WINE AND WATERMELON AT NEWSPAPER STRIKE HEADQUARTERS

Continuing  biog  of   Northern Territory  Crusading Editor, " Big Jim"Bowditch

 

 An event took place which   appears to have been  the last   straw as far as  News  Limited  was  concerned .  Bowditch , who  had been drinking,  intervened  when  he saw  police  arresting  some Aborigines   and was   himself  taken  into custody. One of the  Aborigines  was   Bobby Secretary, central figure in the Larrakia  Darwin  land claim .  Released  by  the  police  later  in the evening,  Bowditch was  again  picked up  soon  after.
 

John  Meeking, the   paper's industrious  news editor ,   bailed  him  out  and  said , “ Bad luck, old mate.”  Soon after , Meeking   announced he  was leaving the News and  going to an  uncertain future in Western Australia .  This  writer  even  gave  Meeking  a  packing  case, brought from  Sydney,   in  which to put  his  belongings   .  A short time  later  , manager  Brian Young  informed  Bowditch  he was  no longer  the  editor .   When  Bowditch asked why , he  was  told  it  was because of  his  behaviour.    

  STRIKE  , RUSSIAN SPY, GREEK  WEDDING  

Much to the surprise of  many at the  News , John   Meeking  returned   as  the editor.  On  July   l6 -l9 ,1973 ,  journalists  and  photographers  went on strike , saying they could   not  work with  the  replacement editor.  In fairness , it must be said  that  Meeking  often kept the paper  afloat . A reporter  there  at  the time  said  Bowditch  had  been lucky that there was someone  like Meeking to  keep the  paper  running   when the editor  was often   plainly not  capable of doing  so .  If   handled  differently, the  seemingly inevitable   removal of Bowditch  might  not  have  placed  Meeking  in the  invidious  position  in  which  he found  himself. 
 

 The  dispute  also   put  English journalist ,  Eugene “ Gene ” Janes, in a difficult  situation .  Janes ,  like Bowditch, had  been  born   in Lewisham , London,   and  like Jim had  also worked in  a Queensland lighthouse , near Thursday  Island .  As  a young  boy he had been literary inclined  and wrote much poetry, urged on by his mother .  While  working at  the BBC as an office boy, he contributed to  the staff magazine  and also sold copies of the Daily Worker . At  the BBC he  applied for a  job  in the  Talks Department and spoke to  Guy Burgess , who  was in the process  of   producing  the longest  series of talks put out by the radio  station which was on the topic  of  unemployment.

 

 Burgess, an expert on  Russia, told  Janes he might be  another Shakespeare but he was too  young for the  Talks Department  position  and had a long way  to go.   After the war,  Burgess , along with  Donald Maclean ,  defected to  Russia , followed  by  Kim Philby.  The defections caused  great embarrassment to  British security.    Janes  said it  should have been obvious to  British  Intelligence  where  Burgess’s sympathies lay  as he wore  a  hammer and sickle  pin in his lapel while working  at the   BBC.

 

 When WWll broke out, Gene, 17 ,  went into the British Navy and  while  operating a bofors gun   in the Mediterranean  and squinting into the sun , shot down a  friendly Hurricane  plane. Fortunately, the pilot survived.  After the war , aged 22 ,  Janes came to Australia, worked at  Garden Island  dockyard, Sydney ,   and wrote  short stories and  radio  scripts, mixing with  actors  and  artists.  After marrying his English wife , Muriel,  who had come  out to Australia  on a trip,  they  travelled  to  many parts of  Australia . Gene  pounded  out pulp  fiction   paperbacks  for Australian publishers at a  prodigious rate .  These  included romance novels . Because he was  reluctant to be known as the  writer of   romances  they were published in  his wife’s name .   Other noms-de-plume  were Owen  Gibson and  Gordon  Ross.

 

ATTRACTED  BY  FIGHTING  EDITOR

 

 While  the Janes family   were living  in Townsville, they  saw Bowditch   on television  in connection with  the Rights For  Whites   issue ,changed to Rights for Territorians.   Muriel  told  Gene  Bowditch  was  the  kind  of editor  for whom  he   should be working . Gene  agreed ,and applied  to Bowditch  for a  job on the  NT News . His application  was successful , so Gene  packed up and   arranged for  his wife, children, cat and dog  to move to Darwin .  They arrived   to find    the staff   out on strike .  Janes  was  in  an onerous    situation. The staff  had gone out  because they said  they  could not work  with the new editor, Meeking .  Janes had not  previously  worked with   Meeking  and  pressure was  put on him to  report while nearly all  the  regular  staff   were out.  Saying he  had no other  option,  Janes  joined  the  strikers. 

The strikers put out their own newspaper ,  Daily Alternative. Fortified by  flagon wine  and slices of   watermelon  , the paper  was put together  on  a  table in  a room  made available  by    Dennis Booth .   In the  July  20 , l973 first issue  of  the  strike newspaper  staff  explained they were not  protesting because  Bowditch had been replaced as editor .  They were on strike because they  refused to work with his  replacement.  They said a newspaper must be produced by a team . This  could not  be done if the editor  and his staff  did not  respect each  other.   The declaration said that with Bowditch as editor  the News  enjoyed a freedom rare in Australian newspapers. ... “  We feel that the spirit is now dead.” 

