AUSTRALIA'S DAY OF SHAME : Continuing biog of Crusading Editor, "Big Jim" Bowditch

The  appointment  of  Bowditch as  the  Managing Editor  of the Northern Territory News was officially  announced in the paper  on  March 3,  l955.  With a population of about 8000, Darwin, like  Alice Springs , had a severe  shortage  of  accommodation . Signs of  the  war  could still be seen, including the wreck of the  Neptuna   which was  exposed  at  low tide  next to  Stokes Hill Wharf . The  bulk  of   the population  was  employed in  the  public service and  the armed  services .

 

Starting  work  at the News the  same week as Bowditch was  apprentice compositor  Bobby  Wills who had  been at the Northern  Standard .  Because  the union- run newspaper office  had  been  formal in dealings with  staff , they being addressed as Mr or Mrs , young Bobby , on   being  introduced  to the new editor , called him  Mr Bowditch.  Bowditch immediately responded by  saying that nobody called him mister , his name was Jim.

By  Peter  Simon

 

When   Bowditch first  took over at the News the  average circulation  was  2500 and  it struggled to survive. The reporting staff  on the paper consisted of  Jim Kelly , who had also  worked at the Standard,  and a cadet, Alan Ramsey,  who went  on to  become a  top  political  reporter in  Canberra.   Something  of a  terse  interview took place  between  Bowditch and Kelly .   Kelly,  who  walked with a kind of  shuffle , had  long  been known as “Flannel  Foot ”.  He  told  Jim   that  he ( Kelly ) would  look after  the editorial  side  of  the paper and  that Jim could concentrate on the  business  side .   Bowditch said   that  was not the way it  would be  as he intended  doing a lot of  writing for the  paper . Kelly  had  been secretary of the  Darwin branch of the  Federated Clerks’Union, knew Harry   Krantz , the SA branch’s  secretary , a close  Bowditch  friend .

 

ASIO  suspected  Kelly was a Communist . In those days  anybody  connected  with  unions  or  who  spoke out against the government automatically  seemed to be  branded  a Communist, a person of interest , by  security.  Kelly  covered  many sports,  including darts-the reports on which were  incredibly  long.  Bowditch said  a  good  story  to  Kelly  was  a  page  and a  half  of  darts  results . 

 

ALIAS  JUPITER

 

Kelly also  wrote   the regular  creative  astrology  feature, The Stars .  While  Kelly  was  drinking in  a pub  he  heard  a person   say  he had  put  off an outback  light plane  trip as the stars in the  News had  warned about  plane  travel .  It can be revealed that rotund   Kelly , under the  name  Jupiter, moonlighting for Glenville Pike's  North Australian Monthly  magazine , wrote  the  stars  and  received two guineas  a  pop  .

 

In  the steamy  reporters room  it  was not unusual for  Kelly , a large consumer of Temple Bar cigarettes, to  remove his  shirt and sit there typing away with sweat  running  down his  ample  body .  Kelly  gave   a    radio sports  report  on   the ABC and   was a  keen supporter of  the  Buffaloes  Club.   Plumpish , he  used to ride  a  tiny  motorbike with  a  sidecar  like  a  half opened  sardine can  in which his wife, Sheelagh , a renowned   cook ,  sat,  knees  up .

 

 The Kellys  lived in  an old  army hut , but when  Jim’s father died he inherited   a considerable sum of money  and  a  black  Hillman  sedan which he drove for years . With their  new wealth  ,  the  Kellys   moved into a  substantial house on piers  at Fannie Bay .   There   Kelly would walk  about in the nude listening  to  classical music  ; one night , after a  few drinks, he   fell from the  balcony , Jupiter   plummeting to  earth   resulting in  stars  flashing  before  his eyes.  Because  the  music was   being  played   fortissimo , perhaps the  l812 Overture  , it took  a long time  for   Sheelagh   to  hear  his  cries   for  help .   

