WHIPABLE WILLEY-Continuing biog of Crusading Editor,”Big Jim” Bowditch

Bowditch  induced  reporter, Keith  Willey, editor of  the  Centralian  Advocate  in  Alice Springs , to come north to  Darwin in 1957  as  news and  chief sub editor. Willey  had    been  the Queensland under 18  breaststroke  champion  and was   in  line  for  the state  Olympic squad  until  work  prevented  regular  training .

 

At one stage Willey  had been the  court reporter in the  Adelaide  office of  Melbourne  Truth . When he  joined the Adelaide  office , reporter  Peter  Blake  was the SA  representative for  the Sydney Daily  Mirror  and the pair  got on well, sharing a  flat at  Henley Beach.  Blake  was  in attendance  when  Keith  married  his  wife, Lee , in the  Adelaide Catholic  Cathedral.

 

With  wide experience  in  reporting and subbing in several states , including   at the  Melbourne Age  , Willey did much to  raise the standard  of  the NT News, using   bright  page  layouts and  snappy  headings.  Bowditch acknowleged  that  Willey  “taught” him  how to  do newspaper layouts, the Centralian  Advocate  layouts  having  been  “terrible ”during  his  time  there .

 

Alliteration  was  one of  Willey’s skills  .   For example, he wrote  catchy headings like  BRAYBROOK BATTERED  BLUDGEON BANDITS  which was about  the manager of  the Buffalo  Club  thumping  two  hold  up   men .  NT HOOP HIT HOPS -SAY COPS   centred on  a jockey  who drank too much .   DONGED BY  FONG  CLAIMS OYSTER  KING  was the heading on another zany  story . This  involved   Englishman  Eric Grosvenor Lewis , owner of a  fishing  boat , who used  to bring bags of  rock oysters into the  NT News  and talk to  Bowditch. Lewis, who normally wore a singlet, shorts and sandals,  objected to being thrown out of the Vic Hotel.  He  brought an assault  charge  against  mine host , Richard Fong Lim .

During the unusual  hearing , Lewis said  Fong had told him he was barred  and to get out out  of  the pub .    However,  the mollusc  vendor   said   he did  not know the meaning of the  word  barred  and thought it  related to the noise  made   by sheep , “Baa”.  He attested  Fong had told him to put down his glass  of  beer and then  hit him -hence the  newspaper heading . 

 

The charge against Fong was dismissed and Lewis was ordered to pay   court costs .  The Fongs were said to be “dirty ” on Bowditch , believing he had  induced the Oyster  King to  take  the  court  action .  Normally the  relationship between the NT News  and  the Vic Hotel  was exceptionally  good.

FONG  IN  HONG  KONG , MORE  DONGING

 

Acting  on  orders from his  father ,   Richard  Fong   went to  Hong Kong on occasions to look for a wife .  While he was away  the  News  staff  drinking in the Vic would express  mock sympathy for “Poor Richard ” having to entertain the  girls of  Hong Kong.  On his return , his mission unfulfilled,  the  News  boys  would  continue the chiaking .  Willey   said it must have  been an onerous task  for Richard to take  a “casting couch” to Hong Kong. 

 As it turned out,  Richard  married an Australian  girl . Richard’s   brother , Alec, full  of  fun , who  agreed  that  Richard  was  stressed out   entertaining  the  female  population of  the  British  colony, served in  the  hotel  and   went on to become  the mayor . He  also had seven daughters, one of whom  became a  reporter on  the NT News.   

The  Oyster King  featured  in  another court  case when he  donged  a  cook .   On that  occasion  Lewis  complained  expletively  about the tucker  served  in  the  Humpty Doo rice  farm canteen . In the fight which broke out , the   head cook , who defended himself with a rolling pin , received two black  eyes.  Melbourne Herald resident journalist, Douglas Lockwood , attended the subsequent court  case and  pointed out that the only thing  not  on  the  extensive breakfast  menu at  Humpty Doo  had  been  rice  bubbles, which  was  surprising. The  battered  cook appeared in court wearing  sunglasses,  sporting a  swollen nose.

 

Willey’s  writings about the Territory   in southern publications won him  three  Walkley Awards.  He  also wrote  several books  about the  North ,the first  Eaters of the Lotus .   When  Willey arrived in Darwin   with his  wife and daughter  , Joanna , they experienced  the  accommodation  shortage.   The fact that public servants  had  cheap accommodation   and  other perks  annoyed  Willey.  The Willeys once  lived  in one of a number of old Army  huts at Nightcliff, which had a communal  toilet.  A  roster for  toilet cleaning  was in view .  Naturally , all the dunny cleaners   were   women , one being “ the Greek  lady ”- apparently nobody  could  spell her name .    An undertaker made coffins in one of  the  huts  and Keith would  have a   rum  with him from  time to time.

Boyish looking,   Willey wore  glasses,  still  enjoyed a  daily swim  and a drop or two.  He played rugby league  for the  Brothers  side and  when a hypnotist called at the News  Keith got the man to  put him  under  in an effort to become a better  player.   His  hair unruly because of  swimming and his  long socks rolled down to his ankles, Keith never looked a picture of  sartorial elegance, not  that anybody else on the staff  rated a  mention in Tailor and Cutter.

His wife, Lee, applied for a  job as a typist in  a government  department. In  her   application  she  gave  as   referees  the names of  James Frederick Bowditch and   Jack Haritos .  The  practice in those days  was   to run  a security  check on all applicants. Naturally,  Bowditch  was  known –“the subject of   frequent  correspondence  with Headquarters  over the past few years ”.  In the case of   Jack Haritos , the  ASIO   report   said  he  was “probably   one of  the Haritos brothers ” referred to  in the summary   of  information  held by  Headquarters  re the vessel  Gladys  Mary . This vessel  , it stated, appeared  to have been   involved  in   smuggling  operations  in  the  past.

 

The  Haritos brothers were  well  known  and highly  respected in Darwin . They  were fishermen, crocodile shooters and there was  an  Haritos store  in which  Lee Willey  worked  for  a time .  The Haritos  brothers took  the Duke of Edinburgh crocodile shooting when  he  visited Darwin. It  was  outrageously  claimed  a croc had  been  tied to the bank for the Duke to plug.    Lee Willey  was  approved for   employment in  government .She   went   bush for a  weekend   at Stapleton Station   where  the colourful  and tough  Winnie  Bright, sister of  Esther  Meaney , lived.  During WW11 , Winnie  rode  into  Katherine  ,a  gun on each  hip,  and  on  seeing   a  Japanese  Betty Bomber  shot  down   had helped her father collect  documents and  other items from the wreckage .  At the end of  the  weekend ,   Bright   drove back  to  Darwin with  Lee  and  Keith  was  found slumbering  on  the  lounge , an empty  rum   bottle  nearby , the   house   less   than  tidy .

 

 Winnie  told Keith that if  he  were her husband  and she came home and found him  sprawled out , with  an empty   bottle of rum,  she would  take the  whip to him.   Keith said he  was sure she was serious - not joking- when she  made the statement. NEXT : The  Great  Daly River Ruby Find.