People you meet along the way - Episode Nine - NightWatch 1Nov1981

Terry Galloway shares his childhood memories of radio and discusses hosting Night Watch. 

Terry replays a full episode of NightWatch from the 1st November 1981. He reports on a tragic murder-suicide in Fairfield West, exploring the community's shock and the background of the young victims. Insights from a solicitor reveal family issues linked to crime in Sydney's western suburbs. The Wiseman's Ferry Lions Club faces challenges with a country music festival, and a helicopter rescue operation is detailed, concluding with a reflection on the program's success.

Transcript

1:19

Hello, I'm Terry Galloway. As a 10-year-old, the highlight of my week was being allowed to sit up on a Thursday night and listen to Night Beat the Grace Gibson radio production that started Har McGuire as the newspaper man on the road out for a story. Fast forward to 1980 and 1981. I was given the chance to host this program on two ue, And now on two UE Night Watch with Terry Galloway, the Stories Behind the Action. This was Sydney last night. Welcome to Night Watch. I'm Terry Galloway, death in the form of an unexplained murder suicide has extinguished an entire family in the western suburbs and shattered the lives of the eight or so other families who make up the quiet community. In quiet, treeline, Braben Place at Fairfield West. On Night Watch, we have exclusive interviews with the people who went about their business, unaware of the tragedy in the cottage, in their midst. And we talk to a young solicitor about the problems of the western suburbs of Sydney and his observations of the causes behind the constant stream of young offenders who appear in the courts there. And on Night watch, we also talk with the two UI Wilds rescue helicopter pilot Dan Tyler, about yet another Mercy mission. Then it's out to Wiseman's Ferry, where the local Lions Club is this morning, counting the cost of one of its fundraising activities destroyed by Sydney's Unseasonal wet weather. First on night watch to Fairfield West, where stunned neighbors are still trying to comprehend why a 37-year-old man blasted his wife and two young children to death, and then turned the heavy caliber rifle on himself. Why do you go on a holiday and come back in and kill your family? Why did the babysitter raise the alarm? They were supposed to have been taking the baby over on the, the Tuesday. That's all we know. She couldn't find them. And she rang a very good friend of theirs and he come over here and we rang the police. How did the friend find Out what had happened? We didn't. They'd just not been around for three days. There was a, you know, we rang the police from here and they come out and they found, they found them the way they were. The thing is, was it was just nobody heard anything. I, I mean, nobody heard anything. Not in this day and age neighbors. One more thing. We could have helped him. Look at something. It's the world we live in, isn't it? We were all alone. We didn't know they were having all this drive. Anyway. How old were the children? 10. Now, very young. Shane. You know who the children were? I used to remind them Little baby was two. She, Shane, he was gonna go to pre school. He was full, nearly full. And were they quiet people? Yeah. Beautiful people. And no indication why It happened. No, Dan, The neighbors, uh, the people I spoke to up here said They sort of kept to themselves a lot. Yeah. They very much said themselves. They, and they, um, invited to a party occasionally. We went to briefly and it was all very quiet. A very quiet people. They socialized. Yeah. I mean, you know, we went to parties and that. Yes. Mm-hmm. But you know, they go to work and what can you do? You're at work all the time. I mean, you know, you, this is this day and age. It's a nucleus family, isn't it? Everyone goes to work. Kids get minded. Uh, yeah. It's, you know, not someone that we've known for a long while. Probably by 12, 12 months or so. You've Been here 12 months. Yeah, but most of us here have been here 14, 15 years. I mean, you know. Well, we you've just been to Fiji, haven't they? Yeah. They left the babies with a babysitter and they went away. I mean, why do you go on a holiday and come back in and kill your family? Why? Just after I came home about rough, about six. I just saw, uh, after about half an hour, which would be about half past six, quarter seven, I just saw the police fetch out to just to HA dozen files, you know, the black file folder files and something extremely heavy in his hand. Uh, and I thought, gee, that must weigh a bit because it had it wrapped in a rag or something. And, uh, Well Naturally not thinking what it was now, it was happened. You thought it was some sort of rage, you know, like to do with some other type of thing. And, uh, I said the wife could, looks like maybe murder, not thinking at the time, you know, that it, uh, turned