Bill Sutton was a legendary figure in leftwing politics in Queensland. A former shearer and meatworker, Bill became prominent in Brisbane during the 1960s and 1970s as a stalwart of the Communist Party’s People’s Bookshop in Fortitude Valley. The accompanying photograph shows Bill running his regular book stall at the University of Queensland, where he met and befriended many radical students of the era. Bill was himself a writer and published several volumes of stories about working-class life. Four of the volumes are available here.

(Fryer Library, UQFL234, box 33, image 30)