Friday, June 6, 2014

CLUMP, SLITHER ,CLUMP-WHACK! - Continuing biog of Crusading Editor,"Big Jim" Bowditch

An  unsuccessful  campaign  Bowditch  fought  was   against the  use of  Quail Island , near  Darwin, as  an  RAAF    bombing range .  Some  people came to  him  seeking  his help to  stop the bombing. Reporter Les Wilson went to the  island and filed a story.  The  island has a  Dreamtime  spring  and  is  a  turtle breeding ground . The  campaign was  a  long  one , but  the  Federal Government  and  the  RAAF  refused to  budge

Bowditch  revived the  issue in an  editorial once again  mentioning the Dreamtime spring and   its significance to  Aborigines. The  government and the RAAF were  presented as heartless  and slow to respond.   Then  came another unusual  editorial  headed  TURTLES ARE IN THE SOUP in  which he  waxed  whimsical and painted a  heart  wrenching  scene  on  Quail Island.   Mr and Mrs Turtle , he wrote, would never hear the clump...slither... clump ...of  baby turtles  flippers.  This , of course, was a play  on the  pitter patter of little children’s feet.  

By Peter Simon

 The  editorial continued in similar  vein ,  speaking of  scrambled eggs, interrupted romances  due  to bombing  and falling   birthrates.  It raised the  possibility of  turtles  turning to drink  due to the  bombing, crawling about in  bullet proof vests  and childless  turtles  stealing  eggs  from  other nests .  

Out at the  RAAF  base   the editorial  was treated like  a  kamikaze  attack on the airport.  On  reading  the paper,   the  RAAF  chief, Group Captain  Dixie Chapman,  jumped into his  chauffeur driven  car  and went to the  NT  News  office.  There he  confronted Bowditch  in his office,looking like a cross  between a  rubbish tip and a bomb crater, over the  odd  editorial .

Chapman  made it clear that he had  read a lot of   what might be impolitely termed bullshit in his day , but the clump , slither, clump of  turtles’ flippers  took the prize.   Both men  laughed  heartily.  Bowditch reminded the bemused  officer  that   turtles also  have mothers .
 
 PADDY   WHACKED   IN   PUB
 
Quail Island and its unfortunate turtles  were responsible for Bowditch entering the combat zone .  A southern  journalist  said it was not safe to  go into  the  Victoria Hotel  beer garden  because  drinkers there  would fight at the drop of a hat . Jim scoffed at the report , and while drinking  with Les  Wilson  at the  Vic  decided to carry out a survey  to  show that  it  was not  filled  with  punchy  patrons.  He went from table to table  asking people, sometimes in an  offensive way  , if they wanted a fight.  Most people  knew him ,and just  laughed . Some told him to piss  off. Others said  they would oblige the following  day. 

But there was  a  big   Irishman  who aggressively    said  he would like a fight because he had read  the stories in the Northern Territory News about  Quail Island and its turtles and they  were a load  of bullshit. The RAAF, he said, had to  practise  bombing to  be ready for war. 
 
FIGHT NIGHTS

At this stage,  Wilson, who had been  watching  proceedings like a guardian angel and laughing at the responses Jim  received, stepped in. He told the Irishman  he had written the  Quail Island stories and to come outside and try on  somebody  more his equal  in  weight and age. The Irishman was keen to  take on  Les , also known   as  “Thrasher ” Wilson because of his tendency to go the knuckle , and  they  went to  the   “bull ring” at the  back  of the  hotel .  Thump ! The Irishman  turned  turtle and bit the  dust .

Despite the  valiant efforts of Big Jim and  Wilson,  the  slow moving,  neurotic  turtles of Quail Island were  bombed  for many  more years , until  a new range  was  established on the  mainland  in  recent times.
 
Wilson  kept a  close eye on Bowditch in  hotels and  steered  him out of many  potentially dangerous situations  which might have landed him in the cells. There was an occasion , however ,  when Wilson feared he , his editor and perhaps other people  might be placed in  the lockup  due to a story . This  involved  a colourful  Darwin identity, another  Kiwi  , Terry Alderton, a  Works Department  clerk , who   organised  boxing  matches which were a part of  Darwin’s  way of life in the  l950s and  l960s.He was involved in teaching  boxing at the Darwin Police  Boys' Club  
 
The  fights  were held  at various venues,some in  the open air,this  writer  helping construct a  ring mounted on 44 gallon drums. Big crowds attended the  fights, including  lawyers Dick Ward and  John  Lyons  who sat  together.  At one fight , “Tiger” Lyons  held up  whisps of his gingery hairy  and  said he  would  back the red corner. 
 