out this way. But, uh, as I say is that, uh, they had very few coming and going. I mean, I've been here 18 years and, and they've been up here about, I would say just after over 12 months. And, uh, not many people came along to them at all. You know, just occasionally you had a, they had a visitor and so forth. I think they more or less kept to themselves more than anything else. And so it was a great shock to think, you know, it happened in your street, you know, don't like these sort of things to happen. And, uh, good. They collapsed us down. Somebody said to me, it's been a mess. Sort of. Uh, the family's been completely acknowledged, isn't it done away with? I saw the day before yesterday, I saw the lady, she was happy. They was play, record, record. The kids was play aside. I don't know what happened. The kids was player Saturday before yesterday. I didn't see nothing yesterday. I don't see nothing going on was just normal. We only see the police coming up and we do nothing. We know what's happening. What have the police been doing? I don't know. They check inside there, they're making photos. They, they making film. I dunno what they're doing. We are shocked and surprised, sir, you can say. Did you know the family? Uh, no. We only talk, say a lot. Nothing else. They're Indian people, but you know, as far as I can see, they were about average. Like you and I would be coming and going, you know, never, never expected anything like this at all. Great shock. You know, it's a great, great pity, you know, such young children. Shocking, really shocking. And like, I was here this afternoon and I was watching police come in and out. I believe the alarm was given by some friends who came to visit. Yeah, this afternoon he came over, he had a look around and he didn't see nothing around, so he called the police. That was it. We came here for a birthday party tonight, and we just found this tragedy instead. Must be a great shock to you living alongside. Oh yeah, yeah. It is. It is. I like the kids. My little girl used to play with the kids. Yeah, it is Scratch shirt. Nobody heard anything. I mean, nobody heard anything, neighbors. We could've helped them got something. It's the world we live in. Poison in it. You're listening to Night Watch on 95 2 UE Let me tell you a country story. It goes back quite a few years, the time I found a phantom pub and drank the legend that became a beer. The beer was called Country Special Country Folks swore it was blessed to is they said it brew a few kegs and ship it quiet to this pub out west. I was trudging home from a hard day's work. My horse had thrown a shoe, tired and dusty. I came on this pub where no pub was built. I knew I must have looked a thirsty man. The barman pulled a beer said, here I drank in the taste of that wine brew, the legend that became a beer. Now, you may not believe this story. I'll leave that up to you, but once you get a taste of the country, nothing else will do. So fill your hand with an ice cold cat country special theater. Let's drink two. A brew word drinking two To his country special, A legend that became a beer Due to public demand for books, records, and tapes associated with a BC productions. The A BC proudly presents the A BC shop. They've got everything books by David Attenborough and Bill Peach, Adam Seals, gardening calendar book and cassettes, wildlife posters and books from in the Wild Peter Wart, kids books, history books, sport science, travel and cassettes on everyone from John Lennon to Jonathan Miller, Edward de Bono to Professor Bofski, the A BC Shop now open at 1 41 Elizabeth Street, just around the corner from Market Street. The violence that's become an everyday part of life in Sydney's western suburbs is of deep concern to government, social workers and the people who live there. On night Watch, we talked to a young solicitor, Peter Zara, who spent the last 18 months acting as public defender in Blacktown Court. You could See that, uh, family problems are possibly a basis for, uh, in effect a number of, uh, offenders that come before the court here. When you look at, uh, why in effect that this court has such a heavy, uh, listing, uh, and, uh, no doubt the, uh, statistic would show that it has an extremely high crime rate. Uh, one would possibly have to look at. Uh, you know, why does it happen? Uh, but my, uh, personal opinion is as such that, uh, these people aren't as fortunate as possibly myself. I've had an excellent upbringing of, uh, pretty fortunate parents. But, uh, when you're faced with the types of problems these people have, uh, you'd need a very strong character not to, uh, in fact come under notice. You'd need a character who's firstly going to overcome, uh, very grave difficulties in his family life. Uh, broken families, uh, first personal problems, uh, have, uh, say parents alcoholism's a very, uh, dominant, uh, factor of parents. No, no doubt when they go to school that