Doug Jordan, who co-presented City Limits on Wednesday mornings for 14 years, died on 19th May 2014. He was 63. Doug had been a community activist for many years, a member of many left groups and a confirmed unionist.
A memorial service will be held on June 14 at 2pm at the ETU Office, 200 Arden St, North Melbourne.
He was a tram conductor for many years until ‘Jeffed’ in the 1990s when he refused to be trained as a ticket inspector. He was arrested during the 1990 tramways dispute which saw Melbourne streets lined with trams as the union fought then Labor government attempts to introduce a new ticketing system which would reduce staff levels.
He also worked on the trams in Adelaide during a stint there when he was a member of the Socialist Workers’ Party. Later when he obtained a copy of his ASIO file he discovered every meeting of the Adelaide group- and there were only about seven members- was recorded in minute detail.
Clearly at last one of the regulars was ASIO, and some unkindly suggested Doug may have been the only one who wasn’t.
His community and working class commitment was evident in the issues he brought to and attitudes he expressed on City Limits.
Doug was diagnosed with a cancer in the leg last year, and in February this year was informed it had spread and he had only a few months to live. He was determined to live as normally as possible, even held his own wake, an ‘I’m still here’ party, and continued to present City Limits until the Wednesday before he died.
Doug was a valuable and popular member of the 3CR community.
3CR would like to express its deepest condolences to his family, friends, comrades and listeners.