JOURNALIST FUELLED ALP LIGHT ON THE HILL AND ELSEWHERE

 
DURING HIS LIFE  ,  journalist  Bruce  Muirden   worked   as  Press   Secretary   to   four   ALP  ministers  ,  almost  single- handedly    ran   the  South  Australian  Labor  newspaper  The Herald  for   years  and   contributed  to   the  promotion   of   Australian  literature  with  an  unusual  publication  ,  paid   for   out  of  his  own  pocket .  A  member  of   the  original  editorial  board  of   the   Labor  Forum  publication ,   he  was  also  a  foundation  member  of  the   Humanist Society of  SA  and   editor of  the  Australian Humanist  journal  for  many  years.

 

 

 A   passionate  fighter  for causes, he was arrested during a  Vietnam moratorium march.  Muirden  had  a  large  library and    Overland  magazine described  him  as a “valiant supporter of  an  intellectual  culture”. He  died   in  1991 , aged  63,  his   Adelaide  funeral   attended   by  Premier  John   Bannon .

 

 In  l950 , Muirden,  22 ,  believing  that  the academics and  literateurs  of  the country  paid  too  little attention to Australian  literature , started his own  literary journal , the  Austrovert , in  Melbourne.  In  the  first edition he explained that  he had  no  staff and  no outside financial backing. The  first edition owed its existence mainly to the fact  that he had saved  money while working as a labourer in a NSW irrigation area.  A recent undergraduate ,  his only literary  efforts had appeared in  the Melbourne University  undergraduates’ papers and magazines.  He  had  also  contributed copy  to the  Melbourne Argus  on  rural matters.   Muirden  went on  to help   the CSIRO  start  its  rural research magazine .

 

His only  political affiliation  at the time  of launching  his literary  magazine  had been to   the  Liberal Party  of  Great Britain  which  he  said  was  almost   organisationally  defunct. An article in Austrovert  was  headed ARE  OUR  ACADEMICS ANTI  AUSTRALIAN ?  It started off  by saying  Muirden  had  definite sympathy for  comments  made  by  the controversial  publisher and author  , Queensland  Rhodes Scholar,  Percival  Reginald “   Inky ”  Stephensen  who  had  criticised  the “ anti Australian nonsense ”  professors  imported from England   taught  teachers  of  Australian  youth.   As  a  result of  that statement, Stephensen  ,whose wartime comments in  The Publicist, journal of the Australia First Movement, which  Inky   edited , resulted in  him being  arrested and  interned  for  three  and  half  years without  trial , once more  entered the  arena  of   public   debate ,one  in which he had  been  a  fiery  participant.  

STEPHENSEN  BREAKS  LONG   SILENCE 

In  his first signed  article  in 10 years , Stephensen  reviewed  two novels for  Austrovert  . The magazine explained that because of  his ultra-nationalism ,  which was construed by  Army  Intelligence at the time as pro-Axis,  Stephensen  had  been detained . Muirden  wrote a book about  the  Australia First Movement ,   Puzzled  Patriots .  Stephensen  was    responsible  for   publishing  Xavier  Herbert’s 1938  prize   winning  novel  about  the  Northern Territory, Capricornia.

A  bright , different kind  of  literary journal,  Austrovert only   saw the light of  day   when  Muirden  saved  enough money to pay  for another   edition .  He billed Kylie Tennant as  Australia’s  Steinbeck .  Poems  by  Judith  Wright  graced  its  pages .  When  Muirden came to  Darwin   to work  at  the union  owned  Northern  Standard   in the l950s  his  magazine was  still  alive, only just.   He  thought  the  Darwin  job was  that of  a reporter, but on  arrival he was  surprised to  learn that he  was the editor.

An  ASIO  officer in  Darwin    came  to  the office and  asked  Muirden  to pass on  any documents  he found from  the old days  of the paper.   Muirden  reported the “little chat  ” with the man in the newspaper and  refused to cooperate.   He  said the old communist stigma  attached to the paper took a long  time to die out.  For example, he said  a southern employer  had him checked out by ASIO  when he heard he had once worked on the Standard.  In  a  l953  ASIO report  on  Muirden  it  noted that he  met  delegates to  an  All China   Congress  in  Peking when they passed through   Darwin.

The ASIO  report  also  said  that during  his short term in Darwin  Muirden    gained   a reputation for  his provocative  editorials, one of  which  had “ harped” on the  “ arresting powers of ASIO ” . Nevertheless  , it went on  to say that  Muirden was  considered to be anti-communist ,  the  son of   Angus Muirden, co-principal at  Hassett’s  Business College,Prahan,Melbourne ,  also anti-communist , and  a  lay  preacher.  Muirden  and  Centralian  Advocate editor , Jim  Bowditch , were  in  frequent contact on the  phone .  Bowditch  wrote  a regular  column of   Centralian  news for  the Standard.     

