George Thomas Gahan

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George Tomas Gahan JP (21 July 1912 – 24 June 1980) was an Australian politician and Victorian amateur boxer.

He was born in Inglewood, Victoria to Benjamin Edward Gahan and Emma Gahan née Walker.

The Gahan family later moved to the Melbourne suburb of Prahran where George became a building contractor.

At a young age George began training as an amateur boxer.

In his mid 30s Gahan attempted to join the Australian Army and defend his country in World War II.

Despite being rejected by army due to a duodenal ulcer, Gahan applied a second time, only be to turned away again.

George had his last fight at 42 years of age when he was stopped in the 2nd round by his opponent 20 years his junior.

George's tenacity and fighting talent soon shifted from the boxing ring to the political arena, becoming known as Prahran's George the Giant Killer.

This tenacious streak proved to be a valuable attribute as George again turned his focus towards amateur boxing, winning a Yarraville boxing competition and in 1949 in the final of the Welter division was beaten by the Australian champion Bill Seewitz.

The Liberal Party was aided by preferences from the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), which had broken away from the Labor Party during the 1950s claiming that the root organisation was too soft towards communism; fears of left-wing influence was causing great concern in Australian society at the time.

After DLP preferences were counted the Liberal Party's Sam Loxton won with a reduced two party preferred vote of 52.71%.

Former mayor of Prahran Fred Farrall recalled: "Up until 1953 all appeared quiet on the Town Hall front ... But one morning when I was walking to the railway station along Osborne Street on my way to work, I noticed a Holden utility advertising a chap named George Gahan as the Labor candidate for the South Yarra ward in the forthcoming elections. It attracted me because of the working Vote for George the Giant Killer – Vote George Gahan 1. I thought that was great, and made up my mind there and then, or by the time I reached the station, that I would offer the 'Giant Killer' my support."

Determined to fight for a seat on the City of Prahran council to improve its service to the people of the area, George Gahan became the Labor Party candidate for the South Yarra Ward in 1954.

His campaign slogan was Vote for George the Giant Killer – Vote George Gahan 1.

Gahan was defeated in 1954, and again in 1955, 1956, and 1957.

George Gahan ran as an Independent candidate for the seat of Toorak at the May 28 1955 Victorian State Election.

The Australian Labor Party split of 1955 had triggered events that caused a state election in May that year.

Neither the anti-communist 'Barry Labor' or the John Cain led Labor Party ran candidates in Toorak.

Gahan came in second to the sitting Liberal and Country Party member Horace Petty, and beat the Victorian Liberal Party candidate Geoffrey Kiddle.

From Results of the Victorian state election, 1955 (Legislative Assembly L-Z)

Prahran had been held by the Liberal Party and Australian Cricket champion and Sam Loxton since 1955.

From 1957 to 1959, George Gahan was the president of the Prahran-South Yarra branch of the Helping Hand League of Victoria; now known as Inclusion Melbourne.

Councillor

Mayor

In 1958, despite having lost the council election four times previously, Gahan's tenacity drove him to once again make an attempt to be elected by the residents of South Yarra ward; it was this last attempt that proved successful.

For fifteen years Cr.

George Gahan represented South Yarra on the Prahran City council.

George Gahan was elected by the Labor Party to be their candidate for the 1961 Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Prahran.

On May Day 1961 George Gahan declared: "The hour is right for a dramatic rise of the Labor Party ready and willing to work for a new deal for workers".

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Gahan campaigned in Prahran against the conservative Victorian government of Sir Henry Bolte and their record on housing and unemployment.

In his May Day address Gahan declared:"''The Premier is a very worried little man these days with the knowledge that 22 of his 30 seats in the House depend on the preferences of splinter groups. The hour is right for a dramatic rise of the Labor party ready and willing to work for a new deal for workers. The economy is going on to the rocks. Almost 100,000 workers are unemployed and thousands more are working part time. Prices are rising daily while wages remain at a low level."

George Gahan was not only concerned for the workers and unemployed, he actively campaigned for the many pensioners of Prahran, who he argued were facing rising rents and were increasingly being evicted from their homes.

According to Gahan, "Some businessmen gave money to the Bolte government to enable it to assist they payment of pensioners rents and help it bluff its way through the elections".

On election day Labor's George Gahan received the largest number of votes, achieving 45.29% of the primary vote, ahead of the sitting Liberal Party member Sam Loxton whose primary vote fell to 41.69%.

Despite winning the popular vote, George lost the election due to the preferential voting method used in Victorian state elections.

From Results of the Victorian state election, 1961 (Legislative Assembly L-Z)

Gahan was elected mayor of Prahran twice, in 1965 and 1970.

While the hour may have indeed been right for a "dramatic rise of the Labor Party" in Victoria, George's vision was not realized until two years after his death when the Australian Labor Party regained the Victorian Government in 1982.