Tuesday, February 11, 2025

TRAITOR ON A NAVY VESSEL ; A RUSSIAN DEFECTOR, NUDISTS AND PROMINENT DARWIN JOURNALIST

 The recent   death  in  Darwin of  Muriel Janes , widow of  pulp fiction author Gene Janes , prompted  the  rerun  of   2016  Little Darwin posts .   


The unexpected  discovery in Townsville  of  a  dramatic  novel  about a  supposed Japanese spy (who turned out to be a  German )   aboard  a  Royal Australian Navy  vessel  operating out of  Darwin in WWll  has  thrown  light  on   the  prolific  output of  the  late  British  journalist  and pulp fiction writer, Gene Janes .

 Entitled  Traitor  Aboard , the book , first published  in  1967, was  written  under  one  of  his  noms-de-plume , Owen Gibson.

By  Peter  Simon

The  story opens  with a member of Naval Intelligence  under the guise of a  war correspondent , suspiciously discovered  not  to  be  a  member  of the  Australian  Journalists'  Association , arriving  in  steamy  Darwin  and  boarding  the  naval  ship  in  a   bid  to  uncover  the  traitor . The  skipper  liked  to  tipple .

In real  life , Gene  Janes , in Queensland at the time ,  was   attracted  to Darwin   through his  admiration for the  crusading  editor of  the Northern Territory News , Jim  Bowditch.

 Janes  , with  literary  ambitions, encouraged by his mother,   had  worked  as  an  office  boy  in  the BBC, London , selling  the  Daily  Worker  on the side . He  applied   for  a  position in  the Talks Department  at the  BBC which was  run  by  Kim  Philby , one of  the  Cambridge Spy Ring , who   later  defected  to  Russia.

Philby  told  Gene he  might  be  another  Shakespeare, but he was  too  young . 

Gene  told me  in  Darwin  that   British Intelligence should have   twigged  that Philby   was  sympathetic  to  Russia  as  he  wore  a  Russian badge on  his  lapel .

During WWll  Gene  served in the  navy  and  said  that while  squinting into the sun  in the Mediterranean he shot  down  a  friendly plane  with a Bofors  gun , the  pilot surviving .

Rapidly reading Traitor  Aboard , I  smiled    at  Gene's    detailed  description of the Tribal class destroyer's armament. Close range weapons included Oerlikons  and  the  quad  Bofor - the quick firing  40 mm  job  amidships , a popular  gun  that  had  superseded  the  "Chicago  piano"- the multiple pom-pom.  

After the war, aged 22, Gene came to Australia and worked  at the Garden Island  dockyard ,wrote  short  stories  and radio scripts , mixed with actors and artists . He met his  English wife , Muriel  ,who came  to Australia on a holiday .  

Between the l950-1960s period , he  wrote many pulp fiction  books .The Calvert  Publishing  Company  described him  as one  its most popular authors who wrote  commissioned  stories with army, navy and air force  settings, a detective series  , one about  death in a nudist  camp , even romance stories, which he wrote  under his wife's name , not wanting to be known  as  an  author   of  romance .

Science  fiction  also interested  him . One of his   books  about   the  Z Force  was made into a movie . 

At one stage , Gene worked in  a Torres Strait  lighthouse and  in  a row got a  can of red paint and splashed it  down the  white side of the building .  Over  radio and  in  newspapers  , he  became aware  of  this  audacious , crusading editor in Darwin .   Muriel   told  Gene  this Jim Bowditch sounded like an editor  he would like  working  for . So  Gene  applied  for  a  job  on the NT News .

When   Gene , with his  family and  pet dog , arrived in Darwin , he found the entire newspaper staff on strike over the  sacking and  replacement of  Bowditch as editor.  While at the News , Janes wrote an illustrated serial about  Australia  being run by  an  Aboriginal  government.

The disappearance of his packet of prawns from the fridge at the News resulted in him being sacked after he had a row with the then editor and chased him about the room , an episode which got a mention in the independent Darwin Star .

Bowditch and Janes worked together on a proposed biography of millionaire Mick Paspalis , never written, which became a contentious matter in which Sir Norman Young , chairman of News Adelaide, was involved.

