O'TOOLE, THOMAS WILLIAM (1885-1957), coalminer, was born on 28 July 1885 at Chester-le-Street, Durham, England, second of nine children of Edward Toole, a Scottish-born coalminer, and his wife Annie, née Dinning, who came from Newcastle upon Tyne. The Tooles emigrated to New South Wales in 1890 and settled in the Hunter Valley. Edward worked at Stockton colliery. Blacklisted because of his industrial activities, he moved with his family to the Fingal area of Tasmania. There Tommy began work as an underground miner. He changed his surname to O'Toole, returned to the South Maitland field about 1901, and was employed in John Brown's colliery at Pelaw Main, a 'Geordie' stronghold.

At St Mary's Anglican Church, West Maitland, on 25 April 1906 O'Toole married Margaret MacMillan; they were to have five sons and two daughters. He served (from 1912) as president of the Pelaw Main miners' lodge ...

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Source:

Australian Dictionary of Biography