Sunday, September 3, 2017

BOOK FAIR PRODUCES SPOOKY FLIGHT INVOLVING TWO AMERICAN PRESIDENTS AND ATTORNEY GENERAL LIONEL MURPHY

In the  four  bags of books bought at  the  annual  Magnetic Island  Book Fair  held at the kindergarten  was a signed  copy   of  the 1994  hefty tome by Australian politician Barry Jones (ALP)  .  Flicking through  it,  a  surprising find  was a  circa   1997   Qantas  boarding  pass  on a  Bangkok to London  flight,  for  judge  Sir E (Edward)Woodward , onetime head  of the Australian Security and  Intelligence   Organisation, chancellor of  the Melbourne University , author . 

Also inserted , like a makeshift bookmark, was the bottom  part of a  notice  from Wendy Dakis  of  the  University of Melbourne  Fine Arts  Society, in her capacity as  the  members' contact  group convenor , well known in  theatrical  circles , who  died  in  May 2015. 

On the assumption  the  book  at some time did   belong to Sir  Edward   , who died  in 2010, this writer   went seeking  further information  about  the  judge.  Google turned up a 2005  typically enlightening   interview of   the  judge , then  77 ,   by  Phillip Adams   of   the  ABC   Late  Night Live radio show ,  following   publication of  his memoirs , One Brief Interval , surely a play on  legal  briefs ?

Early on , Adams  lightheartedly suggested  Sir Edward , son of  a NSW governor , may  have established a Guinness Book of Records entry for the number of  royal commissions he  presided  over , 17.

In  his  younger  days  he had  been involved  in student  politics  and had   written for the Melbourne University  magazine , Farrago , where  he  met his wife.   In 1968 he led the  case for  the  Yirrkala  residents  of the  Northern Territory  over   their   land  being handed over  to  Nabalco  for the  mining of bauxite at Gove . Because of his  involvement in  land rights, elder  Roy Marika , had declared him a blood brother, and gave him  a name  that  translates as ,  The Rock that Stands in the  Sea . 

 Other  points of interest  in  the  entertaining  interview :

* During his time as  director general of  ASIO , from 1976-1981, he had good  dealings with  the   head of the  US  Central Intelligence  Agency , George Bush Senior . Indeed , they got along so well , that when  Bush visited  Australia on a private visit  he  made a  point of calling  on   the judge  and, over coffee,  informed him  he  intended to  stand   for  the US presidency , the  information  a  top secret .

*The judge   said  he did not trust  George W. Bush, regretted  the invasion of Iraq on faulty intelligence , especially   the so called weapons of mass destruction .   

* Dealing with the event in which  the  Australian Attorney-General Lionel Murphy raided the  ASIO  headquarters, the judge  said  it came  after  several bottles of  red  had been consumed ; as the car  swept  into the ASIO building , Murphy apparently said words to the effect , to one of those who had  egged him on  to take the drastic action, " Christ! What have you got me in for ? "  
 
Clearly, this  is not the kind of story you expect your child  to  read at  kindy  .
 
UPCOMING : Another  Magnetic Island Book Fair   find  which reveals what romantic  great-grandmothers  read   in   New Zealand  and  Australia  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago .