Thursday, January 23, 2014

THE GREAT WHITE HUNTER -Continuing biog of Crusading Editor,"Big Jim" Bowditch.

Bowditch, right , in animated  discussion at  a  city  watering hole , a set  of  buffalo  horns on  the wall. Photo  by  Barry  Ledwidge.
Bowditch received  frequent visits  from a skilled and amiable PR man,  Allan Stewart , when he was connected  with the  Humpty Doo rice project   near  Darwin. American investors and the Australian  government  hoped   Humpty Doo would  become "  the  food  bowl  of  Asia. "  While  nightclubbing  with  clients down  south , Stewart  was  asked to help with the troubled   Territory Rice  project. Reports   that  geese were eating the  rice frightened off   investors.  The Armed  Services had been called in and used  Bren guns , carbide guns, sonic screamers , shotguns  and low flying  aircraft  to try and frighten the  geese away.

An old warhorse himself , Stewart , who walked with a limp, had   a varied background .  In Sydney, he unsuccessfully  contested  two  elections against  Labor  candidates after the second  war .   In one  election he gave   the fire brand  Eddie Ward of   East  Sydney a close  run  and  used a tailor’s  dummy  wearing a threadbare suit  to show how much soldiers were appreciated .  He also   failed  to gain  Liberal  pre- selection on another occasion by making rude comments  about  politicians and an unflattering description of  a Liberal  being a person with  two feet firmly  planted in  the air . 
 
By  Peter  Simon
 
At one stage  he had managed  country shows for  Australian radio and  revue artists  like Willie Fennell, George Foster , Don Baker and  Kitty Bluett.  He was  even involved in the  publishing of  an arithmetic book for children  . In PR  fashion,  Stewart, a  great raconteur ,  often did things with a flourish and   would   order a waiter to  take a bottle  of champers  with his best wishes  to somebody he spotted  in a  Darwin  nightspot.  As will be shown , he and  Bowditch  had a long association right up to the end of their lives.
 
After his services were no longer required at Humpty Doo, Stewart underwent a major  career  change  when he  billed himself  the Great White Hunter  and  set up the  Nourlangie  Safari Camp , 120 miles   south east of  Darwin.   The area  teemed with waterfowl, buffalo, crocodiles and  barramundi.  An old  timber camp  provided the  safari  facilities  but were  rough and ready.  It was a classic  case of under-capitalisation . The potential , however, was enormous and Stewart set about  using his  undoubted PR skills and connections  to  promote the venture  and the  NT.

 
HILARIOUS  CHAIN  OF  EVENTS   AT  NOURLANGIE
 
Bowditch, of course, gave  Nourlangie  good  coverage in the NT News to help  Stewart along.  Through his  contacts in Sydney, Stewart brought up two photographers  Ray  Jamieson and Ernie McQuillan,  to  take publicity    photographs of  Nourlangie.  They were out at the camp  in June l959 when a  flying  saucer, described  by a New Zealander  , Coral Mason,  as  " a red blob going up and down in the sky ", was   sighted.

 A report on the sighting  went to the  RAAF.  Stirling Moss, the  British  racing car driver and his wife  went  to Nourlangie.   Bowditch had the task of  informing  Moss  about the death of a  close racing   friend in  England  . From America came  safari experts  making   10 films on  big game hunting  around the  world.   Stewart  flew south about once a week to appear on the   Westinghouse Hour of Sport  and did much to promote the  Territory.  
 
Stories which came out of  Nourlangie  were many .  A rich  American  big game hunter who had  a  huge trophy room back home, came to  Darwin with his special guns  to  shoot at  Nourlangie.  Due to  poor eyesight, he had  thick  lens  glasses  and looked  a dangerous man to be wielding   high powered rifles.  At Nourlangie  he went to  a   primitive  outdoor dunny  and  when he pulled the chain  no  water flowed  from the cistern perched above his head .  Hearing the clang, clang of the chain , Stewart quickly called to  an Aborigine to get a bucket of water.  A ladder was thrown up against the  toilet, the Aborigine clambered up with the  bucket  and poured  some  water  in  the cistern and  quite a bit of it directly on the Yank.  The drenched hunter emerged with  water running down his  glasses.

