Rupert Murdoch arrived in Darwin to discuss the
possible departure of Bowditch to
Alice Springs as half owner of
the Centralian Advocate . With Murdoch
was prominent journalist , Zell
Rabin . Rabin had been the New
York representative of the Fairfax Sydney Sun
but had switched to Murdoch’s
opposition Mirror Newspapers.
Some of his regular reports from America had appeared in the NT News under the heading MAIN STREET, USA . While in America, Rabin arranged for Murdoch to meet and be photographed with new US President , John F. Kennedy . The meeting was seen as a great coup for the rising newspaper proprietor. The photograph of the two together was run throughout Murdoch publications . It also had pride of place in the Sydney boardroom . When Bowditch saw the photograph he was impressed and remarked that Murdoch was on his way to fame and fortune .
By Peter Simon
Of Lithuanian – Jewish
parents who had emigrated to Australia
before WW11, settling in Brisbane , Zell studied
physical training at the
University of Queensland
where he was editor of
Semper Floreat and met and
reportedly had an affair with journalist
Lillian Roxon , later to
become famous in New
York , mixing with the Andy Warhol crowd and became known as the “ Mother of Rock ”, writing the Encyclopedia of Rock ; a niece of former ALP Federal Attorney - General , Nicola Roxon , she died from asthma at the age of 41.
In the l950s , Rabin was employed on the
Sydney Sun where this writer was a copy boy , later a cadet . As a copy boy , I
had dealings with Rabin who was on the midnight to dawn
shift , prowling the city in a car with a photographer
chasing stories. In
the Police Rounds room where I
was based at night , I would communicate by
radio with Rabin , out on the road, letting him
know what police ,
ambulance and fire brigade
messages , which were monitored ,
were about so that
he could decide which
ones to attend .
When
Rabin prepared to leave the
office to go out into the cold
night air , he went through this elaborate procedure of doing up
a cardigan , wrapping a scarf about his throat and
buttoning up his
overcoat , then pulling on gloves .
Rabin had returned to Sydney from New York in 1962
as editor of the Sunday Mirror and
became editor of the Daily Mirror
, in a circulation war with the
Sun , the following year. The Kiwi
journalist , Les Wilson , mentioned earlier
in this series
, on returning to Sydney from
Darwin , had worked on the
Sunday Mirror
under Rabin.
In America , Rabin
had picked up the habit of playing craps, rolling dice . Some people even regarded him as
a Yank .
When the paper was wrapped up ready to be published, it was not unusual for all the staff , including Rupert Murdoch , who dropped in , to get
down on their
knees and roll
dice.
Because of his
physical education beliefs, Rabin would often do
hand stands up against the wall so that
the blood would
rush to his head, which he said was
desirable for a
healthy body . Rabin, a hands on editor , liked to join
in investigating stories , saying “ get the gang ”- photographer and
reporter - pile into a
car and head out. He would also rewrite some
stories the way he felt they should be written .
During the visit
to Darwin with Murdoch, Rabin took
Bowditch aside and told him that
Murdoch was going to go a long way
in the newspaper game . Unfortunately , Rabin
died from cancer , melanoma , in
November l966 at the
age of 34 and did not live to see
the lofty heights to which
Murdoch soared.
Murdoch took
Jim and Betty to the Knickerbocker Restaurant
and discussed the Alice proposal .
Bowditch said Murdoch
“ got at Betty ” by asking some
leading questions . Would she like to go
back to Alice to live ?-No. What was up
with Jim , why did he want to leave
? Jim , she said , was working too hard , there was not enough staff and the
plant kept on breaking
down .
Murdoch
responded by saying he would overcome all
of the problems. He told
Jim and Betty that they both deserved a holiday , where would they like
to go for a month ? Betty
immediately nominated Hong Kong.
Murdoch agreed on the spot, and, furthermore, said they could go anywhere they wanted each year for a holiday.
Unfortunately, they never availed
themselves of annual overseas holidays.
 |
| Enraged |
Murdoch doubled Jim’s salary and said extra reporting staff would be engaged to ease the load in the
transition to a daily . In light of
this offer and the promise of major changes , Bowditch decided to stay on . However, he
insisted that Murdoch
come with him to see Keith Willey , right ,
and inform him what had transpired.
Murdoch was reluctant to do so,
but went with Bowditch. At the
Willey residence, Bowditch got
Keith’s wife to come with him to
get some beer ; this was a ruse
to enable Keith
and Murdoch to
talk .
When
Bowditch and Lee arrived
back there was a
tense situation. According to Bowditch,
Murdoch was scarlet- “ looking like a piece of beetroot ” ; Willey was “
white with rage ”.
Neither said a word. Murdoch turned to Bowditch
and said , “ We are going , Jim ”
, and walked out . There were no goodbyes , no shaking of hands.
Bowditch said he never
found out what had happened
during the time the two
were together .
It was
suggested that Willey
had held high hopes that he was going to be made the editor
, a reasonable expectation in view of what Bowditch had told him ,
and had
become annoyed when told
by Murdoch that
Jim was staying on .
Willey
maintained his rage . He came to the NT
News office , stood outside and demanded that his belongings be thrown out to him . “ I
will never work for that fat
slob (Murdoch ) , nor will
I ever set foot in a
building of his , ” he
declared. Murdoch had chubby
cheeks in those days . NEXT : Willey's action packed brilliant career .
