and comrade of many
years.
He traced the events in her life which brought
her to the founding of the Party in 1922, and her complete dedication to
the cause of the working class ever since. He said of her: "Annie saw
membership in the Communist Party as a challenge and responsibility, as
a badge of honour to be worn proudly and she wore it fearlessly all
her life."
He spoke of her willingness to tackle any task
assigned to her, and her terrific optimism. He spoke of her
organizational work among the miners of Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan,
Alberta, and British Columbia, and her loyalty to the working class as
emphasized in her self-defence at the Estevan trials.
"Her faith in the working class was unbounded,
and her loyalty to her class and the Party remained steadfast in good
times and in difficult times."
In referring to her work as a union organizer, he
said: "If today the trade union movement has the strength it has, if the
workers today are able to stand up with dignity and do not have to bend
their knees to the corporations, no small cause for it lies in the
self-sacrificing struggle of Annie and other Communists."
In relation to her literary prowess he said:
"Annie understood the power of the word and how it could be a mighty
weapon of the working people in their struggles. Not many people," he
said, "possess such varied abilities."
At the end of his address he said that "Annie is
a part of the living history of Canada, and we have a responsibility to
make that history known to the young of today. She will occupy a place
of honour among Canada's fighters for peace, progress and socialism,
among all those who strive for a better life."
Another speaker was Molly Myers, who spoke as the
representative of the Nechama Lodge of the United Jewish Peoples Order.
After expressing condolences to the family,
comrades and friends, she spoke of Annie's lifelong membership in the
UJPO. The fact that one of their Lodges is named after her bespeaks the
love and esteem they held for her.
Molly pointed out that Annie's name is synonymous
with the struggle of the needle trades workers in Montreal, Toronto and
Winnipeg, against sweatshop conditions. She spoke also of her work for
peace, for women's rights, and in defence of workers arrested on picket
lines and demonstrations.
Molly had met Annie many years ago in Winnipeg,
and says: "I was a 'Doubting Thomas' at the time and she was the one who
got me onto the right track."
She closed her address by saying, "Some time in
the not too distant future, when all Annie Buller stood for and fought
for will be realized, and the glorious history of our progressive
movement will be written, Annie's name will be inscribed amongst the
greatest, and will hold an esteemed and honourable place for generations
to come and remember. She influenced the course of Canadian history. We
pledge to carry her ideals high, and to carry on the fight for justice
and peace in Canada and the world."
The address delivered by Jim Buller was a tribute
from a loving son to an equally loving mother and father. It was an
expression of the pride in his heart for the lifelong dedication of
these two to the cause of socialism. He fittingly entitled it:
ANNIE BULLER'S LEGACY
Through the years more
than 60 active years of political activity Annie always worked to
advance the struggle for human betterment and socialism in Canada
through education and struggle. In doing so, through her personal
example of leadership and sacrifice she has pointed the way to many
others both young and old.
Her lasting legacy
consists of certain key principles which she followed and which stand us
in good stead. These principles urge us to:
Always remain loyal and
devoted to the needs of the working class. Be prepared to provide
leadership to advance these needs.
Be prepared to make
personal sacrifices in providing this leadership, which Annie certainly
did.
Always be on guard
against opportunism, revisionism, and the desire of so-called
"respectability" in the eyes of the capitalist establishment. In other
words, never sacrifice principle for expediency.
Never lose sight of the
goal of struggle for gaining a truly Socialist Canada, in alliance with
all other healthy people's forces. This goal, of course, is not possible
without an organized Marxist political party.
As John Weir expressed in a Sixtieth Birthday
tribute in The Tribune of December 12th, 1955:
"
Annie is a Party person. That means more
than just being a member of the Party. It means being a person who
understands that without the party, the working class will blunder,
flounder and make unnecessary sacrifice on the road to the
fulfillment of its destiny. It means realizing the purity of party
principle and unity of party organization are the most precious
things that can be. It means merging one's personal life with the
life of the Party. ..."
Annie's long and creative political life was also
enriched through her long years with her husband and co-worker Harry,
who passed away less than a year ago. Both Annie and Harry helped each
other, politically, as well as personally, and this close collaboration
enriched both their contributions, which were outstanding.
Because Annie worked as a political and union
organizer throughout many different parts of Canada, she is well known
to significant sections of the working class from the Maritimes, through
Montreal, Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia. Her contributions
among the miners of Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, among the needle
trades workers of Toronto and Winnipeg, among the unemployed in their
struggles, will forever be recorded in Canada's working class history.
Even one of the officials of the Canadian Labour Congress approached me
in Ottawa last summer while I was attending the Canadian Labour Congress
Convention, and stated he had visited the graves of the three murdered
Estevan coal miners, and that the CLC was commissioning a history of the
labour movement, and Annie's contribution would be recorded, as it
simply could not be ignored even in the minds of some of the present
conservative and mildly reformist leadership of the official trade union
movement today.
In his tribute of 1955, John Weir described Annie
as Canada's "Rosa Luxembourg," our "La Pasionaria", our "Elizabeth
Gurley Flynn". This tribute also pointed out that Annie's tremendous
enthusiasm came from faith, which in turn came from knowledge and
insight. We must also therefore strive to read, discuss, study, and
learn, so that many others can carry on the work for which Annie devoted
her life. Let us rededicate ourselves to the struggle for a truly
Socialist Canada. As Joe Hill's testament declared: "Don't mourn. But
organize."
Thinking of Annie's legacy there comes to mind
the lines of the old song, "Where My Caravan Has Rested, Flowers I Leave
Thee On the Grass." She left us many flowers of faith in the working
class flowers of hope for its future flowers of learning and
knowledge flowers of truth and courage flowers of strength to press
on to the goal. We will gather them, we will preserve and nourish them,
and they will bloom, bright and beautiful, reflecting always the life of
Annie Buller-Guralnick.
continued
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