JFK IN CYCLONE TRACY REFLECTIONS

Watching all the   Cyclone  Tracy  documentaries  brought back many memories. The Channel 9 special , in  particular ,  contained   some  surprises  ,  including  the unexpected  shot  below of  Northern Territory News  crusading   editor , Jim Bowditch , having a  meal in  the  Darwin High School , provided by  cinematologist  Keith Bushnell  , much of  his    coverage  of   the  devastating  l974  natural  disaster  run  in  the doco.  .

Known as  Big Jim , Bowditch  became airborne while trying to rescue the pet Persian cat  upstairs  as  the house broke up .  He landed unhurt and joined the  family in a downstairs room  . At one  stage  he  was reduced to   wearing  a   tennis  frock , white with green piping  ,  belonging  to his  wife   because all his clothes  had  been  blown  away . Soon  after , he   drove   to  the  residence  of   reporter  Kim Lockwood   in   his underpants and a T-shirt  and  was  given  a  pair  of  shorts .  

Another   unexpected person to  appear in the   Channel 9  documentary was  one of  Darwin's  characters,  Cowboy Bill , who spent much time in pubs entertaining   drinkers with  jokes , subject of  the following  post in Little Darwin on  August  20 , 2014  

JOHN F. KENNEDY AND COWBOY BILL IN STRANGE CONNECTION

Fascinating additional information has been  supplied by Melbourne journalist Kim Lockwood  about  the   Darwin character Cowboy Bill  whose photograph recently appeared in  this  blog in relation to  Northern Territory News  editor Jim  Bowditch.

(It told how Cowboy Bill , unannounced , would  walk into the newspaper   with  alcoholic  drinks  and   imbibe  with  the  editor ,  great  laughter ensuing  in  their  learned  discussions  ). 

Jim  and  Cowboy  Bill  near  Hot  and  Cold  Bar .

 Kim says Cowboy Bill , who  died   more  than  a decade ago, went  under  the  name of   Bill Goss . However , he  changed  it  to  Bill Garrison , after the New Orleans Attorney-General, Jim Garrison, who believed  JFK's assassination  had  been  the result of  a  conspiracy . The  name  change  could  have  been  due to the fact  that "they" - tax -  may have  been  after  him .

Another Cowboy  Bill anecdote  comes to mind . When  journalist  Peter Blake, now in New York , and  this  writer  produced two  spoofy  publications , Fannie Bay Whisper and  Troppo  in   Darwin , Cowboy  Bill, the  great joker , became stroppy  when  he  was  made  the  subject  of  a  mild  joke. 

(Cyclone, Cowboy, JFK.)