November 2008

THE NEWSLETTER
OF THE
NORTHERN TERRITORYPOLICE
MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
------
Issued November 2008 / Patron:Commissioner P . White APM

Cover of citation

HULLO,HULLO-WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?

(Illustrated –postcards of London Bobbies)

INSIDE: Search for Missing Grave. Disappearing Bibles

Office Address:
House No.1
Peter McAulay Centre
Berrimah Northern Territory0800
Australia
Postal Address
PO Box 39764
WinnellieNT 0821
Australia
Phone/Fax: 08 8922 3374
E-mail: / OFFICE BEARERS
PresidentMark McAdie
Vice PresidentSean Parnell
SecretaryPauline Williams
TreasurerChantal Fischer
CommitteeBarry Frew
Denzil McManus
John Wolthers
Kym Chilton
Deidri Hurwood

CHIT CHAT

UsingtheCitationasaguide,theTasmanian Police HistoricalGroupisplanningtoproduceasimilarpublication. InwritingtotheNTPoliceMuseumandHistoricalSociety,InspectorD.W.J. Plumpton,president of theTasmanianorganization, saidthenewsletter wouldaspire to emulatethe professionaland informativeapproachofCitation. NicetobeabletoinspiretheTaswegians. TheTerritorycouldalsoinfluencefashioninWA. DesNoonan, secretaryoftheRetiredPolice Officers’ AssociationofWA,wasimpressedbytheNTRetiredPoliceAssociationshirtsduringavisit toDarwin. Hetookaphotograph oftheshirtswhilebeing shown abouttheMuseumbuildingbyNTRPAsecretary,GrahamRees. Also a member ofthe SES, DesproducestheAssociation’s newsletterwhichgoes outto morethan400 members. Desandhis wife, Noel,wereonacaravantourandarelikelyto bebacknext year

***************************************************************************

RetiredSergeantPeter Thomasdrewour attentionto thefactthat AboriginalJusticeofthePeace,BernardJanine,diedatPortKeats(Wadeye)inMay. Jabinee,GerryMcCormackandBonifacePerdjertwere JPsatthesametime.

A welcomevisitorto theMuseumwasretiredofficerLen Pryce, now living inBrisbane, onatrip back toDarwin with his wife. Heserved33 yearsintheNTPFandhisson,David,isSuperintendentintheMajor Crime Division. Lenhas adaughter inFlorida,USA,whosehusband is a paramedicandtheyareplanningtomovetoQueensland. HehasbeentoAmericafour timesandhadinterestinginformationaboutthedramaticimpactofthesubprime collapseonreal estate prices. Duringhistimewithuswediscussedtheworld’sproblemsoveracupofcoffee.

AvisitortotheMuseumwasIan“Dutchy”Hollandwho servedintheNTPFfroml972-l995. Hefoundthemany photographsondisplayinterestingandwasabletopassonadditionalinformationandanecdotesaboutofficersandevents. NowresidinginSouthAustraliawithhiswife, Gay,hewas aplumberinDarwin whenhejoinedtheforce,andownedhisownhouse. Asfreerentwasoneoftheconditionsofemploymentinthe policeinthose days,an allowancewasmadetocoverhishomeownership- $15.44aweek. Akeen fossickerwhen he was inthe Territory, hestillhasacollection of oldbottleshedugup.

TOM TURNER KEPT POSTED

Inkeeping with the custom ofthe day, Mounted Constable James Thomas "Tom" Turnerregularlysent andreceived postcards when he was in theSouth Australian Police Force. Thesewereoftenhumorousonesdepicting London Bobbies, sometimes armed with truncheons, dealing with cheekystreet urchinsanddrunks supportingthemselves on gaslamps. In someinstancesthe captionswerechangedto indicateitwas Tom or a fellowofficer representingthelaw. Al908postcard senttohimatWirrabarain SAaddressedhimasMountedConstableTomTurner. Otherpostcardsweresenttohim atKapunda,Jamestown, Wirrabara andHahndorf.

(insert postcard of p/c of girl too tired to write .)

Onepostcard carriedthemessagethatthe camels had bolted and used Afghan expressions of command. Another blankpostcardwithout anydirect linkwith Turnerwas a real photo of apolice camelgroup which included anAboriginein uniform.