there's, uh, problems there. I've spoke with a number of teachers in the area, and, uh, they have difficulty. A lot of them are quite dedicated, but they've difficulty, no doubt, uh, uh, disciplining the, uh, children. Each, uh, defendant, uh, you could possibly analyze as to why he's, uh, in fact, uh, come before the court. And, uh, no doubt there are many, many theories of what, uh, causes criminal behavior. I don't think you could associate it with any one specific cause. Uh, it's most unfortunate, uh, example of, uh, planning in the area. No doubt that, uh, uh, there's a real difficulty. The problems here seem to be self-generating. Uh, the fact is that you've, you've got it against you from the start. I mean, the fact is, if you've come from a, a poor family background, uh, it just generates, you're all stuck in the one area. In effect, uh, it's a poor, uh, uh, example of a planning. I don't really know how that can be overcome. You could possibly see by the, uh, length of the, uh, list each day that there appear quite a number of, uh, defendants appearing before, uh, the court each day. There is a handful of, uh, continual offenders. Um, most of the offenders that we get through here are possibly between the ages of some, uh, 18. And, uh, usually they're, uh, criminal behavior, uh, ends or around the age of some 22. Uh, there are some offenders who, uh, continually offend, uh, between those ages, but, uh, we get, uh, very, very few, uh, by percentage wise, uh, who offenders who are older than some 22. But, uh, uh, there are some offenders who continually appear. But, uh, on the whole, I'd say that that'd be only a very small percentage of, uh, total charges. Before this court, I've, uh, appeared as, uh, in fact a solicitor, a number of courts in the metropolitan area. And, uh, I've, uh, been somewhat amazed at the, uh, prevalence of firearms offenses, uh, in this court. What amazing actually, that you could possibly walk into one of the local department stores here in, in effect and find a, a complete arsenal for sale. Uh, next to next to the food section, it's, uh, quite amazing in the area On to Youi Night Watch. This was Sydney last night, 95 to Youi and Coppertone are celebrating that beautiful summer feeling with you. Over the summer period. Copper Town will be bringing you weather details and advice on what protection you'll need from the hot sun. And the lovely Coppertone girl will be on Sydney's beaches with lots of giveaways and free sprays of Coppertone products. On top of that, you can play like a millionaire in Coppertone numbers game with over 1500 fabulous prices. So get your Coppertone number for the right balance between a great tan and proper protection and celebrate that summer feeling with 95 to Youi and Coppertone. You'll win by lengths at the Melbourne Cup with the Sun Herald's guide. There's all the latest on the horses formed by the Sun Herald's experts plus a special cutout sweep, travel overseas, hassle free. Today's Sun Herald tells you how to handle everything from excess baggage, cheap faires comfort during your flight to how much to tip and when a great vacation vehicle, a caravan, just look for the lucky blue sticker in the Sun Herald today. There's nothing like a sun. Now on night, watch a word with Dan Tyler of the controls of the two UI Wales rescue helicopter. As the team brings a young woman to Sydney for microsurgery after an accident near Goldman. We're just flying past the city area at this moment and we're returning to the North Shore Hospital. We were called late, uh, this afternoon, in fact, early this evening, to a place called Bunia Gorge that's, uh, east of Golburn, south and west of Marin. It's in the Shoalhaven, uh, tributary system. It was a 25-year-old Sydney woman who was abseiling there with two friends. A large rock was dislodged, uh, above her, it fell, landed on her right hand, severed three fingers. She was in a great deal of pain. Ambulancemen from Goldberg and also the Goldberg Police rescue squad reached her and called for the helicopter to extract her from the bottom of Pogonia Gorge. She was taken to the Goldberg District Hospital and it was decided to, uh, transfer her to the Prince of Wales. Was it a very difficult operation to bring the woman out of the gorge? It wasn't a difficult operation. She was taken down to the, uh, from where the accident happened. She was taken down to the bottom of the gorge. They, uh, was quite a wide area, uh, near the river where the helicopter could land. She was ambulatory at all times. She was in a great deal of pain, but she did not require to be stretched on a stretcher. And, uh, she was able to sit in the helicopter and we flew her in. It was about a 12 minute flight in. The only problem was it happened so late in the afternoon that we were fighting, uh, to make use of what middle daylight that was remaining. We got down there just prior to, uh, dark, no problems encountered, uh, on