SENT  TO  COVENTRY TRAGEDY

 

In the  cavernous  factory at the News the team included  linotype operator  Arthur Wright, a walking  encyclopedia  of knowledge   about   Darwin, especially  its boisterious   early  union  days  and  the  many   characters  and pioneering   aviators    who  had  passed  through the  town .  He  had  been in  a  Queensland  boxing  troupe ,  was  working at  the  Northern Standard  at the  time of the first  Darwin bombing  and was the  brother  of  lawyer  Dick Ward’s  first wife.  Although a  staunch  unionist  , Arthur   was  aggrieved  by a  union dispute  which  resulted   in his   father  suiciding  after being  sent to  Coventry . The  tragic  event  involved a  union   ban placed on a  hotel  over   a  matter supposedly  involving  the use of Aborigines as  cheap  labour in hotels.  His father, a  winch operator on the wharf, was   seen   going into  the  Club Hotel during the ban  for an  afterwork drink, and was ostracized  by  fellow unionists. He  became  so distressed  by  his  treatment  that he placed  a stick of dynamite  in  his mouth  and  lit the fuse.

As previously mentioned , staff  morale  was low  at  the News  when  Bowditch  first arrived .  It  was  known  that  somebody  was  writing  highly critical reports  about the  running of  the  establishment  to  Eric  White in  Sydney   An intercepted   critical  letter  had  been  pinned  to  the  staff  notice  board   

There  was  no  gentle easing   into  the  editor’s   job.  Almost  immediately  Bowditch  took  Territories’   Minister ,  Paul Hasluck , to  task  for making a contentious  statement   that the  bombing of  Darwin had  been  Australia’s day  of  shame  because people  had run away .  The comment was  made  by Hasluck during a speech  at  the opening of new premises  for the  NT Legislative Council  by the  Governor - General, Sir William Slim .

 

The News criticised  Hasluck for making the day of shame claim ; people who had been in  Darwin during the  bombing  pointed out that there  had been many  heroic acts at the time . Bowditch  said  Hasluck’s speech at the opening had dwelt on the  past and showed the government had no vision for the Territory’s future.

 

One of those who congratulated  the  News over its  stand  on  Minister  Hasluck was a former NAWU secretary , Jack McDonald , who  had  been associated  with  author Xavier Herbert in the l930s. McDonald , whose  son, David,   was a  compositor at the News , said  the  Minister  had  come to  Darwin as a guest  of the people  and in his “splenetic” speech had insulted his  hosts  by declaring  that  February 19, l942 had been a day of shame  because  the citizens of  Darwin had run away.  To  have said  everyone panicked  had been a “ lie ”, wittingly  or otherwise. 

 

McDonald  said he  and  police  officer Sergeant Sandy  McNab  had organised stretcher bearers  among  waterside  workers  and despite  there  being  two rows of  dead men lying on   the wharf  approach , these men had  carried out their  duties like  veterans.  He had  seen big men cry - not with fear , but with anger. They had no weapons, only their  fists.

 

Only four planes  got off  the  ground in the  first  raid,  he  wrote ,   and after  that  the RAAF  were told it was   every man  for himself.  Some RAAF men  were  later  sent back from Alice Springs . McDonald  wrote that  there  certainly had  been  an  exodus  from  Darwin , but it  was led  by  government department heads.  Most old Territorians   had  stayed  put.  The Administrator , the   Police  Superintendent  and the  Police Inspector  had  departed .

 

 An “ outstanding exception ” had been  Judge Wells who  had stayed on throughout the war to protect  the  people of  Darwin against  “ the  tyranny ” of  those who were in charge  of the town.  If  Mr Hasluck  wished to  find something “ shameful ” he should look at the Canberra records  to see how  much money had been  paid  out in compensation  to civilians whose houses had been looted, not by Japanese  but troops sent to defend  Darwin .   McDonald, who left Darwin after the 14th raid ,  said  a  pleasing  feature  of  this tough period in Darwin  was that  not  a  single politician  made a visit -not until the last shot  had  been fired. “ Strange that  they should come  along now, over 10 years later , to tell  us about  it.”   NEXT: Bowditch  explains his philosophy on  important  issues .