Sunday, March 9, 2014

THE PLIGHT OF PEARL DIVERS –Continuing biog of Crusading Editor , “Big Jim ” Bowditch.

Resorting  to  daring  and unusual  methods , Bowditch  played  a  key  part  in  extraordinary  events  which  received extensive overseas  coverage, challenged  the  White  Australia  policy ,  police , other authorities   and  he   was  closely  watched  by  ASIO.  
 
In l955  he  had  become  acutely aware of the  plight of  Malays    employed  as  low paid   indentured labour  in  the pearling   industry .  One of  them was of  particular  interest ,  Ali bin Salleh, who had been with him  during the highly dangerous  pre-invasion  commando  operation  on  Tarakan . They  had  paddled  ashore  in  a  canoe , Bowditch evaded  thousands  of  Japanese , mutilated a  guard along the way , an act  which would play on his mind ,  and  discovered  the  position  of   hidden   guns  which   could  blast  invading  naval vessels.      


After  being  demobbed, Ali   returned to  pearling   as a diver in Territory  waters . While working on the  lugger  Vivienne  , owned  by  Darwin  master  pearler  Nicholas Paspaley , a  name  now  world  famous  for  cultured pearls , he was   pulled  from the deep  too fast and suffered “the bends”.  Instead of being thrown back into the sea and staged -brought to the surface gradually-  he endured  a  four day  boat trip to  Darwin . On arrival  he  was   almost  dead ; after   36 hours  in  Carl  Atkinson’s  recompression chamber, he was saved , but crippled from the waist  down .

Ali  was then sent  to Adelaide where he  spent years  in hospital .  While  there he was put into a  bath  and left alone . Because he  had  no feeling  he  did not realise that he was being scalded  by  boiling water, suffering  terrible burns .  Placed in a Red Cross rehabilitation centre , he pined for the north  and  the   people of Darwin banded  together to bring him  back .

 It is believed  Bowditch used his friendship with  Bob Freeden,   who did  PR work in Sydney  for the  airline TAA   , to fly  Ali to Darwin.  Bowditch was at the airport  to welcome  him  home  and  TAA  and  the  regional manager   received    favourable mention  in an illustrated  front page report  in the  NT  News .

In Darwin  Ali  was looked after by a well- known couple,  Sallum bin Sallik  and his  wife , Biddy , who  were friends of Bowditch.  Sallum  had  also  been in Z  Special  Force   but had not  served  with   Bowditch .  Mrs  Sallik,   “ a Broome girl  ”, an Aboriginal-Filipino  with a sense of  humour, articulate  and  friendly  , ran a  store in the  former wartime camp at Winnellie . Her husband and Ali looked so  alike  that  they  used  to say they  were  brothers .  
   
An article appeared in the NT News  about Ali with a picture showing him weaving  a basket.  Bowditch was “horrified”  by  his physical  appearance .   Lawyer Dick Ward  issued a writ on  Salleh’s behalf  seeking  30,000 pound  ($60,000)    damages  from  the  Paspaley company . ASIO  noted the court action and linked it to  Bowditch , making an offensive comment  about the  plaintiff   who   had  fought for Australia and  been reduced to a  cripple.  Attached  to a  Melbourne Age  clipping about the court  action  a secret  report contained the  following :  It looks as if Bowditch  might be  behind him in this.  ( Blacked out )...says Ali bin Salleh would not  have the brains  to take such a course without help ...       

 In  what would prove to  be  a  trial  run   for bigger things to come, Bowditch  became  personally   involved in vain   attempts to stop  the deportation   in  l955   of    Malay  diver  Yap Ah Chee, also   employed by the   Paspaley  Pearling  Company .  Angered by the  company’s  refusal   to pay for  the repatriation of the body of  a  fellow Malay diver  who died while working for the firm, Ah Chee  threatened  to  resign ; he was sacked  and  refused to  be repatriated. 

 The North Australian  Workers’ Union  backed  Ah Chee  when he took on the pearling company  in court.  Over the period , the NT News   ran several stories  about the  diver’s  plight,  one headed   “WHY CAN’T I STAY IN AUSTRALIA ? ”. At one stage  the diver  went into  hiding .  ASIO  records show   that  Bowditch and  a member of the Legislative Council , undoubtedly lawyer  Dick Ward,   interviewed  the Darwin Immigration Officer about the move to deport Ah Chee. One report claimed  that Ah Chee  , in a statement  he made before being deported,  said   Bowditch “had  exerted influence ”on him . Furthermore, Ah Chee   said  he had  been “ hidden ”  in the  NT  News  Office  and at  the “ Bowditch  residence”  before   being  found . The weeping  diver was  deported in June . NEXT : The  epic  Stayput  Malays  battle.