Another link with the colourful early newspaper days of Darwin was lost this week when Bobby Wills died after a long illness. He once delivered a hire car to Rupert Murdoch in Darwin who on shaking hands with him said he could now say he shook the hand of a man who shook the hand of John F. Kennedy . A statement which showed how highly Murdoch regarded his meeting with the US President . The New York representative of Mirror Newspapers Limited, Zell Rabin, arranged the meeting with Kennedy, which was seen as a great coup for the rising newspaper proprietor. A photograph of that meeting took pride of place in the Sydney boardroom.
With a distinctive laugh , an enthusiastic punter , top basketballer, and a member of Waratahs and Brothers footie teams , Bobby began his career at 13 doing the " shitty" jobs in the run down , union owned Northern Standard .
A lino operator there wore his pants and shirt until they could almost stand up on their own. One of Bobby’s dirty jobs was to clean the metal type which involved starting a fire beneath a 44 gallon drum mounted on bricks and then stirring the contents with a big green stick. Shellite was used to start the fire ; one day the dish from which he poured the flammable fluid caught alight. Instinctively, Bobby threw the fiery dish away- torching the stinking clothes of the linotype operator, who was not only upset , but an hilarious , smouldering sight . A young lino operator living across from the Standard was shot in the hand by a mysterious gunman who was never traced.
The newspaper’s editor , a fiery unionist, convinced the NAWU secretary, Paddy Carroll , a stickler for abiding by rules and regulations, that they should arrange for Bobby to continue his apprenticeship as a compositor at the NT News as the Standard was on its last legs. Other former Standard staff had already gone to the News , including lino operator, Arthur Wright , who had been working at the Standard the day Darwin was bombed by the Japanese.
The week Bobby started at the News it had a new editor – James Frederick Bowditch, -who had come from Alice Springs . As the way of addressing people had been unusually formal at the Standard , Bobby called the new boss “Mr Bowditch ” when introduced to him . Bowditch immediately replied, “Nobody calls me mister-it’s Jim .”
He was there when the rising young media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, bought the NT News and shipped in additional plant and equipment for the old “ tin bank ” newspaper office . As an indentured worker , Bobby claimed to be the first printing apprentice under the Melbourne Technical Training scheme. Furthermore, he was a stickler for reading and understanding the terms and conditions of his apprenticeship. His grandfather, Bob Anthony, held the Number 1 ticket in the North Australian Workers’ Union , so he was no slouch when it came to sticking up for your rights . Upset about a work matter, he threatened to leave and was told that because he was an indentured apprentice, his mother would have to pay a large amount of money for that severance .
Young Bobby disputed this , got on the phone and spoke to Rupert Murdoch’s right hand man in Adelaide , Ken Cowley, arguing his case , pointing out the paper had not kept its part of the contract . Cowley reportedly said to put Bowditch on the phone, and told him Bobby was right. ( When Bobby later became a fireman , he showed a strong understanding of rules and regulations and fought for better conditions .)
Like all the staff at the newspaper, he toiled long and hard in torrid conditions , there being wartime bullet holes in the roof, Wet season leaks , thousands of ants , an occasional python or two , large numbers of protesting frogs in the shower and dunnies, with the occasional transitting frill necked lizard.
With a distinctive laugh , an enthusiastic punter , top basketballer, and a member of Waratahs and Brothers footie teams , Bobby began his career at 13 doing the " shitty" jobs in the run down , union owned Northern Standard .
A lino operator there wore his pants and shirt until they could almost stand up on their own. One of Bobby’s dirty jobs was to clean the metal type which involved starting a fire beneath a 44 gallon drum mounted on bricks and then stirring the contents with a big green stick. Shellite was used to start the fire ; one day the dish from which he poured the flammable fluid caught alight. Instinctively, Bobby threw the fiery dish away- torching the stinking clothes of the linotype operator, who was not only upset , but an hilarious , smouldering sight . A young lino operator living across from the Standard was shot in the hand by a mysterious gunman who was never traced.
The newspaper’s editor , a fiery unionist, convinced the NAWU secretary, Paddy Carroll , a stickler for abiding by rules and regulations, that they should arrange for Bobby to continue his apprenticeship as a compositor at the NT News as the Standard was on its last legs. Other former Standard staff had already gone to the News , including lino operator, Arthur Wright , who had been working at the Standard the day Darwin was bombed by the Japanese.
