The front page lead in the October 29, l953, edition of Darwin’s union owned newspaper, Northern Standard, was an Alice Springs court case in which Jim Bowditch was a major figure. The report said it had been alleged that police Sergeant John Michael Fitzgerald had used American-style “third degree” methods when questioning half-caste Mervyn Brockhirzon about a break in . Brockhirzon had laid a charge of assault against Fitzgerald . The case was a classic example of Bowditch reacting to “bullying” of a person . While drinking at the Memorial Club, Bowditch often spoke to and drank with Sergeant “Blackjack ” Fitzgerald, who freely talked about police work; some of the things he told Bowditch were said to be “hair-raising. ”
One night at the club , Fitzgerald, whom Bowditch judged to be under the influence of liquor, said he had pulled in Brockhirzon for questioning , and then showed him skinned knuckles , adding : “ I had to play a little. ”
On being told that , Bowditch quickly sought out a young lawyer, Phil Rice, much later involved in the Azaria Chamberlain missing baby case, and with him went to the police station. There they bluffed the young officer on duty ,and were shown into a cell where they found Brockhirzon battered and bleeding. Rice took a statement from the man and subsequently filed a charge of assault against Fitzgerald.
In court, Brockhirzon said he had removed his dentures fearing he was going to “cop it ”from Fitzgerald. The policeman had “ wailed ” into him , splitting his lip , blackening an eye and cracking his dentures. The complainant denied calling Fitzgerald a rotten copper bastard who was always picking on him , or that he struck the officer. Called to the witness box, Bowditch recounted the events of the evening . Under questioning , he agreed that he was living with the daughter of the woman with whom Brockhirzon was living. Special Magistrate Bell found Fitzgerald guilty and fined him ten shillings , saying there may have been some provocation .
ALLEGATIONS OF ASSAULT
Prior to the case, Bowditch had received allegations about half-castes frequently being beaten up by police, but said he could not do much about the situation until somebody was prepared to make a statutory declaration . After a confrontation in the Memorial Club in which Mrs Fitzgerald called Bowditch a “ little Commie bastard, ” the sergeant left the police force and reportedly set himself up in Adelaide as a private investigator.
In another report, Bowditch highlighted the plight of Aboriginal people in Alice, especially of those living at the segregated Gap Settlement. There, he wrote, several hundred people had been slapped into small , inadequate cottages, in the middle of a dustbowl. Some were “ un-exempted ” and others were “ exempted” in relation to alcohol , so there was nothing more certain that there would be problems. These problems were due to administrative bungling and “ our own social immaturity.”
While some wonderful people were living there , lots of bad things occurred. Some men bashed their women, children went neglected and some homes were filthy. There was a general air of nobody caring for the residents , so" damn the Government property.”
He referred to growing problems caused by rotten overcrowding and the rotten environment in which great little kids were growing up. New homes being built by Administration were too close to the settlement. As the Gap settlement was obviously going to be there for a long time, he supported the move by Reverend Norman Pearce to have a fulltime minister based there to help the residents who would be the confidante and teach them about hygiene and “ the word of God”. Bowditch had a long association with Reverend Pearce , who later moved to Darwin. NEXT : How adventurous journalist Ross Annabell set up the new newspaper in Mount Isa and became involved with Bowditch. (Photo at head of post shows Bowditch in typical pose , taken by Kerry Byrnes , Darwin.)