 In another unfortunate  mishap, the  American nearly  choked himself on the clothesline while walking about at night.  On a crocodile  shooting  trip with the  American  things proceeded at a slow pace.  On several occasions while they were driving along  Stewart remembered vital  things which had not been loaded   onto  the   truck  at the start  .  On each occasion Stewart  pulled up  under some shade and an Aborigine was  sent  loping back to  camp to pick up the missing gear.  Tucker  on the  trip was a  hunk of  beef and  some damper carried in  a  grubby hessian bag.
 
Two Melbourne men who had witnessed the misadventures of the American big game  hunter at Nourlangie told me of  their experiences , over drinks, in the  Hotel Darwin's  Green Room. They laughed so much they literally had  tears   running down their  faces .  They  said   it  had been  such an hilarious experience at  Nourlangie that they had  not  minded  the fact  that  their smelly  towels  had  not  been  changed  during  their sweaty time  in the camp .

The  party  thrown  the  night  before  the Melbourne men returned to  Darwin  by plane had also been  memorable.  Stewart’s  offsider who usually got about  barefooted  and   in shorts, told  the camp Aborigines he was  going   " longa Darwin " in the morning   and needed  a  shirt and   a pair of shoes -"one right foot shoe  and one left foot shoe." The Aborigines  went  away and came back with  their  meagre possessions  from  which  he selected  his wardrobe for a return to civilisation . 

Nourlangie had   enormous   potential  but  had a  cash flow problem.    It became known that  the Great White Hunter  was hitch- hiking  between Darwin and southern capitals to appear on shows and in some court  cases .  Stewart and his partner  began stuffing baby crocodiles and selling them to tourists.   One day , Stewart, wearing his usual  broadbrimmed  hat, limped into the  public bar at the  Hotel Darwin.

FANNIE  BAY  BLUES , THIRSTY LAWYER

Some reporters  from  the NT News were there  and called  Allan  over  for  a drink. Knowing  Stewart  was  experiencing tough times, Bowditch went to pay for the drinks.  Stewart  insisted that he pay for  the shout himself, and pulled out a big roll of  notes . Peeling off  one of the bills, he threw it on the  bar and said : "Thank Christ for baby crocodiles ."  Stuffed crocs, he explained,  were  about his only source of  income.
 
Due to a  " thirsty lawyer " failing to  seek an  adjournment in a case of  domestic litigation ,   Stewart was  surprised to find himself  arrested for contempt of court and  lodged in  the Bennett Street  lockup  in Darwin,  prior to being transferred to  Fannie Bay Gaol  for  30 days .   Word got out  that  the  White  Hunter  was in the  slammer at  Bennet Street Police Station  . Mates  in the nearby  Vic  Hotel  gathered  under  his  cell window, passed in cigarettes  and  serenaded him with the  song  The Fannie Bay  Blues.  The Vic Hotel  did the catering  for  prisoners and publican  Richard Fong  sent in  a   bottle of  beer  hidden under a napkin  with  a meal  for  Stewart.  
 
When it was discovered that  due to  a survey error  Nourlangie camp was  five miles inside  the Woolwonga Aboriginal Reserve ,  it was closed  down  by the  NT authorities.  However, with the  help of  his friend  Bowditch , a  protest meeting was held in Darwin and the Administrator  set up  an Appeals Board  ( the first  in  the Territory’s history ),  to hear   Stewart’s case.  Stewart represented himself at the hearing  and  the lease was restored .
 
Stewart appeared in  a  large  beer advertisement  in  the NT News  in l970. It showed him , head tilted back , cigarette in one hand,  downing a  large glass of beer . In l972  Stewart unsuccessfully stood  as an independent  for the  NT  Federal seat against  the sitting member, Sam Calder, known as  " Silent Sam". Stewart said the  NT needed a more vociferous  and experienced voice .   During his campaigning he  addressed  the Women’s Electoral Lobby  and set out  his platform  .   Australia, he said, could support a population of  60 million . In   an attempt to capture the "donkey vote" in that election he had his name  changed  by deed poll  to  Alexander  Allan-Stewart so that his hyphenated   name would be at the top of the  voting paper.   Even if he  did not get elected , he appeared on  TV  in the  Tommy Hanlon  Show and was presented with  the  White  Hunter of the  Week  Award. NEXTThe magician and his chain smoking  pet  monkey.