Robert Wesley-Smith , aka Rural Rebel Rob
Young Wes , bottom , left , wearing glasses , being grabbed by security men at an anti - Vietnam War demonstration in Canberra outside parliament house during the visit of American Vice-President, Spiro Agnew, in January l970.
Proof that God moves in mysterious ways , down from Darwin , agronomist Wesley-Smith was attending a Student Christian Movement conference in Canberra, an organisation with which he had been associated for some years . He decided to go along to parliament to see the Agnew entourage , for which there was heavy security.
Two busloads of protesting students arrived from Sydney; there were 14 arrests, Wesley-Smith one of them . A newspaper account said eight people were "dragged away". Those arrested , the report said, included seven students, an " agronomist" , a tutor, a storeman , labourer, waterside worker and a union organiser.
Recalling the event , Wesley-Smith said he was standing behind the barricade and was glared at when he asked a security man what the badge he wore stood for.
Soon after, he was grabbed , and some of the " beaut lefty women" , one armed with an umbrella , possibly 80 years old , his now age, had come to his aid . One woman had donged security men with a placard . Another woman with a shopping basket over her arm , below , had also wielded a placard .
While in the police lock up with the other prisoners, one of them, who was a Vietnam Moratorium organiser, told Wes he should start such a movement in Darwin, which he did , with great success .
Subsequently having to fly down from Darwin to face the charge against him , fined a " trivial amount ," Wesley Smith came into contact with civil liberties lawyers, one Kep Enderby, later to become the ALP Minister for Territories .
Waterside workers nominated Wesley-Smith as the man to launch an East Timor campaign when Jose Ramos Horta first came to Darwin . Wes became the foundation president of the Northern Territory Civil Liberties Council in 1975 , thereafter involved in many campaigns , including Free East Timor, Aboriginal land rights, environment and conservation issues, a writer of many letters to editors and a columnist , notching up a few more arrests along the way .
As he lived on a rural property, he became known as that rural rebel Rob , the title of his memoirs that he is currently writing.
Prior to his Canberra arrest, Wes said he had been a mild activist , who had never upset anyone . However, what happened to him in the national capitol launched him on his long career as an activist , so blame it on Spiro Agnew .
He was twice arrested in Darwin at demonstrations against Indonesia over Timor . One arrest was at a sit in at the Indonesian embassy, where crosses were placed on the lawn marking the massacre of 250 pro-independence protestors at Dili's Santa Cruz cemetery on November 12,1991 .
He was carried away by two police officers, one tough looking, but "friendly copper " lugging his chest region , the other , a woman , his legs and feet.
The up front officer got a whiff of Wes's armpits, complained : "Next time, wash your bloody armpits !" Wes responded by saying it had been a hot and hectic day .
FOOTNOTE : Spiro Agnew , President Ronald Reagan's right- hand man , was described as " a Trump like character ", a businessman with shady practices in his past .
In 1973, Agnew was investigated by the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland on suspicion of criminal conspiracy, bribery, extortion and tax fraud. Agnew took kickbacks from contractors during his time as Baltimore County Executive and Governor of Maryland. The payments had continued into his time as vice president; they had nothing to do with the Watergate scandal,which brought down President Nixon . After months of maintaining his innocence, Agnew pleaded no contest to a single felony charge of tax evasion and resigned from office.
UPCOMING : More campaigns , the hot dog outrage and Bill Day follow up information , with an invaluable tip for editors, film makers and authors .
