RAIDS ON BOWDITCH RESIDENCE-Continuing biog of Crusading Editor,"Big Jim" Bowditch.

There was a dramatic  development in  the hunt  for the  Stayput Malays on  October 4, 1961 .  A person claiming to be a member of the  Anti-Deportation Committee  rang police and  said  a group  , not members of the committee , planned to  kidnap or injure  the Assistant Secretary of the  Immigration Department, H. Gordon Brooks, who had  been sent from  Canberra to  head  the  dragnet.

 

The NT News  ran a report  which said the person who had  alerted  the police , said to be a well-known and  respected member  of the Darwin  community  , had given  full details of the “ plot” to the  paper.   Brooks’s  account of this  extraordinary  twist  was  thus:

It was apparently intended that a Malay  should come to  my room in the Hotel Darwin  late one night  with a report that bin Hashim and bin Saris  wished to see me.  If  I accompanied this Malayan  to a secluded spot then I was then to be either assaulted or kidnapped. The police attached   some  credence  to the possibility but while  I took some  precautions  it was  extremely difficult  to take the  threat seriously .  In the event nothing happened…  

Communist Brian  Manning, who died late last year,    confirmed that a person  described as “  over-keen  hard- head  ”  had  raised  the   possibility  of   kidnapping   Brooks  and  holding  him  hostage  to  take  the  heat   off  the  Malays.  This extreme   proposal  had   been  quickly “hit  on  the head”. 

By  Peter  Simon

Receiving  further intelligence that the Malays were  being shifted about  in  the homes  of  people  associated with the committee, more  mass raids  were  carried out  in  the mornings. The  Bowditch  home  was  twice  searched ; Mrs  Bowditch  was home on both occasions  and  an injunction was sought in the Supreme  Court to restrain   police from  further raids.  In all, about  100 homes  were searched.

 ANOTHER  TRAP  FEARED

Another   anonymous  telephone caller, a woman , told police the Malays  had been  seen in the home of  a member of the Eureka Youth  League  and a neighbour of  Mr and Mrs Robson . Fearing it might be “ a trap ”, the information was discussed with the  Deputy Commissioner of Police , who authorised a  raid , no Malays being found.  . The next day , the same informant  rang and passed on information  which raised  doubts  about it having been a  trap.  The possibility , however, of it having been  a diversionary  tactic  could not  be discounted.      

 

At  an  Anglican  Synod  held  on  Thursday  Island   there  was  support  for  a  Darwin  resolution  condemning   the  White  Australia  policy .   Darwin lay member  Peter  Spillett ,  the  Darwin  vicar’s  warden ,  called  on  the  government   to  consider  a  policy  of   controlled   migration  from  Asia  and  Africa .   Spillett  criticised  the  cynical  attitude  of   the federal  government  which did   not  recognise  Communist  China  yet  had  trade  relations  with  her. 

KUALA  LUMPUR  CALL   A   HOAX ? 
 

The  government  responded  by  saying  that   the   men in hiding   had  family  back  home  who  wanted   to  see them.   It  was  pointed  out  the  men  had  been  absent  from  home  for  up to  12  years, and  if  the pearlshell  industry  had  remained  buoyant  they  would  have  been   kept  in  Australia   for  many more years . Lawyer  Dick  Ward  was reported as saying  the  government’s  attitude  to  the  Malays  was  unnecessarily  cruel.

 

Canberra kept in close contact with  Darwin , issuing instructions, speaking to Crown Law officers , sending   teleprinter messages . One such message  was from  the Australian High Commissioner  , Kuala Lumpur , claiming that the father   and  brother of  bin  Hasham  were urging   him to return home to Malaya.  The ABC  and  the commercial radio station  ran the report with a  claim by  the Anti- Deportation Committee that it was a hoax.  The NT News  ran a  story  claiming to  have received the  following  message  from  bin  Hasham :

I have  heard the  broadcast  over the wireless that said my  father  asked  me to return home .  I have not heard  from my father  for  years and cannot see why he takes a sudden  interest in  me .  I sympathise with my father but I am 24 years old and wish  to stay   in Darwin  where I  have lived   amongst  fine  people  . Please tell Mr Downer (Immigration Minister)   this .              

