The death of Australian journalist Steve Dunleavy in New York this year brought back memories of the time when we both worked on competing Sydney tabloids in the l950s , he for the Daily Mirror , I The Sun .
By Peter Simon
The front page report of his demise in The Australian of June 26 said he was an American legend . Steve, below, was a swashbuckling legend long before he went to USA , partly because of a particular story he wrote .
She had bravely chased after the man. Steve took one look at the artist's smock she was wearing and came to the conclusion she was , as the saying goes, with child . He wrote a a story about a pregnant woman, which she was not , chasing a peeping tom . Her shocked parents in the country saw the story, demanded an explanation from their daughter , an abject apology was run in the paper .
If you made a blooper in print , said something stupid or had a peculiarity, you could be certain that your journo confreres not only spread the word , but raised it severa times within your hearing .
An example of this involved an accident which had taken place on a man's birthday . The Mirror got the birthday angle , but not The Sun . Some time later a car was crushed up against a wall by a goods train and a reporter from the Sun got to the scene , spoke to the unfortunate trapped driver, asked if it was his birthday.
Though rivals , reporters from the dailies mixed socially , gathering at floating card games , weekend parties , the Taiping Café in the Haymarket , in Kings Cross cafes ,where the "witch", artist Rosaleen Norton flew through , pubs , even the Norwegian Seamen's Mission at Mosman . Steve often popped up at these soirees .
Strange as it may seem , Luna Park , just for fun , was popular with young journos , especially on Friday and Saturday nights . Why? One reason was that nurses tended to gather there ; a skilled hoopla player, I won a plaster Collie dog for a nurse at Luna Park . The Mirror police rounds car with Dunleavy aboard sometimes parked near Luna Park .
At a party I attended in a Bondi penthouse , rented by some of Dunleavy's mates , if I remember correctly, somebody enjoyed himself belting golfballs along the waterfront , no doubt to the annoyance of car owners and others in the morning .
While in the Daily Mirror night police rounds car, he responded to a police radio message about a reported peeping tom . Arriving at the residence , it was discovered that a young female artist had been painting at an easel when she noticed a bug-eyed man peering through the window at her .
If you made a blooper in print , said something stupid or had a peculiarity, you could be certain that your journo confreres not only spread the word , but raised it severa times within your hearing .
An example of this involved an accident which had taken place on a man's birthday . The Mirror got the birthday angle , but not The Sun . Some time later a car was crushed up against a wall by a goods train and a reporter from the Sun got to the scene , spoke to the unfortunate trapped driver, asked if it was his birthday.
Though rivals , reporters from the dailies mixed socially , gathering at floating card games , weekend parties , the Taiping Café in the Haymarket , in Kings Cross cafes ,where the "witch", artist Rosaleen Norton flew through , pubs , even the Norwegian Seamen's Mission at Mosman . Steve often popped up at these soirees .
Strange as it may seem , Luna Park , just for fun , was popular with young journos , especially on Friday and Saturday nights . Why? One reason was that nurses tended to gather there ; a skilled hoopla player, I won a plaster Collie dog for a nurse at Luna Park . The Mirror police rounds car with Dunleavy aboard sometimes parked near Luna Park .
At a party I attended in a Bondi penthouse , rented by some of Dunleavy's mates , if I remember correctly, somebody enjoyed himself belting golfballs along the waterfront , no doubt to the annoyance of car owners and others in the morning .
On another night , at a sleazy nearby joint , a rough looking guy bustled into the toilet area , took the top off the cistern , and colourfully complained somebody had stolen a gun he had hidden in there .
At a farewell party in a Randwick Military Hall for a journalist about to leave Sydney and take up an early television job in Canada , Steve turned up with two girls .
As fate would have it , I happened to witness part of a painful event at The Sun involving Steve's father , a photographer, also named Steve . He whipped the zipper up quickly in the toilet and caught his foreskin . Another photograph who came to his aid added to the pain by giving the zipper a few hefty yanks , without setting the member free.
The word spread quickly about Steve senior's predicament , with increasing laughter , in the nearby general reporters room . Down from the top floor came the staff nurse. Said to have been an ex-Army nursing sister , she wore the military uniform and starched veil , armed with cutting implements .
Steve Junior became one of a flock of Australian reporters attracted to Hong Kong where he became associated with a nightclub , almost acting as a bouncer . Journalists who provided me with information about his colourful Honkers period included veterans Peter Blake and Roger East, both also legends .
Blake was employed on the Hong Kong Star , a real blood and guts publication. Steve, both agreed , was a sharp dressing Hong Kong heart throb in those days . The nightclub was a wild place in which a Serviceman died mysteriously and a quantity of gold disappeared on the premises.
Blake was employed on the Hong Kong Star , a real blood and guts publication. Steve, both agreed , was a sharp dressing Hong Kong heart throb in those days . The nightclub was a wild place in which a Serviceman died mysteriously and a quantity of gold disappeared on the premises.
Dunleavy went to America where he became a national sensation covering the Son of Sam murders , a psychopath who indiscriminately shot people , often couples in lovers lanes . The murderer even addressed a letter to Dunleavy . Dunleavy used the Sydney tabloid newspaper foot in the door approach to obtain dramatic interviews during the hunt for the killer . Dunleavy also visited the Boston Strangler in prison .
His fame as a hard hitting television reporter was such that he became known as Mr Blood and Guts , went on to inspire a movie .
His fame as a hard hitting television reporter was such that he became known as Mr Blood and Guts , went on to inspire a movie .
In the l970s I flew down from Darwin to Sydney to see my ailing father and while there was invited to a party at the Coogee residence of Terry Blake of the King Cross Whisper . Terry had used his share of the streams of gold which flowed into Whisper enterprises to buy a sportscar , which he crashed , and original Australian art , which decorated the walls of the apartment .
Guests of honour were none other than Steve Dunleavy and his wife , Yvonne . She had ghostwritten the memoir of Xaviera Hollander , The Happy Hooker , who ran New York's high class brothel , which sold like hot cakes , translated into umpteen languages , turned into a film .
Steve , as usual, highly animated, nattily attired , looked very sharp and healthy . He was asked how he managed to look so fit despite his obvious hectic life in the US of A. With gusto , causing an outburst of surprised laughter , he extended his tongue , raised an arm , and went through the motion of injecting a needle , saying it was done daily .
In recent years , I was informed that Steve used a gopher to regularly drive to a bar in Florida where he was greeted by admiring fans .
Guests of honour were none other than Steve Dunleavy and his wife , Yvonne . She had ghostwritten the memoir of Xaviera Hollander , The Happy Hooker , who ran New York's high class brothel , which sold like hot cakes , translated into umpteen languages , turned into a film .
Steve , as usual, highly animated, nattily attired , looked very sharp and healthy . He was asked how he managed to look so fit despite his obvious hectic life in the US of A. With gusto , causing an outburst of surprised laughter , he extended his tongue , raised an arm , and went through the motion of injecting a needle , saying it was done daily .
In recent years , I was informed that Steve used a gopher to regularly drive to a bar in Florida where he was greeted by admiring fans .