The week Bobby started at the News it had a new editor – James Frederick Bowditch, -who had come from Alice Springs . As the way of addressing people had been unusually formal at the Standard , Bobby called the new boss “Mr Bowditch ” when introduced to him . Bowditch immediately replied, “Nobody calls me mister-it’s Jim .”
He was there when the rising young media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, bought the NT News and shipped in additional plant and equipment for the old “ tin bank ” newspaper office . As an indentured worker , Bobby claimed to be the first printing apprentice under the Melbourne Technical Training scheme. Furthermore, he was a stickler for reading and understanding the terms and conditions of his apprenticeship. His grandfather, Bob Anthony, held the Number 1 ticket in the North Australian Workers’ Union , so he was no slouch when it came to sticking up for your rights . Upset about a work matter, he threatened to leave and was told that because he was an indentured apprentice, his mother would have to pay a large amount of money for that severance .
Young Bobby disputed this , got on the phone and spoke to Rupert Murdoch’s right hand man in Adelaide , Ken Cowley, arguing his case , pointing out the paper had not kept its part of the contract . Cowley reportedly said to put Bowditch on the phone, and told him Bobby was right. ( When Bobby later became a fireman , he showed a strong understanding of rules and regulations and fought for better conditions .)
Like all the staff at the newspaper, he toiled long and hard in torrid conditions , there being wartime bullet holes in the roof, Wet season leaks , thousands of ants , an occasional python or two , large numbers of protesting frogs in the shower and dunnies, with the occasional transitting frill necked lizard.
One day lino operator Arthur Wright,very fit and full of information about the interesting people of Darwin from the 1930s on , especially in relation to unions and politics, started making odd noises as he worked at his machine, which was not unusual for him . Factory staff wondered what "the old bugger " was doing , told him to shut up , then he fell out of his chair on to the floor. There had been an electrical fault in the machine and he had been experiencing a shock .
Other compositors Wills worked with included David McDonald , Brian McKnight and Peter Secrett . Other hands included Kevin Kelly, who worked for the NT News for nearly 50 years , Timmy "Tim the Toyman " Forday , Dawn Boffie , Arthur Wright's wife, Pat , Alan Rabjones and many others . He was popular with everyone and helped educate many of the journalists who passed through the News office .
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Earlier this year , Little Darwin began taping Bobby’s life story . At about four years of age , he was evacuated from Darwin on December 21, 1941 aboard the Zealandia . His grandmother , May Anthony /Ramirez, was keen to return to the Territory as soon as possible ,so they made it back to Pine Creek in early 1944 and she ran a café.
A major event he recalled was the time , thought to be August 15, l945, when Pine Creek storekeeper , Jimmy Ah Toy , announced he was going to drive to Darwin to celebrate what seemed to be the end of the war. A large tool box on the back of the truck was emptied, and Bobby and other children clambered inside . That night a long line of bonfires was lit on Mindil Beach .
About three weeks later, the family was allowed back into Darwin and tried to get their house back , they having to share a house in Stuart Park for a time . His mother was informed that a set of buffalo horns she had mounted before the war was in a house with push out windows. She replied that there had to be hundreds of buffalo horns in town. Urged on , she did go and check, and when she asked to look at the horns saw the name of the man who had mounted them for her. The people offered to buy them , but his mother said she was happy for them to keep the horns.
Bobby had his tonsils and adenoids removed in an army hospital where Kormilda College now stands. While there he wolfed down ice cream and jelly but did not like the fish and white sauce , which he could not eat for a long time afterwards.
A lot of military stores were “ knocked off ” in Darwin in those days and he remembered having white bait and plum jam sandwiches at school
A character known as Ever- ready Ted , who lived at Mandorah, was bitten by a dog which ran out of its owner’s shop and attacked him. That night a stick of gelignite was thrown through the window of the shop.
Like many young Darwin boys, Bobby took part in boxing matches at the Stadium in Cavenagh Street . These were over three rounds and the boys received ten shillings ( $1 ) a round and the shower. In one fight , against Benny Cubillo, declared a draw , Bobby nearly made more than his stepfather got a week and bought himself a pushbike.
Collecting the ten bob for each of the three rounds was not easy. An old bloke who lived at K9 was supposed to pay the money out on Sunday morning. On Saturday night, fight night, he would get drunk, and in the morning, he hung over , would tell the boys to come back later, but they stood their ground and demanded payment . Bobby’s mother kept a collection of fight posters from those days , photos and cuttings which were , unfortunately, thrown out after Cyclone Tracy.
