LONG RUNNING STAYPUT MALAYS CHASE –Continuing biog of Crusading Editor,”Big Jim” Bowditch.

Stayput  Malays  who  went  into  hiding .
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When  three  Malays in Darwin   were  faced  with  deportation  by the Australian  government   in  l961  , it  is  thought  Biddy  Sallik  drew Bowditch’s attention  to  the  matter and  sought  his  help. In the  early stages  Mrs  Sallik  was  the  spokesperson  for  the Malays  and  was  interviewed  by  the  Press.

The  men  were  Jaffa bin Madun,  Zainal bin Hashim  and  Darus  bin Saris who  had been in Australia 10,  seven and  12 years respectively.  All three had been employed in Broome  before moving to Darwin in the late l950s  after the  pearlshell  industry went into a slump  due to the impact of  plastic  on the button market.  In Darwin they were  employed   by veteran   master pearler  Jimmy Gomez .  Gomez used  to crawl  about  Darwin in  a  six cylinder  Ford  Zephyr car  , infuriating  other motorists.  When he indicated  in  l960  that he would not be able to employ the  three  next season , plans were made to  repatriate   them .  Due to a complication  that  bin  Madun had  been issued  British travel documents  in  Singapore  before coming to Australia  , it was  decided  to  deport  bin Saris and bin Hashim.

Both men  applied   for  permission to stay in Australia  and  a  Bowditch  editorial  in the   NT News   said they had   earned the right to citizenship. Appeals were also made to  the Queen through   Governor –General, Lord De L’Isle , Prime Minister   Menzies   and Immigration Minister    Downer.   They  were  booked to be  deported  on a plane  departing  Darwin on  September  21, l961.

 By Peter Simon

In  a  surprise  development , a  class  of  42   pupils   at  Darwin  High  School  went  on  strike  and  held  placards   which  read   DOWN  WITH  DOWNER , TWO  MALAYS   IN  DARWIN  ARE WORTH  ONE  MENZIES  IN  CANBERRA  ,  MALAYS  STAY OR  WE  STOP , BOB  THE  SLOB   and   STOP   BOB  THE  SLOB .  Headmaster  Tom  Kissel  called  an  assembly  and  said  the  Malay  issue  was  a  political  one  and  not  for  the  school  to  enter.  However, the  class  which  went  on  strike  wrote  essays  before  going home  on  My  Views  on  the  Deportation  of  Two  Malays.

 Reports  on the  school strike  were  run  throughout  Australia  and  overseas.   A  Mitchell  cartoon  in  Adelaide    showed  striking   illiterate  schoolkids  in  a  class  carrying  placards  demanding   no  more  homewerk (stet) , smoke  time , free  choowing  gum  and  no  keepin  in .   The  school strike  apparently  had  an  impact  on  the  Bowditch   household as  well . Ngaire  Bowditch  recalled  that   when  she  was  attending  the   Darwin  Primary  School   a  teacher criticised  the  Northern Territory News  and  journalists.  It  could  have  been  in  connection   with  the  strike  at   Darwin High.  She   enthusiastically  told  her   father  what  the teacher   had  said.  Bowditch  went  to  the  school  , lectured  the teacher  on  the role of  the Press   and  the  issues  involved. He then  withdrew  Ngaire   and  enrolled her  in the  Parap  Primary  School .

 SAXOPHONE   PLAYER   FROM  THE   KREMLIN

 Unionists, including  Bill Donnelly , nicknamed Tarsan,   rallied  against the deportation . Another activist,    Communist  Brian Manning, an airport fireman at the time  , who lived in a  former  Darwin mayor’s residence dubbed “The Kremlin”, threw  himself  into the  case.    A Queenslander ,   Manning, who  also  played  the  saxophone  in his and another  band  , was  something of a  young Turk ,  an idealist “relishing  the power of the   masses  ” in the  Communist Party . During the period  from  l959  to l970 the  party membership in Darwin grew from  a mere  six to more than 40. The party was no longer “ the Red table” at the Workers’ Club , but had  become a much larger   group  of activists .    The Communist  Party    united on the  issue  of the  Stayput Malays , collecting   a  petition of 1100 names which   went to  Canberra demanding the  divers not be deported.

 The NAWU  warned that  if the  Malays were deported   it would  call a stoppage and    place a black ban  on  any  Darwin  master pearler who  tried to introduce non-European  labour.  Watersiders  went  on  strike  and  the  crew  of   the  WA   coastal   vessel   MV  Koolama  held  a formal  protest   in  Darwin.  Bowditch  editorialised  that  the  strike  by  the  watersiders  was  not  a  stoppage  by “Commos”,  but  a  demonstration  of  rage   by   men  who  had  no  other   way  of showing   their   disgust.  The Minister for Immigration, Mr Downer , said  Bowditch ,  had let the cat out of the bag  by   revealing there  were so many low paid  indentured  labourers in the country .   

Two nights  before the  proposed   deportation , a large   public protest  rally was called by the NAWU  in the Darwin Oval . Unfortunately, the City  of  Darwin Brass Band was practising on the oval  and struck up a tune.  The  president    of the  NAWU , Bert Graham ,  moved  that:  “ We request them ( the band ) to shut  up and if they don’t shut up , we’ll throw them off the oval .”  There was a musical retreat .  However , the protesters  , with  Dick Ward,  Bert Graham and  Mrs Norma  Robson  in the lead ,   marched on Government House .  There   a deputation of six   spoke to Administrator  Roger Nott .  Nott  telephoned   Canberra   and held  the phone up  so  that  the noise of the  protesters outside could be heard.

The Administrator was  quoted in the NT News  as having  told the deputation  that  as far as he knew   the two Malays  had been good citizens against  whom there was not one bad word. Nott  also stated he had  no feeling  about colour and  added that he  had invited Aborigines to  Government House  functions.   

BOWDITCH   BITES   THE   BULLET

 

The Malays   went into hiding. In an  Immigration  Department secret report on the  case it was said that   that while   it was not known who  had  concealed the two . .. “there are grounds  for the belief  that  at  this stage  Mr Bowditch was personally concerned ”. Manning confirmed this scenario , saying Bowditch  “bit the bullet” and decided to hide them.  Journalist  Doug Lockwood  was taken to interview the  Malays  in a house  set in a  lush garden in  Phillip Street, Fannie  Bay, not far from the  Bowditch  residence, where they were  photographed. A front page story  in the News the following day announced  MALAYS IN HIDING . The hideaway was the abode of  “Bluey”  and Elsie   Jones . 

According to  Manning , Jones  had  been the best  Tribune   seller in   Darwin . However, when the Communist newspaper  ran a  nude photograph of  Yoko Ono and John Lennon during their give peace a chance  campaign, he was so offended that he refused to handle the paper.  Mrs  Jones , normally  very nervous, almost had a  breakdown as the  hunt for the Malays hotted up.  Bowditch then  appealed  to Manning to  find somewhere else  to hide the Malays because  Mrs  Jones  was  “ terrified” . NEXT: Northern Territory Administrator “complicit”?