BorninVictoria onApril 4,l884,Turner matriculated, wasemployed in the iron and wireworking trade andjoinedtheSAPolice Forceinl907 onacommencing salary of 298 pound($596).

Hiseventualwife,PaulineAlmaRohde, commonlycalledAlma,anurse, first metTom, 23, in1907. Shesawhim offatAdelaide whenheleftforDarwinin1910. Not onlydidhe leave Almabehind, healsoparted company withhistrusty grey horse, Yetta. HeandAlmamaintainedcontactthroughcorrespondenceonandoffovera period of19 yearsbeforemarrying.

ItseemsTom wassomething ofanall - round athleteashecompetedinbicycle andfoot racesatPineCreekduringChristmas –New Year celebrations inl911andl912. He receivedtwopound ($4)forwinningtheonemile bike raceandcamesecond in the half mile eventinl911. Next yearhe repeatedhisperformance in thebike races, pickingupanothertwo pound,andwasnarrowly beaten- by l8 inches, according toa report inthe NT Times and Gazette-in a consolation footrace . There isalso mention ofhimrunninginahurdlerace.

(insert somewhere picsoftom from police file –lookinginto cameraandmounted)

For atime he wasstationedat Horseshoe Creek, halfway betweenKatherineandPine Creek, the centre of a busy mining area wheresly grog and supplyingalcoholtoAboriginesweremattersofconcern . InMarch1912hewas nominatedone of five officers approvedto performthe duties ofCustoms officersinthe Territory to assistin thedriveagainst opiumtrading which was "still prevalent”. Eachofficer wastobepaid$10($20)ayear for thisduty. However, in February 1913, Administrator J.A.Gilruthobjected to the payment, saying the officersshould only be rewarded in special cases thathethought fit. The Minister concurred.

Afile in the Northern TerritoryPoliceHistoricalMuseum and Historical Society contains photographs of Turner, a tall person, on camel patrolin1917. Anothershows a line of camelspassingthroughHorseshoe Creekinl911,a rifleprotrudingfromapack. Aborigines are shownlistening to agramophone for the first time atBorroloola Police Station. Turnerwasonduty in Darwin in December 1918whenprotesters marched onGovernment House, manhandled Dr Gilruth, burnt him in effigy on the front lawn, and clashed with police andspecial constables sworn in for the emergency. As a result of the wildmelee,union leader Harold Nelson and Balding were each fined $6 for assaulting the Inspector ofPolice Nicholas“ 0ld Iron ”Waters, but the convictions were quashed on appeal. Nelson went on to become the Territory's first Member ofthe House of Representatives.

Turner’s wifetobe,Alma, spenteight yearsatthePortPiriePublicHospitaland wasmatron oftheNaracoorteHospital atthe outbreak of World War1. Inl917,at the age of31,she enlistedintheAustralian Army Nursing Service. Herservice recordshowsshe hadchangedhersurnamefromRohdeto Rhodes. Thereisnoexplanationfor thisbutit is likelythatRohdemay havebeenGerman, herfather beingGustav Rohde. Due tothe widespreadanimositytowardsanythingor anyoneregarded asGerman,manypeoplechangedtheirnameduringwartime.

SheboardedtheSS Canberraasa staff nurseanddisembarkedatBombay,India. After servinginamilitaryhospitalshetransferred to transport duty in the Persian Gulf, also offBombayandMarseilles. Duringthewarshe andTomkeptin contact throughletters.

Afterthewartheyeventuallybecame engaged andmarried onMarch 4, 1926while he was onleave fromtheTerritory. Almawas40andTom42. Newspapernoticesrelating totheirengagementandmarriagegave Alma’smaidennameas both Rhodes andRhode. Herparentswere listedasRhodes inoneitem. Thehoneymoon was a cartriptoSydneywheretheyboardedtheMarellafor Darwin.

Whenplacedincharge oftheBatchelor Police District, Turner took some trees and plants withhim. The union owned Northern Standard said Constable Turner, a “keen horticulturist", would soonhavethe "one pumpkin gardenpart” of the community looking better thanever. Thiswas a dig at the Batchelor Experimental Farm, set up byDr Gilruth, which itwasclaimed only ever produced one pumpkin at a cost of$20,000. Astudbull which allegedly cost aking’sransomalsobecamepart ofTerritory folklore. The farm wasone of three started byDr Gilruth,the others atDalyRiver and Mataranka, all of whichfailed andbecamethe butt of many jokes .

