STAYPUTS SURRENDER,THEN RUN - Continuing biog of Crusading Editor, ” Big Jim ” Bowditch.

Mrs  Pauline Shah in manhunt report
 

On September 26,1961 , the  two Malays gave themselves up  to the Administrator in company with  the Mayor , Harold Cooper, Reverend N.C. Pearce of the Uniting Church , Brother Aidan of the  Church of  England, Paddy Carroll, secretary of  the NAWU,  Pat Wood of   the  AEU  ,and Lou de Courcy , Rotary  International . One  of  the  Malays  wore  a   pair  of  trousers  which  belonged  to Communist Brian  Manning  as  he  had  been wearing shorts  when  he  went into  hiding and  thought  you  should  wear  long  pants  in  the  presence  of  an  Administrator.

By Peter Simon

Taken into custody, they were  later allowed freedom of movement about Darwin  after  signing an undertaking  to report daily to the  Immigration Officer while  lawyer  Dick Ward made submissions  on their behalf. Two  days  later  the men  went  back  into  hiding  after  being  tipped  off  that  they   were  going to  be  arrested  when   they  checked  in   with  Immigration  and  would  be    flown out  of  the  country.  Elaborate plans had been hatched   between  Canberra and Darwin authorities to  get rid of the  Malays  who  were  receiving extensive media  coverage down south and  in  Asia. According to a  secret  Immigration Department  report -

 The well thought out  plan for the apprehension of the two  men was  frustrated when  , on the night of  September  27^th , Mr Ward, solicitor acting   for the two Malayans  was informed  of the intention  to take them into custody . He  apparently received   the news  at about 9pm and either he, Mr Bowditch , or some other members of what  subsequently became  the Darwin Anti-Deportation  Committee immediately arranged  to take the men into  hiding.  That Mr Bowditch was  party to the plan  was suggested   by the fact that   the next morning  the Immigration Office  was under the observation  of  a  member of the  staff of the Northern Territory News  who reported quite accurately on all that  transpired.  The  association   between Mr  Bowditch  and Mr Lockwood was  again suggested   by the fact that  on the morning  of  September  28^th Mr Lockwood  , shortly after  10 am, approached   the Commonwealth  Migration  Officer  for  information ...

 

How the information leaked out  is not clear; there is even a strong inference  in   Immigration  Department  files that   Administrator Roger  Nott might have been  complicit. He  was seen as pro - Malays and unhelpful at times.  Nott was  said to have shown Mr Bowditch  a  teleprinter message  from Canberra  on the night of the  27^th …”In view of the general   attitude of the Administrator  throughout the whole  of the proceedings, this possibility   cannot be discounted, ” the  official report  stated.    Whatever the  real story , Brian  Manning  was   working  at  the  airport in the Civil Aviation   fire  brigade  when  he  was  informed the deporation  would  happen  that  very  day .   

 

 Immediately   he  rang  Bowditch at  the NT  News  and  raised  the  alarm   asking  him  to  find  the  Malays , who  were  in   town  somewhere ,  tell   them  not  to report   to  Immigration .

 

There was a flurry of activity at the News. Bowditch  instructed   this writer   to   quickly  drive to the  Immigration  Office , a  building  on piers,  and  to  stay  outside ( hence the above report  about the  office being kept under surveillance by the NT News    )  and  warn  off  the  Malays  if they arrived.   There was no  doubting what  the Malays  should   be  told   if  sighted :" Just  tell them  to  run  away  and  hide  as they  are going to be  arrested and  deported ."

 

Bowditch  roared  off  in  the  office  car  to   search  Darwin  for the  men in town .  While  I  was  parked  outside   Immigration  ,  the regional officer  ,  Les  Liveris , peered  out  the  venetian  blinds.   Fortunately ,  the    Malays  were   alerted   and   went  into  hiding   again . In  answer  to  a  question in federal   parliament from Jock  Nelson,  Minister  Downer  admitted  that  it  had  been  intended  to fly the men out of  the country  the day  after their  arrest. 

 
CANBERRA  SENDS  IN  SUPERVISOR

 

The Assistant Secretary of the Immigration Department , H. Gordon  Brooks , was  sent from  Canberra to  supervise the  hunt for  the  Malays. He arrived in  Darwin to hear a  vehicle with a loudspeaker driving about town  alerting people to another “giant”   protest meeting that night  on  the Darwin Oval . Posters  also went up about town  stating that at the meeting   Bowditch and Manning   would  tell the  full  story  of  the  Malays.  Jock Nelson would also be there to tell  the “inside ” story  of  the  “ fight ” in  Canberra.  The mayor , church  leaders and Paddy Carroll  of  the  NAWU  would  also  speak .

 As if that wasn’t worrying   enough, Brooks  called on  Administrator  Nott  that night  and  obviously was not   happy with what he heard. In his lengthy   official  account of the case , Brooks  devoted a section to the  "Attitude of the Administrator " , who  was  also   the  Commissioner of Police -

At my interview  with Mr Nott   on the evening  of 28^th September   he received  me quite affably but almost  immediately made two complaints-(a) that “everyone” in Darwin  knew of the decision  to take  the pearlers into custody  before he did ; and that (b) in making   the public statement in Adelaide  that Deraus bin Saris  had four children  in Malaya , the Minister( for Immigration)   had been   guilty of  deliberate  misrepresentation and that he , the  Administrator,  had been seriously embarrassed   by  arranging publicity  for the statement , which he knew  to be incorrect, in Darwin .  He  expressed support for the White Australia policy  but indicated  that in his opinion  the whole matter   had been handled badly . He had  been swayed  by the fact  that at  his surrender  bin Saris had  beseeched  his, the Administrator’s, aid.

 

At the  Darwin Oval meeting that night an  Anti- Deportation  Committee  was  formed  under  the  auspices  of  the  North  Australian  Workers’  Union. Brooks listed  the members of the committee  complete with asterisks indicating persons were " reported to be  members of the Australian  Communist  Party  or known  communist  sympathisers ". The chairman was  NAWU  president   Bert  Graham and  Brian Manning of the Civil Aviation Crew, Darwin  Airport,  deputy chairman . Other members were  Dick Ward ; Pat Wood, secretary of the   Darwin branch of the   Australian Engineers’ Union, and his  wife ; Des Robson, clerk , Department of Health  , Darwin Hospital, and  his wife  , Norma ; Paddy Carroll, NAWU  secretary ; William Donnelly, waterside worker; Kenneth  Stagg, Amalgamated   Engineering   Union ; Mrs Pauline Shah , " wife  of  an Indian "( he was also   a snake expert ) ; Frank Martin , "half-caste boxer "; John Kingsley Banks, member of Meteorological  section of  Department of Interior  , Darwin ; Dorothy Ashton , "de facto wife of  William Donnelly " ; George Gibbs , waterside  worker  ;  James Bowditch , editor of  the NT News . There were no asterisks next to  Bowditch,  Ward ,Graham  ,Carroll, Mrs Shah and  Martin. NEXT : Plot to "steal" divers  claim.