THE SQUASH CHAMPION .

Continuing   biography of   Territory  Crusading Editor," Big  Jim" Bowditch

Both Jim and Betty Bowditch were keen squash players.  Betty was  so good that she was employed  in  a  squash  court  centre in  Darwin .  The  Northern Territory  News  had a squash team  which  included  Jim and  sports editor   Dennis Booth. Booth said  Jim was fiercely competitive and  agile on  the court. When Booth  was in Hong Kong in  the  l960s  he  had  become interested in  ten pin bowling  and  holds  the distinction  of  having   coached three  state teams  in Australia -Tasmania,  ACT  and  the  Northern Territory .

 

While introducing  compositor  Bobby Wills to the game of squash ,   Jim   hit  him above  the eye  with his racquet.  Wills reeled back with blood  pouring from his wound and  Bowditch said,  “ You are supposed to get out of the bloody way .”

 

 

When  Steven  Bowditch  was  about 12  he  joined  the  NT  News  team  and  rapidly  became   proficient .  However, while he was learning to play  the   game ,  Booth  beat him  several  times ,  a  feat   about  which he  would  have  cause  to  boast.  A competition  was held at  the squash courts where Betty worked  and  Steven  won  a  month’s free  playing time. 

Steven  became so adept  he won  the NT Open  at l5 years of  age and represented  Australia as a junior and men’s  amateur squash player  .  He went on   to  become  a  prominent   world   ranked   player   and  was inducted  into   the  NT  Sports  Hall  of  Champions and listed  as one of the  first 100   Aboriginal  athletes  in   the Aboriginal  and Islander Sports Hall  of   Fame ,the so- called   Black Diamonds.  

 

CAPTAIN  OF  AUSTRALIA

 In l981  he was captain of the Australian  squash team , runners up in the World  Teams event  and in that  year  he won the  World Individual  Squash Championships in Sweden.   In  l985  he won a second world  title-the World  Open Plate  in  Egypt,  beating  the   dominant  Jansher  Khan  in the final .  He was  also twice runner up  in  the North American Open  -equivalent  to  the  American   Squash World  title  and  won the  US  Open .

 

Appointed  to the World Squash Council, he  became national  coach  of   Malaysia  and  Sweden. His  squash career took him  to  40 countries  and he lived in  eight different nations . While union player Gary Ella  has been credited  with  being the first Aboriginal  to captain  an Australian  team  in l983, Bowditch captained the Australian  squash  team  which came second  in the World  Squash  Championships  in  Stockholm , Sweden  in  l981.  

 PROMINENT  GOLFER  AS   WELL

Also a top mini tour golfer, he won  championships at  private clubs  in  Germany, USA  and Australia.  When  it  came  to  sporting activities, Steven had great application , which he  felt came from his mother .  He  mentioned  the  occasion  when  his  father  brought  home  an American basketball   with  coloured  panels.  Steven , who had not  played  the game , took the basketball to nearby  courts and  practised shooting  goals from  many angles  day  after day .  In  a  short space of  time he was  so good that he played  in  a  men’s A grade side  and  in  12 months was a  referee.

 

Steven had a high regard for his mother’s  sporting  capabilities.    With the  right  opportunities and coaching , he believed she could have been  “ another  Yvonne Goolagong. ”  She had been  at the  top    in three sports in  Darwin- squash, tennis and  hockey . While claiming  to have only  played “social tennis ”, Steven  said she was really very good. His mother had those Aboriginal qualities which  enabled her  to  just keep on going  no  matter  what.  

As a   consultant  and  business facilitator  with wide  experience including   time with  an American stockbroking  firm ,  Steven Bowditch  has  played a  prominent   part  in Aboriginal  advancement .    He  was  manager  of the Regional  Aboriginal  Business Development , Department of  State and Regional Development in the  NSW  government .   Bowditch   designed and distributed   more than  l700  copies  of  the  widely used   manual   A Guide to  Developing Aboriginal Business . Over the years he has  initiated and run numerous  business and cultural  events .

 

While  based at  Casino , NSW, from  l995-l997   as Aboriginal  Enterprise  Development  Officer , he assisted  5000 aboriginal  individual and  community clients  with their ideas , facilitating the  establishment of  more than  30  businesses.  In  2001   he coordinated  a  trade familiarisation  visit to  a  major European fair in  Milan, Italy.