the flight down or, uh, across the Goldberg Base Hospital. However, the bad weather we've had in the Sydney area, the low cloud and rain caused to some concern on the return flight. We had to fly above some low cloud, uh, in order to return into the, uh, Sydney area. And, uh, once we got back to Sydney, however, the, uh, the cloud cleared away and we didn't have any serious problems. What sort of speed are you flying at in that helicopter? Well, it's about 105 knots. That's about 120 miles per hour, or it's around 200 and some kilometers per hour. I'm not really sure. I don't think that way yet, Terry. Uh, we were an hour and 29 minutes from the time we left North Shore Hospital. Uh, we picked up the patient and, uh, dropped her into, uh, Golburn Base Hospital. That whole thing took an hour and 29 minutes. The flight from Golburn Base Hospital to Prince Henry that, uh, only took an hour and five minutes. Terry. Well, congratulations again, Dan, and, uh, congratulations for the coup who looked after that woman. Thank you very much, Terry. You always have to remember that, uh, we only do a small part of it. It's, uh, the ambulance, police, rescue squad, police, everybody working as a team night Watch will return in a moment. Summer's here and the kids are out soaking up the sun, the fresh air, oh mommy, mommy, and getting stung. They stung me. But now you can relieve the pain fast with sting. If you are bitten, quickly spray on stingers and the sting goes, oh, that's better. Of course, use only as directed and see the doctor if pain persists. And remember, wherever you go, sting goes at supermarkets and chemists Are it chips? All kind of chips, like chicken flavor crunches. Take 'em here and take 'em there for breakfast teas and lunches because you'll find out these a chips are chickeny as they look. There's so much flavor in them. You can almost hear the chucks when you try. Surely you'll agree beyond a diet. Arnold chips will give you a good crunch in the mile. Yes, Arnold chips will give you a good crunchy in the mile For the second time in less than 12 months. The Wiseman's Ferry Lions Club has tried to run a country music festival, the raised funds for community work in that small community. On both occasions, rain has tumbled from the skies, literally in buckets ruining any chance of success for the festival. On Night Watch, we talked to tireless country music worker John Sweeney, about the Wiseman's Ferry Festival and the 10th anniversary of the annual Tamworth Country Music Awards. I honestly believe of all the festivals I've been to, that the Wiseman's Ferry Festival has the opportunity to rank up with Ong in the future. It will need a lot of, uh, uh, hard work from the Lions Club and a lot of support from Sydney siders and people from like us, from Tamworth and so on. But it really does have the potential to be a big drawing country music festival. I'm beginning to think that I'm a bit of a gentleman for the particular festivals around Sydney. I've been down here four times this year, and each time it's absolutely poured rain. Uh, left Tamworth this morning at one o'clock and it was absolutely boiling. And here we are in this absolutely freezing wet day. John, uh, Tamworth is celebrating its 10th anniversary of, uh, country Music Awards. What's Tamworth got in store for this January? Well, this January will be an absolutely magnificent fear for the country music enthusiast from Friday, January the 22nd to February the first. There is nonstop country in Tamworth, and the great thing about it is that most of it is free. One of the things that we are endeavoring to do in Tamworth is to get back all past award winners. Now, if this happens, uh, all you country music fans out there will really be in for a feast. And you want to rule and truly bring all those autograph books we did because everybody who's anybody in country music, unless they're performing somewhere else in Australia, we'll be in Tamworth for that weekend. Ian, it must be very disappointing to strike weather like this. Yes, it is, Terry. It's, it's terrible, mate. We've, after all this time, we try and get the Lion Club going and this has to happen to us. This Is twice in a row. It's happened to you. That's Right. Yeah. Everywhere. The same sort of weather. What's the idea behind the Wiseman's Ferry Country music? First of all, The main idea is to bring money into the area. We're a small community. We need the money to develop our different activities that we've got. There's a forgotten Valley resource unit and any other charities we've got in our area, We had the rain is fantastic. Yeah, terrific. Um, I believe it rained last year and I couldn't make it because of the, because of, of the reason that, uh, this year I just made an effort regardless of whether of the weather and the federal strike. And the federal strike. Well, I, I did take into consideration of the pen strike and I made sure I had