Ten years after the night-time demolition of the oustanding building known as both the Grand Old Duchess and the Raffles of Darwin-the Hotel Darwin-and the NT Government still has no well defined heritage protection . The late journalist /author/ historian , Barbara James , an ALP stalwart , would not be impressed by this inexplicable dithering. Little Darwin provided Barbara with information when she was researching the history of the hotel , which she fought hard to save .
Nowadays there seems to be delight in concreting over or removing anything of interest in Darwin than saving it and putting it on a heritage list. The Gold Coast syndrome is rampant. Recently it was revealed that there is a plan to bulldoze the remains of a building used by the Z-Force at East Point during WW11 . The late Centralian Advocate and NT News crusading editor , James Frederick Bowditch , who first employed Barbara James , an American , in Darwin , was a decorated member of Z-Force. How Darwin , with its tragic WW 11 history, could contemplate removal of Z-Force ruins defies belief , but then this is now-time Darwin .
Nowadays there seems to be delight in concreting over or removing anything of interest in Darwin than saving it and putting it on a heritage list. The Gold Coast syndrome is rampant. Recently it was revealed that there is a plan to bulldoze the remains of a building used by the Z-Force at East Point during WW11 . The late Centralian Advocate and NT News crusading editor , James Frederick Bowditch , who first employed Barbara James , an American , in Darwin , was a decorated member of Z-Force. How Darwin , with its tragic WW 11 history, could contemplate removal of Z-Force ruins defies belief , but then this is now-time Darwin .
Few people would know that a prominent Indonesian businessman , a former member of Z-Force , with a wartime link with the Territory , came back here on a visit and arranged for his autobiography to be presented to Bowditch.
Bowditch came to the aid of a paralysed pearl diver, Ali bin Salleh , who had been with him in a highly dangerous Z-Force reconnaissance mission to Tarakan, teeming with Japanese, before the invasion . Bowditch arranged for Ali to be flown back to Darwin from a nursing home in Adelaide . Here he was looked after by Sallum bin Sallik and his wife, another grand lady, Biddy . Sallum had also been in the Z Force, but had not been on operation with Bowditch.
Townsville’s Maritime Museum has a memorial plaque to the Z Force , members of which shocked the wartime city by paddling in during the night and attaching mock mines to vessels, showing how vulnerable the port was to attack . Another building used by the Z-Force near Cairns has been preserved. Here in the Territory ?
Bowditch came to the aid of a paralysed pearl diver, Ali bin Salleh , who had been with him in a highly dangerous Z-Force reconnaissance mission to Tarakan, teeming with Japanese, before the invasion . Bowditch arranged for Ali to be flown back to Darwin from a nursing home in Adelaide . Here he was looked after by Sallum bin Sallik and his wife, another grand lady, Biddy . Sallum had also been in the Z Force, but had not been on operation with Bowditch.
Townsville’s Maritime Museum has a memorial plaque to the Z Force , members of which shocked the wartime city by paddling in during the night and attaching mock mines to vessels, showing how vulnerable the port was to attack . Another building used by the Z-Force near Cairns has been preserved. Here in the Territory ?
