AustLit

Bowditch offers an account of a man, Carl Atkinson, whom he considers to be one of the Northern Territory's most remarkable characters.

Bowditch recounts how Hollywood actor and magician, John Calvert, requested permission from the Darwin police to perform a stunt in which he would drive blindfolded through the unfamiliar city. The police were disinclined to grant permission until Calvert convinced them of his skill by brilliantly executing a few tricks on the spot using the unsuspecting police as 'victims' while Bowditch, the reporter, looked on as witness.

When American entrepreneur Allen Chase was looking for a suitable site to grow the world's largest rice crop - as close as possible to the largest market, Asia - he chose an area of three-quarters of a million acres near Humpty Doo as the most suitable place. Everything looked highly favourable for a bumper crop as aerial sowing began, until an unexpected difficulty was encountered in the form of thousands of hungry magpie geese. Despite deterrent efforts ranging from clumsy scarecrows to the Army firing Bren guns, the geese repeatedly won the day, eventually forcing the rice growers to concede defeat.

Bowditch outlines the details of one of the most abhorrent and violent crimes the Northern Territory has witnessed, and the subsequent trial and sentencing outcomes.

Following the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan that brought World War II to an end, uranium became a commodity of great interest, and it was around this time that large deposits were found in the Rum Jungle area. Bowditch briefly sketches the history of uranium use, and its mining development in the Northern Territory.

Bowditch discusses the political climate of the Western world in the mid-1950s, and focuses on how this was evidenced at a local level in Alice Springs.

Bowditch briefly sketches the life and career of pioneer outback nurse, Sister Eileen Fitzer, born in 1902, who worked among the Aborigines for many years.

Bowditch chronicles the immigration experiences of the Donatelli family, who made their name in Western Australia and the Northern Territory through their popular restaurants.

A brief outline of Bowditch's life from the time of his emigration to Australia from England in 1937 to the various occupations he held prior to enlisting in the Australian Army during World War II, and his ensuing career as a journalist and writer.