To deny a claim , Alderton would say ,God be my judge ,I did not ... ” People, especially members of  the News staff , mocked  his declaration of righteousness.  They would  tack  his “God be my judge” on  to  denials  of  unseemly acts  with girls, boys and a variety of  animals, including  camels.   Wilson and  Alderton traded blows one night and the fight promotor  came off second  best.  Alderton told how he had had been on a ship which sailed into an American base in the Pacific  during WWll  and had been impressed to  hear  Glenn  Miller's "Dawn Patrol " being  played  over  speakers .  
 
LEPROSY REPORT  CAUSES UPROAR  

Alderton  took boxers  to the East Arm  Leprosarium   to entertain  Aboriginal  patients.  While drinking with  Wilson,  Alderton  mentioned that  there was a sad situation at the  leprosarium  where a  white girl had been admitted  suffering from  the disease.  Sensing it was a major story,  Wilson asked if he  could  go  to East Arm   with  Alderton  as  his assistant .  There was  reluctance  on  both  Bowditch’s  and  Alderton’s  behalf , because  the law  prevented  publication of details  about  people suffering from leprosy ; breaches  could result in a prison term.

Apprehensive about  what might transpire, Wilson nevertheless went to East Arm  and   wrote a  touching story about the girl for the  Sydney Sunday Mirror, which  included   a  photograph  of  her with a nun. 
 
 Wilson warned  the newsaper’s editor, Zell Rabin, in advance  about the  NT law banning  publication of  any details about  lepers.  It had been decided to run  the story  and after its publication  Wilson received  a number of  calls from  angry  Darwin  government officials , including  the head of  the  Welfare  Department, Harry Giese. Recalling the  episode, Wilson  said he  had packed his toothbrush and razor  just in case he was   arrested and lodged in the cells  . However, the  only time he   was ushered  into the cells during his time  in Darwin had  been to to  see the editor.

It was no surprise then that  Bowditch asked Wilson   to extend his time in the Territory by a year. Apart from being a good reporter ,  Les was  handy  to have  around as a bodyguard for the  fragile editor who got into  frequent scraps.
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After leaving  Darwin , Wilson  became a  hotshot  journalist  in     Australia, England and   America . He worked on the Sunday Mirror  in Sydney  under the editorship of Zell   Rabin .  On  Friday afternoons Rupert  Murdoch came  from his  office to  discuss the contents   of  the upcoming   Sunday paper with  Zell . Rabin would  break out  dice  and he , Murdoch , Wilson  and others  would  shoot  craps , a  game he picked up in New York .  Rabin  also had  the unusual habit of  standing  on  his  head , his feet against the wall ,  to  improve  the   flow of  blood , according  to  Wilson.

 
From   Sydney , Wilson  went to  Melbourne  and  then  to   London  where he worked on  a magazine with   another  colourful  Kiwi  reporter, Jim  Oram ,  who subsequently became  a  close  friend  of Jim Bowditch .  Wilson wrote  early  stories about the Beatles and  the Rolling  Stones  . Of  the Rolling  Stones , he opined  :  The worst  pop group in the world . They’ll  go nowhere”.  Over  the  years ,  this   statement  would haunt  Les .  Furthermore ,the  Rolling  Stones manager , Andy Oldham,  even offered  Wilson   a share in  the  group  for a mere  three hundred pounds ($600) ,  but he  turned it down .  
 
During  his time in  London , Wilson  went to  Hamburg  and tracked down the  “ Dead   Beatle ”,  Stuart Sutcliffe , along with  early photographs of the group  taken by their  hairdresser , Astrid Kerchner,  which  made   headlines in  Fleet Street.  After a stint as  a feature writer on the  Daily Sketch , one of the big circulation magazines  , Woman , paid him to   do  a Hollywood  series  on popular  TV  shows  like  The Beverly Hillbillies , My Favourite Martian  and  My  Three Sons . 
 
In those days, Wilson said the British media was reluctant to send  one of its own  across the  English  Channel to get  a story . It was   left open to mad reporters from the colonies to travel   abroad, and  they  made names for themselves as well as   a good deal of  money .
 
 
Wilson  joined the  New York office  of the  Sydney  Telegraph , came back to Sydney  as   a feature writer  and later  news  editor  of the Sunday  Telegraph .  He returned  to America  and joined the National   Enquirer , the mass circulation  publication  big on  scandals  and  Hollywood  exposes , where he  was  a reporter and  then  assistant editor,earning heaps and spending  heaps . He now lives  in  Hervey Bay , Queensland and   sedately  rides  a  bicycle ; had  he bought a share in the Rolling Stones he  would  travel  in  a stretch limo  and own the South  Island of  Kiwiland .   NEXT: The Mount Isa strike.