Born 1925, social worker Audrey Johnson grew up in a working-class family and became involved in the Communist Party and Labor movement while studying at Sydney University. After leaving the Communist Party in the 1950s, she helped to produce Outlook, the independent socialist magazine, and joined the Australian Labor Party. She interviewed former Tasmanian Senator Bill Morrow in the 1970s and subsequently published a biography of him titled Fly a rebel flag: Bill Morrow 1888-1980 in 1986.

Born in Rockhampton in 1888, Bill Morrow followed his father William R. Morrow into work on the railways from an early age. He was involved in railway unions from their inception and became an organiser for the Australian Railways Union (ARU) when it was formed in 1921. In 1936, after several years break from union work, he moved to Tasmania to become secretary of the ARU in the state. He had a long and difficult relationship with the Australian Labor Party, for which he served as Senator for Tasmania 1947-1953, despite mistrust of what were seen as his communist leanings. He was active in the peace movement, and in 1961 was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize for his contribution to the World Peace Council.