Muirden  brought a  degree of erudition  to  the union  newspaper and  continued his   campaign   to promote  Australian literature and talent .  His entertainment on Saturday night’s obviously included listening  to plays on ABC  radio . One   inspired an editorial  headed    INFERIOR ?  It read :

Gnawing at Australia’s pride  in her distinctive national  character  is a feeling  of inferiority, a  feeling of  wistfulness for the Old World . The Old World is  looked upon  as having a certain  polish and  stability lacking  in our newly formed society .  In such an atmosphere   -which shows itself  in patches right throught the  continent- the Anglophile, who dreams  of Home  with a capital H , thrives.   Any reference to Rule Britannia, Muddling Through, London Fog, Royalty-down  to the last Duchess’s daughter- and the  bright little , tight little Isle  is greeted with a reverence  found only  in the less  restrained  religions .

Britain, of course,  has produced and is  still producing  some of the greatest  things in science,  art  and thought and should never be  thoughtlessly  deprecated.   However, most of the mystical  adulation thrown  around her in Australia is based  on her less praiseworthy  achievements.   Britain’s progress and the respect  other countries bear to her  is based  more on the achievements  of her uncommon men, her square peg individualists  than  on any  number of beef-eaters, court  fanciers or latter-day Kiplings.   

All these things being so, or nearly so, it grieves  us  the more  to find  that the subject of  5DR’s Little  Theatre  Play  last Saturday night was   by  Henrik  Ege, and a  more  maudlin  expression of  British  middle-class  sentiment  it  would  be difficult to discover . The play had very  little plot, a confusing  and buttery ending and  force equivalent to that needed to knock over a  butterfly.    Why was   this  Britannic  monstrosity chosen when good Australian  plays lie neglected ?  Australian playwrights , even more than Australian songwriters, authors  and  musicians , are  given ludicrously  limited hearing  in their own country.


We have  suitable  radio plays  and the ABC  ( down south )  to give them  due credit , have encouraged  local plays. Douglas Stewart, George Farwell , Kylie Tennant , Max Afford , John Sandford  and a dozen others have already  written radio plays  that have proved  themselves  good listening.   None of these  plays is sloppy sentiment  and all  are intelligible  to an Australian  audience.  If we  will not  help our native playwrights, who will ?   How are they  to exist  if we keep  importing fifth  raters   from overseas  on  some  vague  furthest fields  are greenest  theory ?

Muirden   brought out  what seemed to  be  the   last edition  of  his literary magazine, Number 10, June l953 , in   Darwin  which was   printed  by  the  Standard.  Called  the Northern Austrovert , it consisted  of  a  mere  two pages, and   said Muirden  had been working  at the Standard for six months.  An editorial  headed THE END ?  stated it was probably the last edition of  the publication .  It was  folding   because Muirden  said he   was unable to  give it sufficient time, thought and finance to make it what he  wanted it to be . During its  life, he wrote,  the journal had made friends and enemies.  In the  death -knell ,  he recalled that  critic Max Harris ,in his regional newsletter , had  bagged  Austrovert , saying it  was parrot-like and  a parasitic publication  with a  narrow, almost circulating library  concept of what is literature. A  bibliophile,  Muirden  reported on the forthcoming auction of 525 Army Education Service books  at the Larrakeyah  Barrack’s Library and nominated  a slim  volume ,  The Mimshi Maiden,  by Hugh McCrae  as  a  valuable  item  of  Australiana in the sale.  

 LOVE  THY  PUBLIC  SERVANTS
 

 Muirden ,  like  Bowditch , found  fault with the  ALP  at  times,  expressed in an editorial  bearing  his name: SHOULD SOCIALISTS  CURSE   CIVIL  SERVANTS ? It boiled down to the  novel  message  for  Territorians   that, for  socialism to  succeed , the knocking  of   civil servants would  have to cease because in  a communally organised society  everyone , in  a sense , would be a  civil servant .  He strongly criticised the   Darwin  ALP , saying one hardly  knew there was  an  organised  political  Labor  organisation in the Territory. “ What is to be done  when socialists  ( and perhaps  even members  of the ALP  ) join  in the popular  pastime of    baiting civil servants?” he asked.  Unthinking  general condemnation  of government  activity played into the hands of  the present  holders of social order.  The  ALP should  help remove the stigma  attached to government  employment   and stop blanketing  the  whole  public  service  with  a curse.

 

From   Darwin  , Muirden   went  to  Cairns ,  and  also  worked  on   country newspapers in   Bathurst,  Mildura and  Deniliquin.  In   l960  he  joined the  Adelaide News  as   Features Editor  and  Cable Editor, then  spent  two  years in  London with  AAP.   In Adelaide   he  threw  his support behind  the  ALP  newspaper  The Herald  .   Another  position   held  was  secretary of  the   SA branch of the Australian Journalists’ Association.

FOOTNOTE : For the Australian Dictionary of  Biography, Muirden  wrote   the  life of  colonial  builder and  architect, Jacob Pitman (1810-1890),  brother of  Sir  Isaac Pitman , who  invented  phonography-  shorthand .  Jacob  brought out  to  Australia  100 copies  of  his  brother’s  phonography  book  to  South Australia  and  claimed to  have  sown the  first  seeds  of   shorthand  in  the  colonies .