 Immigration officer Brooks   said  Bowditch  was  asked to produce the   letter  and , after   some delay , it was   presented;   Brooks commented  it appeared  to  be a page  from a reporter’s shorthand  notebook, freshly  written  with  a  blue biro.  Hashim  was   known to be  barely  literate in English  and  the phrasing   of the letter   was considered   not to be that of a  barely literate  Malayan . Examination  , he added , suggested   that  the signature   had been forged  and  handwriting comparisons  gave strong  reason to  believe  that it  had  been  written  by  Desmond Robson, who, it was considered  was a member of the “ inner”  Communist  group of the Committee- the  others   being Norma  Robson , his wife, and  Dorothy   Ashton . Manning's band of supporters knew they were being kept under close surveillance . A caravan was parked near the  PMG facilities  close to  police  headquarters  in  Daly  Street. Manning firmly believed phones were  tapped .One  day he  picked up  the phone at his  home , The  Kremlin , and a voice said : " Darwin Police Station ." NEXT: The  hunt  hots  up . 

Mann     

THE GREAT FLYING SAUCER HOAX-Continuing biog of NT Crusading Editor,"Big Jim" Bowditch

In Alice Springs  drinking  establishments  Bowditch  was  repeatedly  asked  to describe  the  episode in which Miss Olive Pink  hit  him  with  her  umbrella. He could  have dined  out  on  the   story  for  years.  Miss Pink , he recalled, had  a long  running  battle with the Alice Springs   fire  brigade  when she lived next to the fire station.  She  accused the men  of swearing, drinking, gambling , making  excessive  noise.  A  court  case  resulted  from  one  confrontation  with  the firemen , and  Miss Pink  refused to  swear on the  bible, but made an affirmation, saying she always told  the truth.   She  claimed “ language used in  the underworld ”  had  been  shouted  at  her ; the offending  language   was  written   down on  paper for the  magistrate to  peruse.  During the hearing she  clashed several times  with the defence lawyer, Phil Rice.   She lost the case  and indignantly claimed  there was no  justice for women  in the  NT .  

 At the time , flying saucers  were spotted in many  parts of the world . Regarding them as a joke, Bowditch decided it was  time that  Alice  had  its own visitors  from  another  planet.  In  February l954  he  spoke to  a photographer, Trish Collier,  and asked  her to  produce a photograph of a UFO .   Using  what he thought might  have  been a  shirt   collar  stud, she  superimposed  a dramatic looking  flying  saucer over the  MacDonnell Ranges .  Bowditch ran the picture on the front page,  saying  it had been pushed under  the door  of the Centralian  Advocate  by a person who did not want to be named. This  was a true, because he  had  pushed  the photo  under  the door , and he certainly did not  want to  be named .

 

The  story  resulted in an outbreak of   UFO sightings  in the Alice district ,  all of which he  happily  ran  in the paper. One  of  the UFO stories was caused by a Canberra  jet bomber which left a contrail as it flew over  Alice ; apart from  scaring some  residents, it frightened  poultry  as   well.

 
A dubious  team of  RAAF investigators  visited the Advocate and  quizzed Bowditch about the  rash of  UFOs in Central Australia . All those  UFO reports almost  certainly were sent to the British military  centre  which  compiled sightings from all over the  world.   In fact,  there were   chunks of  space    vehicles - meteorites- scattered about  the Centre .  Jock Nelson , MHR, had several pieces of  the Henbury  meteorite  in  his home in a glass case. Another  huge meteorite, roughly in the shape of   Australia, was  at Mt Ruddock  Station,  and  American  collectors  were keen to  buy the  object.

 

 

FRENCH  BEAT  UPS

 

Bowditch  was  not  alone in  fabricating   stories   about Central Australia during  l954.  Amazing stories  appeared in  France saying  two men competing  in an outback car rally in  Peugeot cars  narrowly  escaped  death  when attacked  by “fierce natives  ” brandishing  stone axes and spears.  According to  the report  three planes had  been sent to the area  and pilots reported  an estimated 100,000 savages , a previously unknown tribe,  dashing about waving threateningly at them.  Bowditch ran  these  reports  under a  scoffing  heading.

 
A  drought   which lasted for eight years  impacted on the  cattle industry .  The   effects  of  the  drought  were  felt throughout the  community.  Teachers punched  holes in  tins and   poured water in so that young children would know  what rain looked like.  Horses were  driven  mad by flies  and euros were  blinded  by the pests.  Jock Nelson  called for the  CSIRO  rain making unit to  be brought to Alice.  Dust storms swept the town, wild donkeys came in looking for water , a large  perentie lizard  was  seen panting under a fire hydrant. Flocks of  birds  darted about  desperately seeking  water. NEXT :  Widespread gambling .