Thursday, September 26, 2013

HOUSE GUEST SHOCKS KIWIS - Continuing biog of NT Crusading Editor,"Big Jim" Bowditch.


Montage of   old  Pine Creek cemetery site  where  Jack Gardner , back to camera , pointed  out  to  this writer  where   two   close   prospectors  he  knew  were  buried  in  the  same  plot .
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Disappointed at not becoming filthy rich  like Jack Gardner through his   uranium find, funds low, reporter Ross Annabell  decided  to  quit Darwin. He borrowed  50 pounds ($100) from  Bowditch  and once  more headed  by motorbike  to  Sydney,  collecting  feature  articles  along the  way , steering clear of  Woomera .  On arrival in Sydney he picked up his mail  forwarded from  Darwin and  there was a “fortune” in cheques for feature articles he had  written for various publications  about the uranium rush and  other  exotic Territory subjects.  There was so much money that he need not have left Darwin . However, there was no turning back,and he promptly returned the money he had borrowed from  Bowditch.
 

In Sydney he did  casual work  for the ABC and then  joined the Sydney Morning Herald , eventually returning  to New Zealand  where he became a  highly regarded feature writer  at the Rotorua Post , was chief reporter on  a newspaper for  five years.  He  also  taught   journalism at the Wellington Polytechnic  College; one of  his students , Ali Cromie , went  on to make a name for herself  in  financial journalism in  Australia.
Over the years ,the “ hot ” uranium yellowcake he brought from Rum Jungle  was  stored in several barns and  sheds along with  mineral  specimens  he  had brought back from the NT.  He  gave the yellowcake to the Wellington Polytechnic for a lecture on radioactivity. It  got  lost  when he  sold a  farm and he  suspected it could  be buried in the Carteton dump. Annabell  subsequently  wrote his book  The Uranium Hunters   about his time in the Territory , describing  his time at the  News  and  the  hilarious dealings with Jack  Gardner.

 SURPRISE,SURPRISE
 
After leaving  the Territory to go opal mining, Gardner  moved  on to  Radium Hill in South Australia .  Then  he  travelled the world, drinking  with  and  entertaining an extraordinary number of women ,many of whom he described  as  wives “, one unfortunately run  over by a bus at  the  foot of Mount  Fiji,  playing  the  stockmarket  and  dabbling in gemstones , which he bought in one country and sold in another .  Nearly 20  years  after  he  had last  seen  Gardner,  Annabell  arrived   home to  find an elderly gentleman  sitting at the  table – it  was  Jack  Gardner. Gasp. He had  read  Annabell’s book , rang   the  publishers and  asked  for the author’s address.  He then flew to NZ  and  arrived  unannounced , seemingly intent on  staying  for a  long, long time.
 
His  presence  at the  Annabell residence  caused  chaos  at a nearby inebriates home  because  he led inmates  astray, throwing his money about and shouting  drinks  all  round .  Ross’s  wife, Meg, was less than happy  with  the  unexpected guest.  Gardner , who  regarded  married  men as  poor, pathetic, donkey-like  creatures  whose  role in  life  it is  to carry the groceries  at  supermarkets , rewarded  with an  occasional cuddle, did not respond  to  hints to move  on . He spent most  of  the days and  a large part of the nights boozing  at the local pub . He  brought  home  a  few  bottles of  beer so that he did not  go thirsty  during  the  night.

YUMMY TRIPE  DISH
 
As a special treat for the  Annabell family, Jack came home  with  a  bundle  of tripe  and, to  their horror, insisted on cooking it up for them. As  Ross  was  having his  ears “belted ”each night by his wife , saying  Jack must go, Ross resorted to  a  desperate  and most unusual stratagem ,indicative of lateral thinking. He caught a hedgehog in the garden, and  one  night  slipped  it into  Jack’s bed,  hoping  that  the  unwelcome  guest would come home , worse  for the wear, slip  between the sheets and get a nasty, prickly shock. 

However, during  his  life, Gardner had undoubtedly  slept with many  strange things ,including a  Geiger counter, and one of his numerous wives had been taken by a crocodile,so he had lived close to nature. He just kicked the unfortunate  hedgehog  out of  bed.  For some strange reason, possibly  Gardner’s animal  magnetism , the beastie  kept on climbing  back in with him , only to be booted out time and time again. 

Exasperated , Jack   picked  up  the hedgehog , threw it into the sitting room , and  shut the  door .  In the morning he told the Annabells about his  strange nocturnal  encounter with a furry  critter.  Thankfully, Gardner left soon   after , never to be seen again .  Some days later , there was a  nasty smell in the Annabell household - it  was the  cuddly hedgehog which had died under the  couch  in  the sitting room .


Ross’s wife  met a woman  several months later who told of  another painful encounter  with  Jack Gardner.   Seems the  woman  had been honeymooning in Tahiti or some other exotic location   years  previously  and  met this  man called Jack Gardner  who was staying in  the same resort.  He  had been the life  of the party , regaling people  with amazing  stories about his exploits in the Northern Territory , and told  them he had a Kiwi journalist  mate  called Ross  Annabell.

Gardner  had  taken down the NZ address of the unsuspecting  newlyweds , and  had  arrived, once more  without  prior notice,  and  made a thorough nuisance of himself at their farm.  He  rode the farm motorbike  to the Ekatahuna  Pub,but eventually crashed it and  hurt himself   coming home from  the  hostelry at night.  Without transport to the  nearest pub , he left , much to the  delight of  the exhausted couple . NEXT : Bowditch makes  his  mark  in  Darwin  as a fighter for the underdog .