‘A good man for the department’: The ethos of the railway and tramway officers association of New South Wales, 1913–1939*

Abstract

This article explores the ethos of the Railway and Tramway Officers Association of New South Wales (RTOA). It also analyses the role played within the authority structure of the New South Wales Railways and Tramways Department in the period 1913–39 by the RTOA's members, the white‐collar salaried officers who were the administrative and managerial staff employed by the Railway and Tramway Commissioners. The article seeks to locate the source of the RTOA's ethos in the workplace relationships and the career and cultural aspirations of the salaried officers. Finally, the article argues that the salaried officers’ ethos is an important expression of Australian labourism, albeit in its most conservative form.