A
GATHERING OF THE
"TRUE BELIEVERS" cont'd from
previous page
Rob Darroch
began by mentioning the contributions made to his research
by Paul Delprat, Peter Coleman and Garry Shead (pictured
on previous page)...
Paul
Delprat's cousin, D.G. Hum, whom Lawrence had first
met on board the Osterley en route to Ceylon,
had introduced Lawrence to the Friend family and Jack
Scott at that afternoon tea party.
Peter
Coleman, as NSW Chief Secretary in 1976, had given
Rob privileged access to the "Secret Bundles"
in the Mitchell Library which contained information about
members of the secret army organisation in the 1920s.
Garry
Shead, the creator of an extensive suite of paintings
and etchings about Lawrence and Kangaroo, provided
many illustrations for Rob's e-book, along with Paul Delprat.
Shead is currently making a film about Lawrence and Kangaroo.
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Robert Whitelaw with
his copy of the Scaly
Back CD
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Robert
Whitelaw discovered the "house set sideways
by the lagoon" at Narrabeen where Lawrence
and Frieda, on the day after they arrived in Sydney,
met some of the members of the secret army at an
afternoon tea party (as described in Kangaroo).
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Rob
Douglass's (right) great-uncle was Jock Garden,
Secretary of the NSW Trades & Labor Council,
on whom Lawrence based the trade union boss, Willie
Struthers, in Kangaroo.
John Ruffels contributed invaluable research
for many decades, particularly during the 1980s
when Rob Darroch was away in London.
John
Ruffels
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Rob
Douglass
Sue Delprat and John Ruffels
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Four other people had contributed invaluable information
and help, but were unable to attend. They are: Andrew
Moore, whose knowledge of secrat army activity in
Australia is second to none; Humphrey MacQueen,
who provided Rob with information about the Australian
Protective League; Evan Williams, who was responsible
for saving Wyewurk from destruction by having it listed
as a Heritage property; and Sally Rothwell (Oatley),
whose father was Jack Scott's step-son.
Rose Gissing (back) Peter Coleman
(l)
and Garry Shead (r)
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Also
present at the lunch were Rose Gissing, who
is helping to produce Garry's film; Sue Delprat,
wife of Paul Delprat and manager of the Julian Ashton
Art School; and Sandra Darroch, who produced
the e-book and has been a firm believer in the "Darroch
Thesis", while also acting as devil's advocate
to test Rob's research.
Sandra Darroch
- the truest of
the True-Believers
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The
lunch took place on the Darrochs' balcony overlooking
Bondi Beach, and the conversation criss-crossed over a
table laden with salmon and a symbolic dish of kangaroo
curry.
Click
HERE to read Rob's latest
diary entry on the subject.
Report
of the launch by Peter Coleman in his Spectator
column 12/10/13
ROB DARROCH'S TALK AT THE OCTOBER ROCKS MEDIA
LUNCH
On
October 23, Rob Darroch gave a talk about his
40-odd years' research
into DH Lawrence's time in Sydney and Thirroul
in 1922
Rob
Darroch (right) addressing Rocks Media Lunchers
following the launch of
his
e-book, Scaly Back...(From left to right)
Robert Whitelaw, Jill Lester,
John Lawrence, Michael Lester at Curry at the
Rocks restaurant
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Also
among the attendees at the Rocks Media Lunch
were (l to r) Sally Rothwell (whose
father was
the step-son of Jack Scott, a central character
in Lawrence's time in NSW), John Rothwell,
Antony Carr and Graham Bates
(l to r) David Say, Chris
Fox,
Evie Harrison, Greg Lenthen and Lindsay
Foyle
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