Editing V. Gordon Childe (section)

===Early career in Australia: 1918–1921===

[[File:John Storey.jpg|upright=1|thumb|right|From 1919 to 1921, Childe worked for the leftist politician John Storey as his personal assistant.]]

Childe returned to Australia in August 1917.{{sfnm|1a1=Trigger|1y=1980|1p=33|2a1=Green|2y=1981|2pp=26–27|3a1=Mulvaney|3y=1994|3p=57}} As a known socialist agitator, he was placed under surveillance by the security services, who intercepted his mail.{{sfn|Mulvaney|1994|p=57}} In 1918 he became senior resident tutor at [[St Andrew's College, Sydney|St Andrew's College, Sydney University]], joining Sydney's socialist and anti-conscription movement. In Easter 1918 he spoke at the Third Inter-State Peace Conference, an event organised by the Australian Union of Democratic Control for the Avoidance of War, a group opposed to Prime Minister [[Billy Hughes]]'s plans to introduce conscription. The conference had a prominent socialist emphasis; its report argued that the best hope to end international war was the "abolition of the Capitalist System". News of Childe's participation reached the Principal of St Andrew's College, who forced Childe to resign despite much opposition from staff.{{sfnm|1a1=Green|1y=1981|1pp=27–28|2a1=Mulvaney|2y=1994|2p=59}}

Staff members secured him work as a tutor in ancient history in the Department of Tutorial Classes, but the university chancellor [[William Portus Cullen|William Cullen]] feared that he would promote socialism to students and fired him.{{sfnm|1a1=Green|1y=1981|1pp=29–30|2a1=Mulvaney|2y=1994|2p=61}} The leftist community condemned this as an infringement of Childe's [[civil rights]], and the centre-left politicians [[William McKell]] and T.J. Smith raised the issue in the [[Parliament of Australia]].{{sfn|Mulvaney|1994|p=61}} Moving to [[Maryborough, Queensland|Maryborough]], Queensland, in October 1918, Childe took up employment teaching Latin at the [[Maryborough State High School|Maryborough Boys Grammar School]], where his students included [[P. R. Stephensen]]. Here, too, his political affiliations became known, and he was subject to an opposition campaign from local conservative groups and the ''Maryborough Chronicle'', resulting in abuse from some pupils. He soon resigned.{{sfnm|1a1=Trigger|1y=1980|1p=33|2a1=Green|2y=1981|2pp=26–27|3a1=Mulvaney|3y=1994|3p=63|4a1=Evans|4y=1995|4pp=7–15}}

Realising he would be barred from an academic career by the university authorities, Childe sought employment within the leftist movement. In August 1919, he became private secretary and speech writer to the politician [[John Storey (politician)|John Storey]], a prominent member of the centre-left [[Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)|Labor Party]] then in opposition to New South Wales' [[Nationalist Party (Australia)|Nationalist Party]] government. Representing the Sydney suburb of [[Electoral district of Balmain|Balmain]] on the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly]], Storey became [[Premiers of the Australian states|state premier]] in 1920 when Labor achieved electoral victory.{{sfnm|1a1=Trigger|1y=1980|1p=34|2a1=Green|2y=1981|2pp=31–35|3a1=Mulvaney|3y=1994|3p=66}} Working within the Labor Party allowed Childe greater insight into its workings; the deeper his involvement, the more he became critical of Labor, believing that once in political office they betrayed their socialist ideals and moved to a centrist, pro-capitalist stance.{{sfn|Green|1981|pp=35–36}} He joined the radical leftist [[Industrial Workers of the World]], which at the time was banned in Australia.{{sfn|Green|1981|pp=35–36}} In 1921 Storey sent Childe to London to keep the British press updated about developments in New South Wales, but Storey died in December and an ensuing New South Wales election restored a Nationalist government under [[George Fuller (Australian politician)|George Fuller]]'s premiership. Fuller thought Childe's job unnecessary, and in early 1922 terminated his employment.{{sfnm|1a1=Trigger|1y=1980|1p=34|2a1=Green|2y=1981|2pp=37–40|3a1=Mulvaney|3y=1994|3p=55}}