A sell-out crowd gathered at the Melbourne Unitarian Church on Sunday to honour the life achievements of photographer John Ellis, who covered the anti-war movement and other progressive political causes over a fifty year period.

Mr Ellis covered left-wing political movements around Australia and abroad, including the Vietnam Moratorium movement, the anti-uranium mining protests, Indigenous self-determination campaigns, and trade union activities. An exhibition showed key images shot during Mr Ellis' career, which in total spans over 20 000 images.

Photographer and long time CICD supporter John Ellis remembers his encounter with the legendary folk singer Pete Seeger.

While living in New York City in 1996 I attended the 75th birthday celebration of Fr Daniel Berrigan, a radical Catholic Action priest. He and his brother Fr Phillip came to prominence during the American war in Vietnam and later in other struggles for justice and peace.

An added incentive to attend the function was that Pete Seeger would be singing. Some of my images of the event have been shown at some of my exhibitions.