Two great journalists and close friends , Douglas Lockwood , left , and James Frederick Bowditch , seen here outside the Darwin Press Club, circa 1980, were among a large number of past and present scribes inducted into the Australian Journalism Hall of Fame in Melbourne on November 16. Lockwood, a prominent Melbourne Herald reporter and author , was based in Darwin when it was attacked by Japanese on February 19,1942, about which he later wrote Australia's Pearl Harbour, still in print .
He recommended Bowditch for the position as editor of the Northern Territory News in Darwin . At the time Bowditch was editor of the Centralian Advocate, Alice Springs . On taking up the editorship in Darwin he became a renowned crusading campaigner for many causes and individuals , hid Malay divers and Portuguese sailors, backed Aboriginal landrights . The above photograph was taken when Lockwood was on a visit back to Darwin .
He recommended Bowditch for the position as editor of the Northern Territory News in Darwin . At the time Bowditch was editor of the Centralian Advocate, Alice Springs . On taking up the editorship in Darwin he became a renowned crusading campaigner for many causes and individuals , hid Malay divers and Portuguese sailors, backed Aboriginal landrights . The above photograph was taken when Lockwood was on a visit back to Darwin .
At the induction, attended by about 300 , were Jim Bowditch's wife , Betty , and journalist daughter , Sharon , her husband , Col Allan , former editor-in- chief of the New York Post , other family members. In a video clip, Kim Lockwood , Doug's son , also a journalist and author , recalled working with "Big Jim " Bowditch in the old prefabricated tin bank building , below, which became the leaky NT News.
Recently, this blog recalled both journalists, Lockwood in connection with one of his award winning reports about Aboriginal girl Ruth Daylight who had been taken from an outback shanty, dressed up in finery , flown to Canberra and introduced to the Queen Mother, then returned to her hard life . In his long and distinguished career , which included time in London , Douglas Lockwood also influenced the media in Papua New Guinea .
The Bowditch post related to a Channel 7 report about the recent royal visit to Fraser Island , Queensland , which contained footage of Z Force soldiers training there during WWll, Bowditch one of them .