In what he called one of the most embarrassing moments in his life, he partnered a younger auntie in a debutantes ball in the old Town Hall . Told he had to wear something called a tuxedo, he was measured up for one and it was procured from Melbourne. The most stressful part was learning the steps of five dances which included the Pride of Erin and the Foxtrot. Trying to remember the steps and the ball was an ordeal he never wanted to do again.
While working at the News , Bobby went to gambling dens in town with reporters Peter Blake and the one and only Jim Ramsay , both of whom are legends in Australia and America . His colourful accounts of those evenings were normally accompanied by outbreaks of Bobby’s infectious laughter. One evening Ramsay was on a roll and cleaned out a crown and anchor school held underneath a house on piers. Against Blake’s advice, he went upstairs with a bundle of money to a card game and lost his shirt. As Ramsay often only wore a singlet with a tie to major social events , he probably did not worry too much about losing his Pelaco . An enterprising fellow, Ramsay used also to take home the end of newsprint rolls for rip and use bath towels. Ramsay got the idea for the notorious , huge selling Kings Cross Whisper from Darwin's Waratah Whisper, which he edited for a time, sending up the town ,especially politicians and even editor Bowditch .
May Bobby, cutting a dashing figure in his tuxedo, out dance Fred Astaire up there in printers’ Heaven .
About three weeks later, the family was allowed back into Darwin and tried to get their house back , they having to share a house in Stuart Park for a time . His mother was informed that a set of buffalo horns she had mounted before the war was in a house with push out windows. She replied that there had to be hundreds of buffalo horns in town. Urged on , she did go and check, and when she asked to look at the horns saw the name of the man who had mounted them for her. The people offered to buy them , but his mother said she was happy for them to keep the horns.
Bobby had his tonsils and adenoids removed in an army hospital where Kormilda College now stands. While there he wolfed down ice cream and jelly but did not like the fish and white sauce , which he could not eat for a long time afterwards.
A lot of military stores were “ knocked off ” in Darwin in those days and he remembered having white bait and plum jam sandwiches at school
A character known as Ever- ready Ted , who lived at Mandorah, was bitten by a dog which ran out of its owner’s shop and attacked him. That night a stick of gelignite was thrown through the window of the shop.
Like many young Darwin boys, Bobby took part in boxing matches at the Stadium in Cavenagh Street . These were over three rounds and the boys received ten shillings ( $1 ) a round and the shower. In one fight , against Benny Cubillo, declared a draw , Bobby nearly made more than his stepfather got a week and bought himself a pushbike.
Collecting the ten bob for each of the three rounds was not easy. An old bloke who lived at K9 was supposed to pay the money out on Sunday morning. On Saturday night, fight night, he would get drunk, and in the morning, he hung over , would tell the boys to come back later, but they stood their ground and demanded payment . Bobby’s mother kept a collection of fight posters from those days , photos and cuttings which were , unfortunately, thrown out after Cyclone Tracy.
In what he called one of the most embarrassing moments in his life, he partnered a younger auntie in a debutantes ball in the old Town Hall . Told he had to wear something called a tuxedo, he was measured up for one and it was procured from Melbourne. The most stressful part was learning the steps of five dances which included the Pride of Erin and the Foxtrot. Trying to remember the steps and the ball was an ordeal he never wanted to do again.
While working at the News , Bobby went to gambling dens in town with reporters Peter Blake and the one and only Jim Ramsay , both of whom are legends in Australia and America . His colourful accounts of those evenings were normally accompanied by outbreaks of Bobby’s infectious laughter. One evening Ramsay was on a roll and cleaned out a crown and anchor school held underneath a house on piers. Against Blake’s advice, he went upstairs with a bundle of money to a card game and lost his shirt. As Ramsay often only wore a singlet with a tie to major social events , he probably did not worry too much about losing his Pelaco . An enterprising fellow, Ramsay used also to take home the end of newsprint rolls for rip and use bath towels. Ramsay got the idea for the notorious , huge selling Kings Cross Whisper from Darwin's Waratah Whisper, which he edited for a time, sending up the town ,especially politicians and even editor Bowditch .
May Bobby, cutting a dashing figure in his tuxedo, out dance Fred Astaire up there in printers’ Heaven .
