DALZIEL, ALLAN JOHN (1908-1969), social reformer and political secretary, was born on 29 December 1908 at Pymble, Sydney, son of William Dalziel, a ship's officer from Scotland, and his native-born wife Florence Mary Annie, née Barbour. Educated at Cleveland Street Intermediate High School, Allan successively worked as a clerk, in an advertising agency, in the motor trade, as a butcher and as a freelance journalist. In the 1930s his strong Presbyterian beliefs were tempered by growing secular concerns. While living above his uncle's butcher's shop at Redfern during the Depression, he became secretary of the Legion of Christian Youth, founded by his close friend (Bishop) E. H. Burgmann to awaken community interest in the need for better housing. In 1936 the State government appointed Dalziel to the Housing Conditions Investigation Committee. His articles on slum reform brought him to the attention of intelligence officials who deemed him ...

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Australian Dictionary of Biography