REPORTER WITH A PRODIGIOUS OUTPUT- Continuing biog of Northern Territory Crusading Editor , " Big Jim ” Bowditch.

After  leaving the Northern Territory News  in high dudgeon  , Willey  went  crocodile  shooting  for nine months  , an experience about  which  he  wrote a  book . Despite  vowing  he  would  never work for Rupert Murdoch, he went to   New Guinea  in  l964  as  the Mirror Newspapers   correspondent  and   wrote  another book ,  Assignment New Guinea , Jacaranda Press , based on his  adventures,  acute  observations  and   experiences . In   Ghosts of the  Big Country  , Rigby , Willey  put  together rattling  good  yarns  about  the  North , which  he  loved , the  dust  jacket painting   by leading  Sydney  artist  and cartoonist , Frank  Benier 

He  always seemed to  be  working  on   another  book , reporter  Les Wilson  describing him as " busy fingers " .  Willey  at one stage  was   a  highly  regarded  journalist  on  the Fairfax  owned  Sun  newspaper  in Sydney . He wrote many  superb features and  news  reports .  His  coverage of  rugby  league  in Sydney  was  outstanding  and  he  wrote  another  book, Inside  Rugby League .

 By Peter Simon

With former Northern Territory police diver, Theo  Brown,  he  penned Crown  of  Thorns - The Death of  the   Great  Barrier Reef.  Willey  also  wrote  numerous  newspaper   articles  about  Brown's marine research  in other areas, including  shark repellants . Warnings  about  the  encroachment of  Crown  of  Thorns  sparked   heated  debate.  Official   dithering continued   right    up   to  the  present.

 

Author  Frank  Hardy congratulated  him  for a  book  he  wrote about  the impact of white settlers on the  Aboriginal tribes of  Sydney.   Willey   also covered  the  hanging of Ronald Ryan , the last in  Australia , and the  1967  disappearance of   Prime  Minister  Harold Holt.  With three Walkley Awards for journalism  , management regarded  Keith  as a  top writer .   

A  high ranking  member  of  the  Sun  editorial   team  told me   Willey    seemed to  want to prove himself  every  so  often   in  some  way .   Willey  said  that if  he could not go to  the  Middle East  to  cover  the  aftermath of  the  1969  six day  war  he  would  leave  the  paper . He went to the  Middle  East  with  great respect  for  the Israelis , but   on  his  return  said  they  were  arrogant  and   treated   Arabs  like  dogs .

Willey  put the same ultimatum  to  the newspaper  in  respect of    the  Vietnam  war  in  1970 . The  point was  made  that  Keith  was  held  in such high  regard  at the Sun   he  only  needed to  have  said he wanted to  go on  these   assignments- without any  threat of leaving - and  approval  would  have  been  given .   While  in Vietnam  Willey went out on  patrol  with  American  and  Australian   soldiers and  drank  from  pools  of water in the jungle.   Caught in a  mortar barrage  and   being close to a landmine  which exploded ,  one of his  ear drums  was damaged .   On  his  return  to Sydney he was highly critical  about the  Americans and the  way  they  waged  the  war  in Vietnam .

 RECONCILIATION WITH  BOWDITCH

In 1971  Willey  left Sydney and  went to work in  Cairns   for two years  as  assistant editor of the Cairns  Post .  He  then  went  to  Canberra  and worked for  the  Department  of  Trade . On a trip back to  Darwin, Willey , who  had referred to  Bowditch as “ that little, grey-haired  bastard,”  had a reconciliation of sorts , arranged by reporter John Loizou , in   the  Don  Hotel  ;  the  pair  shook  hands .
 

 Willey   disliked  his  time  in the public service  and used to  go  kayaking  on  Lake  Burley Griffin  early  each morning , no matter  what  the  weather , a  discipline  which  he  said  kept  him   sane .  One night , while  having a dispute with his daughters about   what  to  watch on TV , Keith , keen on  a sports  show,  picked  up   the  set  and  threw  it  outside .

While driving  across the  Nullarbor Plain  with his eldest  daughter,  Joanna , on a trip to  WA , to meet  his  prospective  son-in-law , Keith  fell asleep  at  the wheel and rolled the  car .  His  daughter injured  her  back and  his right hand  was  badly  cut  about  with the  possibility  that  he might lose the use of  his fingers.  He  underwent micro surgery by an Asian doctor in Adelaide  which saved  his hand and stayed with me and  my  wife .

 THE   FINAL   PARTY

Some  years later ,  he died from  cancer and his wife  wondered if he had  swallowed  Agent  Orange  or  other  chemicals in  the water  he  drank in  Vietnam .   At the time of  his death he was a lecturer in  journalism at the  College of Advanced  Education , Toowoomba , Queensland.

 

Knowing  he  was  soon  to  die , he  threw a party  at the  college,   inviting  one  and  all to  attend.   Following  his  death , a student  did a  painting  of  Willey  copied  from a  photograph showing  Keith  emerging  from the   mist in a kayak  on Lake Burley Griffin , which  captured  Keith’s  adventurous , restless ,  questing spirit. The panoramic   painting  showed   Keith  in his kayak  on the lake  with  Black  Mountain  in   the  background  .

 

His daughter, Joanna , keeper of  Keith’s  papers and books ,  said it was unfortunate that her father  had  not  been able to write  a  book  he  had researched  about  Kanakas  brought  to Australia by  blackbirders  to  work in  plantations.  He  had  interviewed descendants  of  Kanakas .  These  notes , a  mixture of  shorthand and longhand , were  hard to interpret .  A  memorial  Keith  Willey  award  for a  second  year  journalism  student  was  set  up  by  his  wife. NEXT : Bowditch  in   major   international  stories .