The Turners wereatPine Creekfor several years. Mrs Turner's extensive nursing experience was greatly appreciated during her time in the Territory and when thePineCreekHospital was closed shelooked aftertheentire districtandrana homefor38boysfromthebuildingsome timeduringtheperiodSeptember1931toMarch1932.

She ismentionedinEllen Kettle’sbookHealth Services in theNorthern TerritoryA History1824-1970. Thereweresomewildincidentswhenunemployedmenriotedinl932 and took overtheunusedhospitalbuilding. Whenpoliceforced the men out and arrested a man, itwas claimedshotshad beenfiredatthesquatters. There wereconflictingreportsthatblank cartridgeshadbeenusedand thatshots had beenfiredinto theroof. A mobdescendedonthe police station anddemanded arrested man be released. Inthemelee, ConstableTurnerwasreportedlyclubbedand“brutallyassaulted.”

Involvedinthe dramawaslongtimePine CreekresidentMayseYoungwhose parents ran thePine CreekHotel. About15 atthetime, shesaidunemployed menbecameangrywhenherfathercut offcredit in thepubbecauseofnonpaymentof outstandingdebts. Themenhadplacedablack ban on thepub,notobservedbysome,andwatchedthepub fromacross the road. Awildclashhadtakenplaceinwhichbones werebrokenandbloodhadbeenhosedaway. InNorthern Standardaccounts oftheexplosivesituationatPine Creekit was saidthatathreat had been made tobomb thepubbecause theyhadsent forpolice protection. Eightpolice reinforcements were sentdownfromDarwin on therailwayquad.

At2amthe courthouseadjacentto thepolice livingquarterswasbombed. The Turners,Tomweakandgroggyfromthe assault,“shot up”out ofbed, according toYoung. SomeofTom’spossessions werebadly damagedordestroyed bytheexplosion. A newspaperreportlatersaidConstableTurner had beentaken to the DarwinHospitalandtherewas nodanger ofhimlosingthe sight ofone eye, ashad been feared.

Anotheraccount of the bombing saidMrsTurner had received a cutnear aneye. A petitionwassignedurging theauthorities to allowunemployed mento occupy thehospitalbuildingasitwasthe Wetseason.

WhenMrsTurner’s76 yearoldfather,a retired farmer,diedinAdelaide, afterfalling offtheroofwhile painting, funeralnoticesspelt his surnameseveral different ways,including Rhodes.

TheTurnerswerebasedatDalyRiver for several years andhadahighly productivegarden. IntheNTLibrary onlinephotographic collection thereareshots ofMrs Turnerand anAboriginalwomanwithbaskets offruit, a bananatree in thebackground, andoneofherwithpawpaws. Tomisalsophotographedwithsome largetrombones. Apartfromposingwitharifle, Mrs Turnercan also been seen with a snake, at amine entranceandwith alargebougainvillea. A snapshowsTomoperatinganAerialMedicalService transceiveratthe Daly.

(insert Mrs Turner with rug from NT Library)

SeveralviewsshowMrs Turnerdisplaying a patternedrugwhich mayhave beenboughtduringhertime as a nurse duringthewar. Inthispicture sheis standingagainstaclump ofpawpawswhich appeartohavestraworgrassusedlikemulcharoundthetrees.

Inl933the TurnersmotoredoverlandtoAdelaideonholiday and Tom wasinterviewed by the AdelaideAdvertiser, the articlererun in theNorthernStandard. Turner, described asaquiet mannotgiven totalking,expressed interesting viewsaboutlife in the Territory. The Territory, he was quotedas saying,was“just acast off” with nobody(in government)seeming toworry about the north. Transportandcommunicationswouldhave to be improved if the Territorywas to develop. The cost of living wasexorbitantand wagesnecessarily highbecauselabourhadto live.