It is understood Janes and Bowditch received $1000 each for the work they had put into the book, Gene buying his first ever lawn mower.

Acclaimed novelist Ruth Park  was a fan of  Gene Janes. In 1975 she supported an application by Janes for a Literature Board grant to write a book about Cyclone Tracy . Park wrote that she had known his fiction and fact  pieces for 15 years and had admired his firm, craftsmanlike grasp of style and form .

Janes, she added, was a classic example of a fine writer sidetracked by personal responsibilities into too much journalism. He had a terse originality and an  intuitive  feeling for  Australian  character.

Gene Janes has a place in the pulp fiction history of Australia with his books in collections from the 1950s and 1960s in the Australian National Library, the Victorian Library and several universities here  and in  New Zealand .

(Janes . Wife . Author.)

RAIN ORCHID PUZZLE

 While the rain has been falling in  great  buckets, the resident  rain  orchids did not burst into  flower  . When  they  flower, it  is  seen  as  a  sign that rain will fall within days.   However, this did not  happen before the current   downpour.  Intead  of   exploding  into  blossom , fungi    popped up  in  one  pot .  It   seems that  due  to climate change  rain  orchids   have   a   new  way of   weather  forecasting.  

(Weather. Orchids. Rain.)  

Monday, February 10, 2025

GOING CUCKOO IN THE WET

Spotted  running for shelter during the  downpour in  this  battered  Townsville  garden was   a  drenched coucal , a  pheasant- like  , long - tailed   member  of  the  cuckoo  family. It  scampered into  a  clump of  trees, at  times  reappearing , higher on  each occasion ,  until  it emerged   at  the  top of  a  lemon  tree  with  an  insect  in  its  beak ,below,  then  flew  away. 


A  roof hopping coucal on  Magnetic Island .

(Weather, Coucal. Townsville.)

COASTAL PANORAMA


Gold  Coast ,Queensland.  Photo by Hubby.
 
(Queensland. Gold. View.)

ROCKY ADVENTURES AFLOAT

 


Sydney  yacht , top , and  Royal  Caribbean  International cruise ship Ovation of  the  Seas which carries up  to 4905 passengers  and offers a  rock climbing  wall as part of  the entertainment,  visible  in  above  deck  view  .  Abra. 

(Cruise. Rock. Sydney.)

COAT HANGER STUDY


 
Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

(Bridge.Sydney.Abra.)


Sunday, February 9, 2025

SAVE THE PLANET , AMEN

Pitt  Street faithful farmers , Sydney , call  for  bold climate action : No more coal , gas . 

(Planet .  Coal.  Gas.)

 

TOWERING BUILDINGS AND SHADOWS

Gold Coast ,Queensland.  Hubby photo. 

(Coast. Shadows. High.)
 

Saturday, February 8, 2025

CHEEKY POLITICAL COMMENT



Townsville .  Petros photo.

(Politics. Cheek. Sign.)



WALLABIES CAUGHT ON THE HOP

Wallaby rescued from a  flooded culvert  on  Magnetic  Island.

                             

Carrot  pieces  provided  by   kind  island  resident.  


(Wallabies. Flood. Carrots.)

EMERALD CITY WATERFRONT TOUR

 

Aeronautical  Correspondent  Abra  Sydney  special

(Sydney. Tour. Abra.)

COOGEE BEACH

 


Sydney. Abra. 

SCENIC CITY TOUR

 


Sydney. Photos by Aeronautical Correspondent  Abra.

Friday, February 7, 2025

GARDEN OF EDEN AWASH

Part of the botanic gardens   named after Irishman  William Francis Anderson , who  turned   Townsville into  the  Tropical  Eden of Australia  when he was Curator of  Parks  from l878-l934,  was being pumped out when  our Shipping  Reporter   floated  through  the   flooded  area  taking  photos  .





(Flood. Eden. Townsville .)


PLAYFUL COCKIES

 


Red-tailed Black- Cockatoes. Vallis  

(Cockies.Townsville. Play.)

Thursday, February 6, 2025

OPERA HOUSE PERFORMANCE

 

From  Aeronautical Correspondent  Abra 

(Opera. Sydney. Abra.)