 

THE  TIGHT  DARWIN  MILLIONAIRE

 

While  discussing his childhood , Steven Bowditch  told how  the attitude of his father and   Darwin millionaire   Mick Paspalis  had  influenced   his own  attitude to money .  He said his  father had  regarded  rich  people  as “evil”   .  As  a  youngster , Steven had  been   a paperboy   in the Fannie  Bay  area  delivering  papers  to  the  “richest and the poorest” .

 

 One of  the battlers on the run had  been Mrs   Hilda  Muir, one of the Stolen Generation ,   with “ umpteen  kids ”.  She always gave  him a  big tip. The richest  household  which  Steven deliver  papers  to was  that  of  Mick  Paspalis.    When   Steve  called   there  to collect  fortnight’s paper money , he hoped that  it was Mrs  Paspalis  or  one of her daughters  who payed the account because  they   would  include a  generous  tip, especially  at Christmas. 

However,  if  Mick  settled the account  he  would slowly count out the exact  amount .  Sometimes there would be a few pence  left  from counting  out  the   money ,  but  Mick would  smile , and  put it back in his pocket. These experiences  , coupled with his father’s attitude to the rich ,  shaped  Steven’s personal philosophy  in his younger days. This   attitude to money had  limited  Steven’s  “wealth creation”   potential , but shaped  his  sense  of right.

 

When Steven came back  to  Darwin  after travelling for  20 years ,  he met  Hilda Muir  and they had an animated conversation , recalling old times .  Hilda  was  still   battling and he   had   been   delighted to  be in a position  to give this woman who had   tipped  him   handsomely  when he was  a paperboy  some   money  to  buy   essentials.  In 2001, writing of  the paperboy  episode, Steven  said  Mick Paspalis had probably  been  trying to teach a small boy that money did not  come easy- you had to earn it.  It had been  a  good lesson  - “if your dad  wasn’t Jim  Bowditch ”. NEXT : Newspaper moves out of the old  tin bank building .

PINK SNOW IN THE TROPICS

FINANCING THE NEVER ENDING WAR TO END ALL WARS

A  powerful Australian  message designed  to shame people with  money into  buying   a  war  bond .

THE LARRY BOY MANHUNT Continuing biog of Crusading Editor,"Big Jim" Bowditch

On September  21 , l968, Aboriginal  Larry Boy , tribal name  Janba,  found his wife , Marjorie, in bed with a white stockman, David Jackson, 21,  at Elsey Station, 350 kilometres from  Darwin . He took to them with a tomahawk ,  killing his wife and hacking through the ribs of her lover . There was evidence that he carried  his tribal  wife  outside , put her on the ground  and lay beside her. Some claimed he had intercourse with  his  dead or dying  wife . Others  claimed   this  was a  false  story put about to  create maximum feeling against  the man  who had  not accepted  the  sexual use of  his  wife by a white  stockman. 

After the  attack  he  fled into the  surrounding  country which consisted of  bush,  swamp and  sandstone  outcrops. A  massive manhunt  which included  black trackers, dogs,  police ,  many  civilians  and  helicopters  was mounted with  Constable “ Bluey” Harvey in charge.  The officer had been stationed at Wave Hill  at  the  time of  the  Gurindji  walk off  and   Bowditch knew him  well.  

Bowditch  visited the  surviving  stockman in hospital . The man told him he  could not understand  why he had been attacked as  sleeping with  Aboriginal women was going on all the  time.

The  case brought  to light the  common practice  of  white stockmen  taking  granted  the sexual favours of  Aboriginal women . Boy  had  objected to his  wife being used  by white stockmen and had  taken  drastic action  to stop what was  going on.

BOWDITCH  ABUSED

Bowditch  and a photographer went to the search   area to  report on the manhunt ; a white man  shouted, “ Here’s that  boong lover - I’ll show you how we  deal with  black bastards when  we catch him ! ”   Bowditch spent  five days in the area.  The  hunt went on for  40 days.  On the last day ,Constable Harvey,  was  walking by a limestone cliff when he  noticed a small cave  with  cobwebs  across the entrance.  Because of this, he  at first  felt that  the fugitive could not be inside  as he would have brushed the  webs  aside.  However,  he  noticed the  cobwebs were strung like a gate on  thin sticks.  The fugitive had draped the  webs across  the entrance  so as to  give  the impression that  nobody could be inside.  It was  a great  piece of detective work for Harvey to notice the deception.  