As examples of the high cost of living in the NT, he said eucalyptus oil cost more than double thepriceofthatinAdelaide. A blanketwhichsold forseven shillingsand sixpence(75cents)cost25 shillings ($2.50). A bag of flourwasmorethan twice theAdelaideprice. Just aboutanythingwouldgrow inthe Territory. At the DalyRiver they hadputseedsinthegroundand six weekslaterwereeatingvegetables.

Inthe Daly regionhe was said to have lookedafter 3000 Aboriginesin six tribes. Aborigines wouldwork fortobacco, sugarandclothing. Theywould“do anything” for tobacco.” I don’t knowwhat they didbefore the whitefellow cameto satisfythiscraving.”Spearheadsmadefrom glassbottles werenowsomething of rarity, they being replaced by shovel nosedones madefromfence droppers.

Mrs Turnerkept goats and chookswhichled to some interesting correspondence. InDecember1938TomTurner receivedwhat he termedan "uncouth " and "unwarranted" letterfromaDalyRiver peanut farmercomplainingthatthe goatshadtrespassed on his land anddamaged fences. A number oftreeswerealso said to have beencut down by Turner's "servants." In refutingthe claims,TomsaidAborigines shepherdedthegoats andifthe stock caused anytrouble to anyone ontheDalyRiver, they wouldbe disposed of. Thefences, hestated,wererotten andthe propertywastraversed bywallabies and kangaroos whichcauseda lot ofthe damage. Hepointed outapersonhiredto repairthefences hadbeen unable to strainthembecause oftheirpoor state. Furthermore,landthe manclaimedas his wasactuallypartofthe stock route and he mayhaveploughed overthe grave of Charles JesseHowlandwhohad died in 1929. Turner advised thatthathewouldtake no notice of a threatby the farmerto knock his "bloody head off ", ifhe ventured onhis property, because he musthave beensuffering under “adelusion”.

The goats wereobviously welland truly under controlin 1940, when Tom wrote to

Police Headquartersseekingagateanda coil ofNo.8galvanised wire, askingthe request be forwarded to the Administrator forhis approval. The gate requisition had apparently been approvedthree years' previously. Intheletter he offered toprovidea picture of his wife clambering over abarbedwire fencewithabillycan of milk using stumps he hadbuiltto do so. Mrs Turner, whohadjust returned from Adelaide after a serious illness, had to climb the fence threeor more times a day. Thegoats andfowls were kept for their health reasons, as wellastreating the sickness ofEuropeans and Aborigines inthe district. He asked to be informed as soon as possibleaboutthegate. Ifnotsupplied, hewouldbuy one privately.

ThereplyfromInspectorJ.C.Lovegroveon7/11/1940 read: Asa result of the "Wet season" havingcommenced, withthe attendant impassable roads, thismatter can be again brought upnext year when roads aretrafficable. Meanwhile, with your considerable carpentering experience, and lack of much police work to do, you might put together animproved turn-stile that will tide you over this period.

This obviously irkedTurnerwho onFebruary 15, 1941 wrotethat as his wife hadbeen afraid of having an accident climbing the fence, he had sent telegrams to two Darwin firmsbutthey had been unable toprovide a gate. Buyingtools from locals, he had constructedagate. There is aphotograph ofagateinthe onlinecollectionwhichalmostcertainlywasthesubject oftheonein thecorrespondence.

Astothe supposed lack ofpolice work, Turner told Lovegrovethat since hisreturnfromrecreation leave, hehad not been " hibernating" and with the Tracker hadfound a great dealofworktodo. Ithadtaken days, inall weather conditions, to pullup the long grassgrowing aboutthe building to prevent it from becoming a wilderness, as it had been on his return. As part ofadrive to collect thehistory ofthepoliceforce, Turner sentthree oldDaly River PoliceStation journals to headquarters for binding andpreservation. Thesestarted from October 9, 1906with entries by Constable MauriceMurphy and ran through to August 2, 1918with Sergeant Wood.

