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Staff at the NT
News in Darwin did not seem to last
long , and the Sydney directors of the paper -Eric White and Don Whitington - were regarded as very demanding , mean and
unreasonable people with whom to
deal. On occasions, members of the
staff in Darwin sent
letters to each other purporting to be from
Sydney saying that
there was a bonus
enclosed for having worked under
difficult and primitive
conditions . Needless to
say, a quick search of the envelope failed to
find any cheque.
Ross Annabell, a competent and a conscientious worker, was given the sack and had six weeks to work out his time. While reading the classified advertisements pageproof , he came across an advert for the free tenancy of a shack at Dinah Beach , which gave the name Gardner , c/- Lands Department , Darwin, as the contact . As he was soon to lose his accommodation at the News along with his job , Annabell contacted Gardner who proved to be a real character.
Jack Gardner , an Englishman, had been
knocking about the Territory for 29 years . His father , a soldier , had been
in the All India tug-o-war team
. Jack had met author Xavier Herbert when he was in the Territory. He also loved reading , especially O’Henry short
stories, and did some “ scribbling
” himself. Even though there was no rent, no key and no bond , there were some disquieting
aspects of the shack deal .
Firstly
, the owner of the shack was in Fannie Bay Gaol for sexual assaults on young boys . Secondly ,
Gardner had himself recently completed 12 months in
prison for cohabitating with an
Aboriginal woman and supplying her with alcohol . On hearing that Gardner
was soon to be released , the
owner of the shack had offered him the
caretaker tenancy and gave him a document on Fannie Bay Gaol notepaper saying Jack was the legal occupier of the desirable piece of real
estate
Desperate
for accommodation and assured that the
owner would not be free for a long time, Annabell agreed to move in . Gardner said he was going bush prospecting for uranium and would call in from time to time and stay for a few days . When
Annabell told people he was
going to live at Dinah
Beach thanks to prospector Jack Gardner , he soon
became aware of his benefactor’s
nickname -"Gonorrhorea Jack ". Annabell gave the shack a good clean out and
scrub before he moved in .
Happy in the knowledge that he would have somewhere to stay
when he left the News, Annabell continued to work out his notice.
However, he was asked to stay on
a few days longer because of the
sensational Petrov spy
affair which saw the wife of a Russian diplomat
who defected to Australia seek
asylum at Darwin airport while being
escorted out of the country by two burly guards.
Annabell witnessed Mrs Petrov
being taken out a side entrance to freedom
while the guards pounded on the
Customs door demanding her
return. With the Petrov affair
over, Annabell left and
Bob Freeden stepped in as
acting editor of the News.
Gardner
returned from a prospecting trip with electrifying news - he and two others , Geoff Lennox and and Bill
Lickiss had made a rich uranium
strike at Adelaide River and they
eventually shared $220,000 in cash and shares . Lickiss ,
a surveyor draftsman
in the Lands Department , went on
to become a Minister in the Queensland government.
News of the find sent
shares skyrocketing and
the Top End was gripped by
uranium fever . Gardner added
to Annabell’s own
fever by hopping on the back of Ross’s motorcycle and directing him to the find , which was close to the highway near Adelaide River .
The replacement editor at the News
was another Kiwi, Hugh Mabbett ,
who had done some gold prospecting in Queensland.
Mabbett soon quit
the noisy editor’s pad at the News
for Annabell’s peaceful
beachside shack , much to the annoyance
of Eric White and Associates in Sydney . As
a result,the News found Mabbett a
flat near the post office . The arrival of the wet season made the Dinah Beach shack leak, so Mabbett
invited Annabell to share the
waterproof flat. Once more the
Sydney directors were unhappy about
the ex-editor and the present incumbent sharing the same residence.
Mabbett
, like his mate Annabell, became
disenchanted working at the News . Packets used to arrive
at the News from Eric White and Associates addressed to Bob
Freeden
and contained instructions and criticism .
In what was described as
an “ accidental opening ” involving
steam from a kettle , the contents of a letter sent
to Freeden were perused .
The news Mabbett read hot off the press and kettle instructed Freeden to sack Mabbett and ask Annabell to come back as editor. Made aware in advance of future developments , Mabbett quickly alerted Annabell . Sure enough, while Ross was freelancing at the ABC, Freeden came in and asked Ross if he would come back as editor. Annabell firmly declined. However, running a bit short of money, Annabell would later even consider applying for a cleaner’s job at the News , but thought it would have been demeaning for a former editor to return as the janitor. Annabell kept Bowditch, in Alice, up to date with developments at the NT News . NEXT: Dreams of being filthy rich .