SUNG  TO  DEATH  CLAIM

The tenacious constable then  crawled into   the small recess  filled with   foul air  and  found   the wanted man , flat on his back, his mouth  against a  small hole  through which he  breathed. Harvey,   exhausted and suffering from influenza , dragged the  man out... At the trial , Boy was  represented by Dick Ward ; there were some peculiar aspects of the case , one being the claim that it led to  Ward being  “sung to death ”  for somehow, inadvertently committing a breech   of   Aboriginal law.  There was, said Spillettt,  trouble over the fact that a person of the “ wrong  skin ” had been used as an interpreter.Ward  subsequently developed a kidney disease  and  received dialysis  treatment.   Boy was  found guilty of  the  manslaughter of his wife  and sentenced to  eight years’  gaol; for his attack on  Jackson , he got  five years, to  be served  concurrently.

 

Foreman of the jury was Anglican church  official , historian  Peter Spillett. In the year 2001 , Spillett, researching the history  of  pre-colonial  Timor , said he should write  an account of the Larry Boy trial.  It had  lasted  for about  eight days and the jury , during breaks, had gone  on  a harbour trip to Mandorah  with an esky to  slake  their  thirst; on another occasion they had been taken to The Star Theatre , and at interval some had  slipped into the Vic  Hotel for a  drink.

 

CYCLONE  TRACY  KILLS  FILM

Larry Boy  died  in hospital  shortly before he was  due to be released  from   prison.  It was suggested he had picked up a lung disease  while on the  run after the murder of  his  wife .   Friends of the dead man told Bowditch  that  Janba had  willed himself  to die  because he had killed his wife. 

The case so  inspired  Cec  Holmes  that he proposed   making a movie  about the  episode . He and author Frank Hardy worked on the screenplay. On several occasions   Holmes  went overseas to  try and raise  funds for the  film , entitled  Call Me By My Proper Name. At one stage it was suggested  Peter  Finch  might  play  the   role of   Constable Harvey.    Holmes  objected to Hollywood   wanting to  turn  the plot into a kind of Down Under  cowboy  flick.  A decision was made to make  an all Australian film  and pre-production work was carried out in the Roper River  area of the NT  in  late  l974 .   Holmes then went to Darwin to spend Christmas with his family , intending to  begin shooting the  film  in May .  Cyclone Tracy shattered these  plans and the  film was never made.  

His plans  for the  future blown away , Holmes  observed  the cyclone  wrecked city  and  got a job   as a   gangway attendant on  the   Greek   liner  Patris  which  was brought to Darwin to provide   emergency  accommodation.  He spoke to many  southern journalists who came to the city  to report on the disaster  and observed that  many of  them  were soft, complaining  about  the heat  and conditions.  Reporters, he said, used to have a reputation  for roughing  it, but the new breed seemed  soft. One  journalist had contacted his  office  down south   on Boxing Day  and asked  for  water  and  food to be sent . Five days later,three one gallon  containers of  water  and two tins of  steak and kidney had  arrived by air.  

Another  Holmes    project   which  never came to fruition  was  a  film  about  Morrison of Peking, despite  representations  to the Chinese  authorities . When Cec  Holmes  died  from cancer  in  l994 , he had a script with an agent for a   film  about  Pat Mackie , the man at the centre of the Mount Isa  Mine strike in which Bowditch had been involved.  He had also  nearly completed  a  book  about  the social and political problems of the Philippines. NEXT: The Athletic Bowditch family. 

DIARY OF A CURLEW CARER #2

Berlin  Wall  Erected  Again

Unhappy Chicky , foreground ,  having  just  been driven out of  the backyard  and over the  Berlin  Wall  by  its  father, seen  in  the background .

When  you are  intent on  trying to save  baby Curlews from  sudden death, you  pay close attention  to  the sounds  of  the  night   because under  the  cloak  of  darkness  the  assassin  often  strikes .  On  a  certain evening  something seemed to be upsetting the  Curlews up  and  down  the  street.  It  was hard  to  concentrate on the TV. Is it a dog, cat . shrub nibbling  wallaby , somebody  walking along  the road, Colonel Sanders diversifying  ?  It  being a cool evening , sporting a  dressing gown  and Ugg-boots , I tottered  out  to investigate .