Afterthebombing ofDarwin, the Daly River Police Station was handed over to the control of the military andthe Independent Companyset up a camp opposite the station. Its members were nicknamed theNackeroosbecause they made greatuse of horses on patrols (See May2008CitationarticlebyBarryFrew). Therewerefears thatthe JapanesewouldinvadealongTopEnd RiversandtheIndependent Company kept a close watchonthe mainwaterways. Severalbuildingsin theDalyRiverareawere stripped or demolished bythe military and Turner wrote toauthoritiesexpressing concern about severalmatters,includingthe spread ofVD. Thepoliceboat was commandeered and abandoned by themilitaryafter itlost the propellerandbroke theshaft. Turnerhadtorecoverthevesselanditwasrowedbacktothepolice station. Inthe NorthernTerritory Libraryonline pictorial collection, Mrs Turner isshown sitting in aboatwithasun canopy,probablytheDalyRiverpoliceboat mentionedabove.

Aged60, TurnerretiredonMay 16,1944andhe and his wife returned to Adelaide.

Bothdiedinl960, Tom seven weeks after hiswife.

By sheer luck, thewriter ofthisarticle, attending an Adelaide deceasedestate auction in the 1980s, came acrossascrapbook, a photo and postcard collection and books which had belongedtotheTurners. A badlyblotchedl946newspaperclippingreferredtothedeathin Adelaide ofBillDale, 76, one of SouthAustralia’s oldest and ardent supporters ofcycling. Seeing thatTomTurnerhadwoncyclingracesinPine Creek , it is likelythathehad some connection withDale. Thearticle saidDale,a foundation member ofthe NorwoodCycling Club, and a member oftheLeagueofSouth Australian Wheelmen, wasacompetitive racerinthe earliest daysofthe sport. He had ridden againstDick Davis, a championofthe pennyfarthing era. Infact, Dale hadwonthelastpennyfarthing raceinAdelaide andthefirstraceontheso- called safetycycle. Representativesofcyclingclubs attended theDavisfuneral.

TheTurners'photographic collectionincluded views of the DailyRiver - the crossing, peanut farming, river life, crocodiles, buffaloes and barramundi - groups ofpeople,CatholicBishopGsellatPort Keatsandseveral of AdelaideRiver. Photos of Aborigines includedadwarfandamanwith part ofhislegmissing.

(insertbloodstained pages)

OfparticularinterestwasTomTurner's own copy of the Bushman's First Aid for the NorthernTerritory,publishedbythePublic HealthDepartmentin1913. Written by Mervyn J.Holmes, Medical Officer ofHealth, for the guidance of people in charge of governmentmedicine chests, it consists of instructions for the prevention and treatment of disease in bush districts. (DrHolmes, who served in WW1,playeda majorpart in combatingthescourgeofTBinAustraliaandduringWW 11, aColonel,was in chargeofpublic healthwiththeAustralianArmy MedicalCorps.)

There is an inscription, J.T. (James Thomas) Turner, Darwin, onthe inside and it musthave beenanxiously consulted asthere are bloodstains on some pages. The slim volumeundoubtedly savedmany livesandhelped eased pain and suffering in the Northern Territoryover the years. Of course,having a wife who had been a wartime nurse and the matron of ahospital wouldhave been invaluable to Turner when dealing with medical emergencies. However,hisbookwouldalmost certainly haveaccompanied him on patrols. Ifonlythosebloodstainscould speak whatinteresting tales theycouldtell.

(Insertmedicine chest)

Aprefatorynotestatedtheadviceofferedwasdesignedtoprevent the greater part of the sickness amongst " menoutback", anindication thatit was regardedas no place for women inthosedays, despite thelargeAboriginalfemalepopulation . Thelist of drugs supplied in the medicine case has all been ticked off, presumably byhim. Police officersin charge ofthese kitswere given directions on how to mixmedicines, determine doses, and how to treatsuchthings as abscesses, anaemia, apoplexy, asthma, inflammation of the bladder, bronchitis, bubo (enlarged, inflamed glands in the groin), colds,colic, constipation, TB, convulsions, delirium tremens, diarrhea, earache, sore eyes, fainting, fevers (including typhoid), VD, granuloma, pleurisy, pneumonia, piles rheumatism, snake bite, sunstroke, toothache, broken bones, malaria. Thesectioncoveringmalaria, which contains penned in corrections, must have beenstudied closely byTomas hesuffered from thedisease. If members of the modern police force could cope with somany medical conditions they would probably be quickly secondedtothe stretchedNTHealthDepartment.

