Career
Born in Birstall, West Yorkshire, Overend painted from his youth, before meeting and marrying a woman from Belfast, moving to the city and continuing his artwork. He soon became a leading activist in the Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP). Known as the party"s leading member in the Shankill Road area, he stood for the NILP in Belfast Shankill at the Northern Ireland general election, 1965, taking 32.6% of the vote and again in 1969, when he dropped back to 15.4%.
He also stood in the United Kingdom general election, 1966 in Belfast North, taking 42.6% of the vote, the party"s second-best result of the election.
In 1979, Overend accompanied Smyth, McDonald and John Irvine on a tour of Canada in 1979, and then met with United States State Department officials, after Smyth and McDonald were refused American visas. He stood for Belfast City Council for his new party at the Northern Ireland local elections, 1981, but was not elected.