The  air  was  rent by shrill  cries; no  cause  was  evident . Stepping out onto the road in my night attire , I  glanced  up  and  down .  Nothing ... But wait ,what was that ghostly  figure draped in white  pressed  up  against  a  fence near the  end of the street where the noise was  loudest ? Ramrod-straight, the  spectre  caused  my normally  limp   hair to  stand on end .  Prepared to turn  tail and  sprint away  like a gold winning  Australian  competitor at  the Commonwealth  Games , I  approached  the  fearsome figure , seemingly  as  tall as a Harlem Globetrotter, outside an unoccupied  house .  It  did  not  move , standing there all  the  world  like  Fisher’s  Ghost. Uncertain about  how to address  a  being from the spirit world , I fired  off  a nervous  leading question, “What the hell are you doing ,standing out  in  the  dark ?”

You see , I  had suddenly  identified  the  mystery  figure-it was a  wildlife carer known as the  Queen of the Jungle , armed with a  walking  stick , a  shawl around her  shoulders. She was waiting for  some friends  to pick  her  up in their car  and  take her to dinner. The  Curlews probably thought  that  she was turning on  supper  so  were  screaming out the welcome  news up and down  the  street like town criers .

 **********************************

To keep the two latest Curlew chicks in the relative safety of the backyard , the  Berlin  Wall was erected  at  the side of  the house to prevent them following  their parents  outside.  Chicky  hurdles the wall  with ease  on the  occasions he/she   has  ventured inside  for  a  feed  and  subsequently fled   from   father  who  drives  it  away .

THE UNLUCKY AUSTRALIANS Continuing biog of Crusading Editor, ”Big Jim” Bowditch

On  meeting  former watersider Jack Meaney  at  the  Adelaide River Show in the Top End ,  Frank  Hardy said  he  needed  somewhere quiet to write his  book about the  Gurindji struggle   , The Unlucky Australians. Meaney took him home to  Milton Springs, the place where the Stayput   Malays had been hidden .  Young John Meaney remembered the author  pounding out the book  on a typewriter ,  puffing  away on his  pipe  filled  with  Plum tobacco .  In that  book  Hardy paid  tribute to the part  played by  Bowditch  in the struggle . He described  Bowditch  as  the most colourful  character  in a city where there  were  no human beings , only characters.  His friend  Jim Bowditch, he said , was the last of  the  fighting  editors.

ASIO  took  an interest in the book  before it was   published. A l968  ASIO    report  stated   Hardy had  been in Darwin  on  26/12/67 and  had  gone  to  Wave Hill . The reason  for the visit, it stated, was  for Hardy to put the “ finishing touches”  to his book,The Unlucky Australians.  It continued- 

Hardy has shown proofs of the book  to everyone who is mentioned  in it  .  The book should have been published   in August  but has been held up because the publishers are very worried about   libel actions.  Jim (James Frederick) Bowditch , who is a friend of Hardy’s , has read  the proofs  and thinks  that this book  may not be published  , because  of the  numerous  libellous statements . 

In a move  to  ease the Wattie Creek situation, which  was embarrassing the  government and  Vesteys, the  government  in July  l968   said it would build a township  on Crown land  at the Wave Hill centre in an attempt to meet  the needs of  the  Gurindji and other  Aboriginals in the district.  Most of the  strikers  remained at  Daguragu  despite  the lack of facilities.  Vesteys  gave the government an undertaking that  the Aboriginals at  Daguragu would not  be  disturbed.  
 

The Gurindji then began  fencing  and  building on the land . Support  flowed in from   many sources.  Brian Manning  said the watersiders of Australia  donated   $17,000  through a levy , the money to be used  by the Gurindji for  fencing.  Manning, who had a 16mm Bolex movie camera, went to  Wave Hill with  Cec Holmes  who  made a film of the  fences being erected.  

Hardy staged a  demonstration outside Vesteys headquarters in Britain and arranged for a   TV  team to come to Australia .About  l970, a   Darwin activist,  agronomist  Robert  Wesley-Smith ,  met  Bowditch and  came under his influence. Bowditch   invited  Wesley-Smith to drop into the  office  at the  end of the day  for a drink  and a  talk  with  him and other  staff members. Commonly called   Wes , he  did not drink  at  the time, but enjoyed  the  discussions .  Bowditch provided  support for   Wesley- -Smith’s   campaigns and  gave him editorial backing on  various  issues  . Wes and his then wife , Jan, both became involved  with the Gurindji after reading  Hardy’s book .  ASIO  even   checked  to  see that  Wesley-Smith  was absent  from  Darwin  in Adelaide for two weeks to  be  married.  