deploys to giddy, you know, so, but the weather, you know, it's still, when you got country music, what the heck? You know, it's A good idea. It's just a pity, it's Raining. Very good program. They're, uh, quite a mixture of different, uh, People And different ideas. I'd Like to see it continue because it's nice to have country music so close to home. Yeah, I reckon it's good, except that like it rained last year as well, but I like the music. Oh, lot of top names here. Lot of good groups. It's rather well organized except for the weather, you know, not too crash. Hot Night Watch will return in a moment. What happened when a Sydney clairvoyant predicted the death of her own son? Read her eerie story. In this week's Sunday, telegraph with the inside story of the Rolling Stones.$40 million comeback. There's a 32 page Wilson's Wish book of Christmas gifts and toys. Sydney's top 20 picnic spots. And in my column, the Loneliness of the Isolated Woman. Come on, Ralph. Sunday. Sunday Justin, Sunday Taylor Graph Wolf. My Rodeo with a petrol motor would pull up. House down mate are you should have got it. The diesel Fred. Yeah, the pickups. Some beauty. Nah. Can't beat the cab chassis with a drop side tray With two wheel drive like Mine. No, no. Four wheel drive like mine. Look, come outside and I'll show you what a good rodeo looks like. Two wheel drive, four wheel drive cab chassis or pickup four cylinder diesel or petrol. That's all there is to argue about. Once you've decided to get yourself a Holden Rodeo, rodeo gives you eight ways to do a ton of work. See your Holden dealer now Racing. It's the most prestigious horse race Australia producers year after year. The Melbourne Cup and 95 2 UE makes it sound like you are at the track with a description by racing expert des Hoisted from two 30 Tuesday. The glamor and excitement of the 1981 Melbourne Cup is brought to you by all purpose messengers. Will this be the year that Kingston Town wins the Ws Cox play plus the Melbourne Cup? Find out Tuesday at two 30 on the two UI racing service. The next best thing to being there, Sydney's rescue services were kept on the move overnight. The fire brigade responded to 61 calls, including 11 car fires, 10 motor vehicle accidents, six bush or yard fires, 23 miscellaneous calls. And there were 11 malicious false alarms at Maruba and Balmain. Two young policemen were assaulted in incidents involving stolen motor vehicles. Three men have been arrested in relation to those at Punch Bowl. A full investigation is underway after a 60-year-old man was knocked down and killed in a hit and run accident. Armed Bandits raided a TAB at CRO and Park and a restaurant at Epping. And three Sydney people owe thanks this morning to two rescue squad policemen and a stroke of luck that put them on the scene of two accidents at the right time. Senior Constable Neil Turley from Police Rescue Headquarters says the officer's action brought instant assistance to the injured. Fortunately, in the city area, it, uh, the way things are nowadays, uh, we often come across, uh, bad accidents, uh, whilst coming from our base to our home addresses. Uh, last night it was, um, just lucky for a fellow that, uh, rescue Four was on his way home at Fairfield, came across a burning motor vehicle. He was able to, uh, jump out and pull a fellow from the car, uh, and then later on call for, uh, ambulance and fire brigade to attend the s morning. Of course, about nine minutes past six, uh, rescue Fire was on his way into base from his home address when, uh, he received information via our police radio that, uh, there was possibly two persons trapped in a motor vehicle accident at Victoria Road in so Street Parramatta. He was only about a minute away from that, uh, location, uh, he attended there. Um, there he found a small Ford car, 2D two door car extensively damaged with, uh, a male and a female person were trapped by the legs and upper portions. Uh, opened the near side door with, uh, use of, uh, our large spreaders and gained access to the female person seat in the driver's seat. At this time, of course, the paramedics were, um, bringing this person to a degree that she could be removed out. After a while, he removed the steering wheel and she was able to be removed from the motor vehicle to the waiting ambulance. That was Sydney last night. I'm Terry Galloway. Please take Care. Night Watch will return next Sunday morning at nine on 95 to Youi The News Leaders Night Watch proved very successful, scoring up to 36 on the radio ratings and with my wife Coral monitoring the situation. We chased fire engines, police cars, accidents, and any, any and any other drama. Oh, no, no, that's good. Every Sunday morning at nine o'clock, we covered what had happened in Sydney overnight, chasing after ambulance and police cars and any other drama that erupted in Sydney. And at the end of the show, we always said, I'm Terry Galloway, please take care.