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

MODES OF TRANSPORT

 
Circular Quay railway station ,Sydney. Photo by Aeronautical Correspondent  Abra on coastal  walkathon .

(Sydney. Marine. Abra.)

DANCING WITH THE STARS PAPAYA AND WALLFLOWER COCONUT

Another  Bali  tucker  sighting.

(Bali. Dance. Papaya )

LOST IN LOW CLOUD

Gregory Street,Townsville, leading up to Castle Hill .
 

(Rain. Townsville.Abra.)

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

DREAMTIME SNAKE BECOMES WATER PYTHON ; TURTLES IN SOUP

Riverway flooding, Ross River ,Townsville. Vallis photo.

The fate of the river's many  turtles  not  known . Apart from the  raging, fast flowing  water , the  turtles  would  have  been   hit  by  banks   of   weed  and   trees   washed   down   the  stream .  

(Snake. Floods. Turtles.)

Monday, February 3, 2025

ROSS RIVER IN REDUCED FLOOD

Black  Weir  at  Riverway . 
 
Below  Black  Weir  above  and  inundated  picnic   and parking  area  below .



Aplin Weir further downstream. Vallis pix. 

(Townsville. River. Flooding.) 

AUDACIOUS FEMALE STOWAWAY


Written by  a  professor    at   Townsville's James  Cook University  , A Woman of Courage ,  about  Rose de Freycinet , who   snuck  aboard  her  husband's  ship  in  1817   at  the start  of  an  historic  three year  round  the world French scientific  expedition , which  included  Australia , attracted  much attention   when  it  was   published   by  the  National  Library  of  Australia  in   l996.

The   above  illustration  , from the   NLA's  news magazine for October  l996, explained her  diary had been translated and  edited   in  English  for  the  first  time   by  Professor  Marc  Serge  Riviere , Associate Professor  of  French  and  Dean of  Arts  for 10 years  at  JCU .

It told how  Rose, 22, married  for three years  to  naval officer   Louis-Claude  de Saulces  de Freycinet ,  stowed away  aboard  the  French Government vessel Uranie  , which  he  commanded  at  the  start  of  the  major voyage. 

Dressed in an officer's  uniform, a blue frock-coat and trousers, she stole aboard the ship after midnight on September  17, l817-  the day  it was  to set  sail from Toulon.  There were  125 men  on the sailing ship . She remained in disguise   until   reaching  Gibraltar. 

Naturally, French  reporters went crazy when  the word eventually came back that  she was  aboard ship.  Louis XVlll  was reportedly amused when informed  and  said  her  act of conjugal devotion was to be excused , since it was  unlikely to be  imitated. 

The voyage included Western Australia and New South Wales, Hawaii, Timor, New Guinea, and  other Pacific Islands .

The  December  NLA   magazine  featured  an  extensive  article   about the   book, headed   The Captain's Wife Stows  Away . It  included  a watercolor from the  NLA   collection of  the official  reception for the  Uranie    at  Dili, Portuguese Timor .


From Timor, the ship sailed to Port Jackson, where  Rose  de  Freycinet  recorded   interesting  views on  Sydney society . 

As luck would have  it , the latest  acquisitions list  from Douglas  Stewart Fine Books, Melbourne, includes the above  l927 published letters of Rose de Freycinet (1794-1832), written  while  aboard  Uranie, sent to her friend Caroline de Nanteuil .


This first edition is magnificently illustrated with collotype plates after Jacques Arago, the expedition’s official voyage artist. 

On sale for $2200,it contains 25 plates, l3 in colour,  including a panorama of Sydney and  a Sandwich Islands  baptismal scene.   

The letters were edited  by Charles Duplomb , Paris : Societé d’Éditions Géographiques, Maritimes et Coloniales, with an introduction by Baron de Freycinet, a  direct descendant. 

NOTE: Professor Riviere took up the Chair of French at Limerick University, Ireland , soon  after  publication  of  his  book.  He  published  more than 35 books in French and English , one  Travels with Voltaire:academic memoirs ,  which covered his life experiences and  travels from Mauritius  to Scotland,Canada , Australia, Ireland  and  back to  Mauitius on retirement. He was  decorated by  the  French  government .

(French. Stowaway. Pacific.)