Monday, February 22, 2016

SEEKING AND VOTING FOR SERGEANT BLAIN IN SINGAPORE

The  1945 official book, Victory Roll, The RAAF  at War, carried an  article  about the end of  WWll and the Catalinas  which  flew  in  medical  supplies   for  the thousands of  prisoners of war  in Singapore . One of them , Sergeant Adair Macalister  " Chill "  Blain , in  the Changi hospital, was  the Independent  Member  for the Northern Territory in the House of Representatives , reelected  during his captivity . 

Sergeant  Blain, a surveyor  who  had worked in  Queensland and  the Northern    Territory  had  twice   been     wounded    in  WWl,  heard of  his  reelection  on  a  secret  radio  set  constructed by  his  fellow prisoners.
 
On returning to parliament  soon after his release ,wearing a crumpled uniform and  two rows of medals , he  received a standing ovation  , then went off and rested for two months  to get over his wartime ordeal   in which he had  sold his  gold  fillings to get medicine for sick comrades.  He lost  the Territory seat in 1949  to Jock Nelson, ALP,  whose  campaign  was  assisted  from Alice Springs by  Jim  Bowditch, later editor of the Northern Territory News in  Darwin .
 
In  the same volume  there  is  mention of  Group Captain Dixie Chapman ,of Adelaide , who had served in the Middle East and England during earlier years, commanded  RAAF squadrons in the Western Desert, took over control on Bougainville,where he represented the RAAF  at the  surrender of Japanese  forces.
 
In  later years , following involvement in the Korean war , and a spell as Air Attaché Washington ,  Chapman was put  in charge of the RAAF base in Darwin  and had dealings  with  Bowditch at  the   News over the low level bombing of   nearby Quail Island .The island  featured in Aboriginal  Dreamtime  and   was  a turtle breeding  ground.

As part of  the long campaign  to stop  the bombing ,  Bowditch  ran  an  editorial , saying  turtles were in the soup  and mentioned  the pitter patter of little children's feet, headed : CLOMP, SLITHER  CLOMP. The  theme being  that  mother  turtles would never hear the sound of baby turtle  flippers on  Quail Island   because  of   RAAF  bombing.

On reading  this amazing editorial, Dixie Chapman , short in stature, was driven to   the News  office in his staff car, and  firmly  told Bowditch  he  had read  a lot of bullshit in his life, but  this editorial  took the prize for the  worst ever . Bowditch  rolled about in his chair, laughing , the air chief joining in .The RAAF   eventually   stopped   bombing  the  island .