(insertpiclistofitems inmedical chest)

The scrapbook and Territory photographsprovidedaninteresting insight into the life of the Turners. Bothwerementioned inSidneyDowner's book about the NT Police Force, Patrol Indefinite. Thereisapicture ofthemonhorseback inthebookwhich revealsshewroteletterstofamily membersdownsouthwith interesting detailsoftheirlife inthe Territory, one unusualfactbeingthatTomneverwore socks.

Turner’s brother,Oliver,bestman atthe wedding, gaveDownerapoemcomposedby Mounted Constable Vic Hall, entitledThe Scourge of the Northwhichcontaineda tribute toTom. Aparody ofthepoemwiththe same title appeared inthe Northern StandardinFebruary1933

Vic Hall's tribute.

The stalwart trooper snuffles the breeze

As he sits his restless horse,

While the dawn wind rustles the drooping trees

And his eyes shinet'wards the north.

Full many a league of stony kloof

And miles of echoing gorge

Shall ring to his iron-shod horse's hoof

Ere he brings inBullita Gorge.

By many a wilderness flat and creek

His unmapped trail shall wind,

But a finger dipped in beer last week

Has traced what we may not find.

His inscrutable look sets stern and wild

On a face that is hard as steel,

As the wilderness yields to her favourite child

Her secrets as miles unreel.

What boots it the wily bush-wise black

To double and dodge and turn,

For Tom oftheMounted has taken his rail.

One went- but two shall return.

And so it shall be with the Men of the North,

No epic their tale shall lack,

The dawn wind knows of their going forth

But what of their coming back?

Standardstart

There is fear in the heart of the Territory toughs

There's a sword hanging over each thug,

For the Scourge of Northhas returned to his beat

And with his mighty grip on their collarand seat

They’ll soon be inmates of“jug”.

Well oversix feet tall stands the pride of the Force,

He’s determined; he’d never say die.

He has hair on his chestthat wouldgap an axe,

And he fills up his pouchas he hauls up his slacks

Witha truculent look in his eye.

To the stern call of dutyhe answers with glee

And he mutters, “I’ll get ‘emor bust.”

“Get up, or I’ll sell you!” His horsetakes the hint

And isofflike a flashwhile the onlookerssquint

At a large cloudoflingering dust.

Andafterourherohas ridden for days,

Histuckerruns out. Is he daunted?

He just tightens his beltand chewsa few straws

Which heshares50-50, just himand the horse,

Till he catchesthe abo. hewanted.

At lasthe returns with his duty well done

And resumesroutine lifequite contented,

For althoughhehas campedwith twelve tribeson the way

He claimsforexpensesat somuch a day

And thepaycheque’s therebymuch augmented.

So here’s toourhero, theScourge ofthe North.

He’s the cream of aforceofrenown.

May helive long, andmore murderers track,

For whilehe’s man-huntingor on the way back,

Itwill keephimawayfrom thetown!

(Insert poemsside by side)

A paper entitled A DISORDERLY FRONTIER: An Analysis of Drunkenness, DisorderlyBehaviorandDrugOffences in the NT 1870-1926, written byW.R. “Bill” Wilson of the NT UniversityFaculty ofLaw, Businessand Arts,delivered at a 1999 Canberra history of crime, policing andpunishment conference, referred toTom TurnerpapersintheMitchell Library, Sydney. (Wilson, aformerNTPFAssistant Commissionerandpresident oftheNTPolice MuseumandHistorical Society,now retired,livesinVictoria.) The conference wasconvened by the Australian Institute of CriminologyinconjunctionwithCharlesSturtUniversity. Turner was quoted assaying moderatedrinkersinthesouthsuccumbed tothe lure of alcohol when they moved north. Manymen who had never drunk in theirlifefellvictimtoDutch gin, availableinsquare quartbottles.

TurnerwasalsoquotedinWilson’s2001bookAFORCE APART. A History of the NorthernTerritoryPolice Force. Hepointed outTurner hadbeenemployed in a quarantine rolebecause ofthe socalledSpanish flyepidemicwhenKeith andRoss SmitharrivedinDarwininDecemberl919. Turner hadbeenresponsible forkeeping thepublicawayfrom the pioneeringaviatorsuntil they had been cleared by a doctor.