48 years on, USU President Sharon Sewell, General Secretary Graeme Kelly OAM along with Officials and Delegates once again stood in remembrance of the victims of the Hilton Bombing.
This year Graeme addressed the memorial:
“We gather today in solemn remembrance of one of the most tragic moments in Australia’s modern history — the bombing outside the Hilton Hotel on 13 February 1978, an event that shattered families, shook our nation, and forever changed the way we understand safety, service, and sacrifice.
In the early hours of that morning, as the city slept, ordinary working people were doing what they had always done — serving their community with dignity and quiet dedication. Council workers Alec Carter and William Favell were emptying rubbish bins along George Street when a bomb, hidden in one of those bins, detonated as the waste was crushed into the back of their garbage truck. Both men were killed instantly. A police officer on duty, Constable Paul Burmistriw, later succumbed to his injuries.
These men were not targets of international politics or ideological extremism. They were hardworking Australians who simply turned up for work that day — husbands, fathers, colleagues, friends. Their loss was sudden, senseless, and devastating. The grief experienced by the Carter, Favell, and Burmistriw families is something that no family should ever have to endure.
But in the aftermath of this unimaginable tragedy, we also saw something profoundly human: the strength of solidarity. By 8 a.m. on the very morning of the bombing, the Municipal Employees’ Union — today the United Services Union — launched a national appeal to support the grieving families. Coworkers donated a day’s pay; unions, community groups, and individuals organised fundraising events; and within months, $150,000 had been raised to support the widows and children of Alec Carter and William Favell.
This was the trade union movement at its very best — stepping forward not only to honour the dead, but to protect and uplift the living. It was a powerful expression of the enduring spirit of mateship and collective care that defines the Australian labour movement. As was pledged then, and continues to be upheld today, the union made a commitment that these workers and their families would never be forgotten.
Today, we renew that commitment.
We remember Alec Carter and William Favell — men who dedicated their working lives to the City of Sydney. We remember Constable Paul Burmistriw, who served with courage. We remember the families whose lives were changed forever in a single moment. And we honour the trade union members, leaders, and supporters who rallied around those families with compassion, generosity, and unwavering solidarity.
The Hilton bombing was an attack on innocent people — on workers simply doing their jobs. But the response that followed showed the strength of our community: that in our darkest moments, we stand together.
As we reflect 48 years on, let us carry forward the lessons of this tragedy — that every worker deserves safety, that every family deserves support, and that every life lost in the service of community must be remembered.
May the memory of Alec Carter, William Favell, and Paul Burmistriw continue to guide us in our ongoing work to protect workers, support families, and ensure that such a loss is never repeated.”
Thank you. General Secretary Graeme Kelly OAM
FIND OUT MORE:
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| Read the Counsellor here No 2, 1978 “Hilton Appeal Fund closes” |
Read the Counsellor here Summer, 1991 “Caring for bomb victims’ children” |
Read Unite here History of the MEU “The Hilton Bombing” |
