He went to work at the Emu Brewery in 1940 before enlisting for service in World War II on 19 July 1942, serving in the 3rd Field Regiment and then the 6th Division fighting against the Japanese in Papua New Guinea.
He was elected secretary of the Breweries & Bottleyards Employees Industrial Union of Workers WA in 1954 and served in that role until 1970.
[1][2][3][4][5] Cooley was also a justice of the peace from 1968, a delegate to the International Labour Organization conference in 1969 and 1973, a member of the executive of the Australian Council of Trade Unions in 1971 and a member of the Western Australian Institute of Technology council from 1972 to 1974.
He was responsible for an overnight filibuster of a controversial Emergency Services Bill proposed by the government of Charles Court.
In 1985, he published a book, Leading the Way: A History of the Breweries and Bottleyards Employees' Union 1910–1975.