MY BACKGROUND

I have written this page because over the years I have been repeatedly targeted by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States (CIA) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

The persecution dates back to when I was working as a journalist in Melbourne in the late 1970s and early 1980s and I assisted a State Member of Parliament, Morris (Morrie) Williams, with organized crime inquiries.

I've found on various occasions that misinformation about me - including my background - has been spread by both the CIA and ASIO. As such, this page is an attempt to try to fight any such attempts. 

I was born in Newcastle, Australia, on the 11th of January 1946 at the Mater Hospital, which in those days was run by Roman Catholic nuns. At the time it was a very different hospital from the one that is operating now and was predominantly a baby hospital.

Even though we were Protestants, that was a matter of no concern. Families from all over the Hunter region – from all backgrounds and creeds - went to the hospital which had an excellent reputation.

I was very ill at birth so my parents, fearing that I was going to die, withheld the announcement of my arrival for nearly a fortnight. When it became obvious I was going to survive my parents announced my birth on the 23rd of January 1946 in what was then called the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate. Later the paper changed its name to the Newcastle Herald.

A full-page copy of Page 2 of the Newcastle Morning Herald from the 23rd of January 1946 is attached plus a copy of the relevant entry under BIRTHS.

The links are:

ICC birth Newcastle Herald 23 Jan 46 – 1 FULL PAGE

ICC birth Newcastle Herald 23 Jan 46 - 2 NOTICE

Even though my mother had been born in Chiltern, Victoria, her family was living in Newcastle because my grandfather had been an engineer at Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (BHP).

That was how she met my father. He worked in administration at BHP and moved in with my mother’s family as a lodger. Romance blossomed and they were eventually married on the 11th of February 1939 at the Church of Christ at Mayfield, Newcastle.

A copy of their original marriage certificate is attached, both the front and back of the certificate plus a certified copy from Births, Deaths and Marriages in NSW.  The links are:

CC and JAT marriage 11 Feb 39 – 1 FRONT

CC and JAT marriage 11 Feb 39 – 2 BACK

CC and JAT marriage 11 Feb 39 – 3 CERT COPY

Also attached are copies from Page 2 of The Newcastle Sun of the 16th of February 1939 describing the marriage. I have attached a full-page copy plus a close-up of the announcement. The links are:

Newcastle Sun 16 Feb 1939 - 1 FULL PAGE

Newcastle Sun 16 Feb 1939 - 2 ARTICLE

E. A. WATTS PTY LTD

As I wrote above Dad worked in administration at BHP in Newcastle. During World War Two he would have been classified as part of essential services but after the war in 1949 he had ambitions to be a public accountant, so he moved us all – my mother, my sister and me - to Melbourne.

In those days it was the financial centre of Australia and he believed that he had more chance of success there than in Newcastle. He proved himself to be correct and it wasn’t long before he landed an accounting position with one of the top builders in Australia at the time, E. A. Watts Pty Ltd.

Dad was very successful at E. A. Watts and eventually rose to the position of company secretary. His role included making any media announcements for the company as can be seen by a story I have attached from The Argus dated the 05th of January 1956. As usual I have attached a full page so the article can be seen in context and the story itself.

The links are:

WATTS ARGUS 05 Jan 56 FP - 1 FULL PAGE

WATTS ARGUS 05 Jan 56 ST - 2 ARTICLE

E. A. Watts was responsible for the building of a new stand at the MCG in preparation for the Summer Olympic Games in November 1956. Through no fault of the company, nor the MCG administrators, work was delayed because of an industrial dispute between two unions.

In his capacity as company secretary Dad warned construction of the stand might not be completed in time for the games.

I should add that The Argus was a leading daily newspaper in Melbourne from 1846 until it closed in 1957. See the Wikipedia article about the paper. The link is The Argus (Melbourne) Wikipedia.

EDITHVALE - LIVING WITH MY MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS

I was only three-years old when we moved to Melbourne in 1949. I can still remember some of the train journey from Newcastle. In those days New South Wales had a different railway gauge from Victoria, so we had to change trains at Albury.

It was a big deal for a three-year old.

We initially stayed with my mother’s parents at Edithvale, a beachside suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne. A copy of the electoral roll for Flinders in 1949, showing my grandparents names, Alphonso Guy C. Tewksbury and Gladys Ada Tewksbury, is attached.

The link is: Electoral Roll Flinders 1949.