 

Wesley-Smith  and    George and  Moira  Gibbs   were in a group  which   formed  the Murramulla- Gurindji  Cattle Company which after three months   was  passed over to the control of the  Gurindji.The Gibbs  were another example of  activists  mindlessly condemned by some   for their  involvement  in union work  and other   issues ,closely watched  by    ASIO.  Some of the  offspring  of  Darwin activists interviewed in connection  with  this  biography   said  they had  often  suffered at  school -   “ copped it ”  being  one expression- due to  their parents’ activities.  

 

It was not only  unionists  who were subjected to mindless scorn .   Kim Lockwood  related  an  episode   at school  in Darwin , aged about 10 , when a  pupil came up and told him , “ Your dad  is a  communist .” Not knowing  what a  communist was, Kim   went home  and  told his  father , who reacted angrily .  He told  Kim  to  inform  the  boy  that if he ever  repeated  that statement he  would  knock  his  block  off.   

When George Gibbs died  in  l969,  Cec Holmes delivered the eulogy at the funeral service   and his wife, Sandra,  performed an electrifying   rendition  of the  stirring union song  the Ballad of  Joe Hill .   There was an  editorial in the NT News  paying  tribute to Gibbs  headed  DEATH OF A  BATTLER.  

The Communist  newspaper  Tribune   said    Gibbs  had been involved in  the movement for Aboriginal rights  since the l950s  and  in recent times had  been closely associated  with the struggle of the Gurindji   people  at Wattie Creek.  He had come to the NT in the  l930s and had been a founder member of  the  Workers’ Club .  Mrs Gibbs   came from  a  family of union activists,  and she had  been involved  in  the Peace Council  with Esther Meaney .

 

As secretary of the  waterside section of the NAWU, Brian Manning , inaugurated  a $100  annual   educational   bursary to be awarded   to an Aboriginal student as a memorial to George  Gibbs’s  dedication to the Aboriginal cause.  There being no applicants, the  money each year was put towards establishment of  the George Gibbs  Memorial  Collection  at the Mitchell Library , Sydney  , the repository of all the   NT Council for Aboriginal Rights material ,  his  diaries and  union memorabilia from the early days . Mrs Gibbs died of cancer in Sydney . 

 

The Gurindji would come to Darwin  and at times “ a whole  mob ”  travelling  on the Wattie Creek  truck    would go  to the NT News and talk with Bowditch . One of them , Mick Rangiari , was known as “ Hoppy Mick ” because his pelvis was broken in a  fall from a  frightened horse. After the  accident  he had   spent several painful weeks lying on a   verandah  without  medical treatment.

Rangiari   drove a  battered  vehicle  to Darwin  and asked  Bowditch to help the Gurindji.  There is a suggestion that  on that occasion  Bowditch  bought a complete set  of new tyres for  Rangiari as the  ones on  the  truck  were  badly  worn.

In the   long drawn out  campaign   for the  Gurindji , Frank  Hardy and  Paddy Carroll  of the NAWU  had a falling out ;  Bowditch arranged a reconciliation . At   a  packed  performance in Darwin by American country  and  western singer , Johnny Cash , Sandra  Holmes  sang   the protest song  Gurindji Blues    written by Ted Egan ,who later  became  the Administrator of the Northern Territory , from the  floor of  the  Penthouse .  

Under  the heading  ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY   , ASIO's NT  regional  director  on March  30  l971   sent headquarters   a   confidential report   about  the involvement of NAWU Aboriginal  organiser   Dexter Daniels  in relation to  fund raising activities   on behalf of the   Roper River  Land Rights  Fund .  He wrote that Roper River was   not readily accessible  from Darwin and it was necessary  for ASIO to rely  on , blacked out  ,  to  obtain  information   on the activities of   persons  of security  interest in this area. 

Later in the year   ASIO stated  NT News  employees    “taking the  Tribune”  included Bowditch and journalists   Peter Cooke, John Loizou  and   John Meeking  , the political roundsman . Cooke was  described as being  far left in his views  , but  as yet, unwilling to  join an “old left” political group , such as  the C.P.A.

In  l972 Lord Vestey wrote to  Prime Minister  Billy  McMahon  offering to surrender  some areas of the Vestey lease to  Aborigines.  An area of 35  square miles of Wave Hill  was given over , enabling the Wave Hill  centre and Daguragu  to be linked by  vacant Crown land  . NEXT :Pressure  on  Bowditch   and   another   manhunt .