VALE MARTIN WESLEY-SMITH ,ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S THREE DASHING MUSKETEERS

Longtime   East Timor   supporter, Martin  Wesley-Smith  ,  74,  died  last Thursday  at  Kangaroo  Valley , NSW  .  He  and his twin brother , Peter, a  former  Hong Kong  University professor,   and   older  sibling,  Robert , a  Darwin agronomist,   had   all   been  awarded   medals  by  the   Timor-Leste   government  for  their  extensive  help  in  the  long and  bloody  struggle  for   freedom  and  continuing  help  in  the  years  after.

 

President  Jose Ramos Horta in 2008   said  Martin was   a true creator , activist and  humanitarian ; he and  his  brothers  treasures  of  the country .

 

Martin produced  a  number of  works  about  East Timor, at times  incorporating  Peter's word skills , ideas  from Rob , who had been involved     with  East Timor  from the  very earliest, one time arrested  at gunpoint   in  Darwin Harbour   while  attempting to run medical  supplies to the besieged  country .  Martin's   East Timor  archive ,   ranging    from opera to classical  compositions  and   librettos, is in the National   Film  and Sound   Archives , Canberra .

 One  , Balibo , for flute and tape ,   about  the  Balibo  Five, the Australian  journalists  murdered by  Indonesians   during  the  invasion of the former Portuguese  colony , opened with  a  recording  of  reporter  Greg Shackleton  speaking .

 

In 1988 ,  Martin was awarded the   Australia Medal  for services to music , composition , scriptwriting,  children's  songwriting , lecturing , presentation  of multi-media  concerts  and   being  a  member of   various  Australia Council  boards  and   committees  .

Internationally regarded  , he spent 30 years at  the   Sydney Conservatorium of  Music   where  in  1974  he  created  the   inaugural  electronic   music studio . A keen       banjo player , republican  and     campaigner  for   many causes  , Martin had a  very personal   link   with  a  popular  Australian   children's  television   star  , Humphrey  B. Bear ... he  married   Ann North , a  presenter  of the  Channel Niners   , Adelaide,    who was on  duty   May  24, l965 , the  first day that the  bear  appeared   on screen  ,  going  on to become an international hit , extremely  popular   in  America .

 

It has   even  been suggested that  in the early days of Humphrey's career , Martin  may  actually have  been the person inside  Humphrey 's   suit (highly unlikely ) ,   and  also  wrote  songs  for the  show .   Long  ago , this blog posted the fact that  an  early linotype operator  at   the Northern Territory  News, Timmy  Forday , who became a successful  Darwin businessman ,  had the   Humphrey B. Bear  franchise for   the city , his visit  attracting  large  crowds . 
 

In March  l986  the twins produced the two hour musical  fantasy , Boojum!,inspired by Lewis  Carroll's  poem    The Hunting of the Snark  , which was  premiered at the Adelaide  Festival of  Arts  before  the  Queen   and  the Duke of  Edinburgh.

Martin and  Peter  or  Peter and Martin .

In  a special tribute to   Martin , the  ABC's  Radio National Music Show  recalled the response  of  the  Queen and  the  Duke  to  the  performance .   Both  brothers were dressed in  identical  dark suits  and  the  Duke   supposedly  pointed at  the twins , said  he  got  the  message - which  one  was  Tweedledee and which one  Tweedledum?   Boojum!  got a run in San Diego and Chicago . Recently performed by the   SA State Opera, it was   described in a review as one of the true masterpieces of  the Australian stage . The answer    to  a  choral   piece  by  Martin  - Who Killed Cock Robin ?- was pesticides.
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Cover of  record  cut   by early   Adelaide    musical trio called The  Wesley Three  , showing Wesley-Smith  twins   flanking    Keith Conlon  who became a well  known  broadcaster  in  the  city  of  churches.

Still  Crusading

Rob Wesley-Smith  recently attended  and  spoke  at a  Darwin  demonstration against the  proposed  government  deportation of  the  Sri  Lankan  family   from   Biloela , Queensland .