The lead story in the paper, which sold for 10 cents a copy,  was headed NEWS  ROW  TO  COURT.  It stated  the strike would go before the Conciliation  Commission in Sydney on the coming  Monday  .  At that meeting  the AJA  secretary Syd Crossland   made a submission based on  a briefing prepared  by  reporter John  Loizou in Darwin .   Loizou had remembered   Murdoch making a  statement  that newspaper management had  an obligation  to shareholders  to make sure  papers were run  properly to  maintain  viability  and  strong profits.
 

 AJA   COPIES   MURDOCH  LINE  

In a variation on this theme, Loizou  took the line that  journalists had a similar responsibility to shareholders  to make sure management   did not  take  steps  which would  damage the  performance  of  a newspaper .    Early  in the hearing , Crossland   made the submission  that  this was  the first case in  Australia  of  workers wanting to  participate in the running of a newspaper.  Loizou said this  claim seemed to  have   galvanised   News Limited   because the very next day  it was  represented  by  a  QC.

 

The strike  paper ,  run off  on a manually operated stenographic  machine ,  clearly did  not  cause the growing   Murdoch empire to  tremble .   It was  delivered  by   English reporter Bob Hobman , clad in  stylish beachcomber  mufti,  who rode a  bicycle  to which was attached a candle  to  light  his path. Outlets included  the pubs and  some shops.  Publisher   of the  paper was journalist John Loizou  and it was  edited by  William  Reynolds.  

 

As  an indication  of  Bowditch’s support in the  community, the Darwin branch of  the Waterside Workers’   Federation  donated  $130  to the strike funds .  An advertisement , headed  A MESSAGE FROM THE WATERFRONT ,  stated  that  after  a  meeting on the wharf,  Darwin waterside workers  had decided to  support the principle of the journalists and staff in their protest against the  new editor  employed by the  NT. News.  This was an interesting stance for the watersiders to take in view of the fact that they had once banned the  unloading of newsprint for the  paper because  Bowditch had  refused to  withhold a  court story .  Southern journalists  also made donations to the strike funds .  To make the strikers  feel a little happier , social writer Joy Collins  handed out  pay packets  with  a  small  amount of  money  in each   . 

 

GREEK   HALL  HEARING 

 

In town at the   time  from  Sydney  was   reporter  Les Wilson who was   writing  a   special feature on the late Mick  Paspalis  to  coincide  with  coverage   of the  wedding of  Helene Paspalis   to lawyer  Peter Coombes .  At the invitation of Mrs Chrissie  Paspalis,  Wilson  was staying in the  Hotel Darwin .  Some years previously , Wilson and I had been standing at  the front of the hotel near the Packer owned  Daily Telegraph , when we noticed Mick Paspalis , a distant expression on his face , head bent as  if bumper shooting, slowly walking  by. We called out  and   invited him inside .    Wilson ,   who  had worked on an  Australian Journalists’ Association’s   strike newspaper in Sydney ,   offered his  advice to the  NT News staff ; there was  an item about the  looming  wedding  in  the   Daily Alternative .

 

Producing the  strike   paper  posed   a number of problems as a large space  carried the  advice  that  it  should have  carried a fine  picture,  but due to technical difficulties  it had been impossible to include it in  that edition . An extraordinary  hearing was arranged in Darwin to try and settle  the dispute .  Held in the  Greek Hall , where the acoustics were poor, the proceedings were remarkable  for  several  reasons,  nonetheless for the way all  seating  was gradually moved closer and closer to the Commissioner  so that people  could hear what  was  going on.  A procession of NT  News  staff  gave instances of how they had found Meeking  difficult to work  with  in the past.  Meeking and  Young sat  listening  to  proceedings. 

 

Eventually  an  arrangement  was   made whereby  Bowditch  would leave the paper, still live in the NT  News owned  house  in 40   Phillip Street ,  Fannie Bay, and set up his own  media  business, North  News   Unlimited .  An  item in  the  NT News of  September 5,  l973  announced  Bowditch’s departure from the paper saying he would set up a freelance  features  and information service  and  had accepted a retainer from  News Limited ( Australia)  to give the organisation  first  right to  anything  he  wrote.   

WORKERS'  PARTICIPATION  IN  NEWS  OFFICE  

As part of the settlement , the  Sydney  Daily Mirror , Brian Hogben , the man who covered the  Rockefeller disappearance  in Dutch New Guinea for News Limited, came to  Darwin  for six weeks  to  act  as adviser  to the  new editor and the staff. In what was regarded  as a  a major  achievement , a standing liaison committee of six  was  set up  comprising  Young,  Meeking  the journalist adviser  and  three members  of   staff .  In practice, the meetings of  this group were not many  and the idea  of  so-called  worker  participation  was  blown  away   by  Cyclone Tracy.

 

After  l8 years of  service , during which he had built the paper into a highly regarded and profitable publication , Bowditch was out  the door  .  He  left  with  a  payout  of  less  than  $5000.

Reflecting on  the  years  as editor under Murdoch, Bowditch said they had really been great times, but  there  had been  inevitable  changes.   For a time , he  had  regarded  Murdoch as “the great white hope ” in Australia  because of   “ this great human feeling  ”.  Musing about  Murdoch  in  the l980s,  Bowditch  felt  that  as  Murdoch  accumulated more and more  interests and bigger financial  obligations ,he  had  turned from a newspaper man who enjoyed  the “ fun ” of running    newspapers  into a businessman. NEXT: Australia run by an Aboriginal government .