The third person listed for the address in Somme Parade, Robert Harry Tewksbury, is my late uncle - Mum’s brother.

Bob, as he was known in the family, trained as a bomber pilot in the Second World War - from what I recall at Avalon Airport in Lara, Victoria. He was born on the 06th of January 1925 and by the time he had finished his training the war was all but over.

An announcement about how he had gained his 'wings' appeared in the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate on Thursday the 11th of May 1944. 

A copy is attached. As usual I have attached a full-page so the story can be seen in context, plus a copy of the story itself.

The links are:

Tewksbury wings 11 May 1944 - 1 FULL PAGE

Tewksbury wings 11 May 1944 - 2 STORY

You will note that in the story Bob's surname is spelled with an 'e'. It was quite common for the name Tewkesbury to be spelled with an 'e'. In England the family name was with the 'e', but they dropped it when they migrated to Australia.

Also attached is his war record from the National Archives of Australia, showing his next-of-kin as being my grandfather, Alphonso Tewksbury. 

The link is: NA Aus Tewksbury war record.

We left Papa (I used to call my maternal-grandfather Papa - I'm not sure why) and Grandma’s and moved to a rented house at 6 Miami Street, Hawthorn East, in 1950. A copy of the electoral roll for the division of Chisholm, subdivision of Auburn, for 1951 showing my mother and father enrolled as electors is attached.

The link is: Electoral Roll Auburn 1951.

HOLLWAY: 1952 VICTORIAN STATE ELECTIONS

My father was a hardline right-winger and had political ambitions. While we were living in Hawthorn, he supported a former Liberal Party Premier, Thomas Hollway, in the 1952 Victorian state elections. The link to Wikipedia is Thomas Hollway - Wikipedia.

I have relied heavily on information from Wikipedia in writing the notes below, but as far as I am aware they are correct.

Even though Hollway was originally the leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria he clashed with other Liberals about the question of electoral reform. He believed the electoral boundaries heavily favoured rural areas and as such considered the Country Party to be overrepresented in parliament.

After much political chicanery Hollway was eventually expelled from the parliamentary Liberal Party in September 1952, a move that after further political intrigue finally led to him forming the Electoral Reform League (ERL).

My father supported Hollway in his efforts to redistribute the electorate boundaries and stood as the ERL candidate for Hawthorn in the 1952 state election in December. He was unsuccessful in his bid for power, but the ERL won six seats.

A copy of a story from The Age dated 06 Dec 1952 listing the candidates, including my father, for the election is attached. As usual, I have attached a full page of the story, plus the relevant list itself.

The links are:

The Age candidates 06 Dec 1952 – 1

The Age candidates 06 Dec 1952 – 2

The election was won by the Labor Party led by John Cain. It took 37 of the 65 seats. The massive swing to Labor of 13 seats was doubtless boosted by the appalling infighting and political chicanery displayed by members of both the Liberal and Country parties.

And what was it all about? Money and power. Even though Hollway may have been correct in his assessment that there were inequalities in the electoral boundaries he faced formidable opposition from members of his own Liberal Party who believed they needed the Country Party to keep power in Victoria.

He also faced strong opposition from members of the Country Party, who shrewdly realised that any redistribution could cost them their seats.

ST JOHN’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND CAMBERWELL

It was when we were living in Hawthorn East that we first started going to St John’s Church of England in Camberwell. My family were practising Christians, not just Christians in name only. We regularly attended St. John’s Church of England at Camberwell, as it was called when I was young.

Later in 1981 the Church of England in Australia officially changed its name to the Anglican Church of Australia.

I was raised to believe in the Trinity and taught to recite the Nicene Creed – the affirmation that you believed in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. For my thoughts on the Trinity and the Nicene Creed see my page headed ‘The Trinity – a false doctrine’. 

[EDITORIAL NOTE: THIS PAGE HAS NOT BEEN WRITTEN, BUT INSHA-ALLAH I WILL DO SO.]

I was confirmed in the Church at St. John’s at the age of about 10 and regularly attended with my parents and sister.

St. John’s burned to the ground in March 1955, a mindless act by a 23-year old invalid pensioner who lit a fire in the church so he could keep warm only to see it leap completely out of control.

I have attached copies of some of the newspaper reports from The Argus plus a photo from The Age taken after the fire. As usual I have given two copies of each report, one copy is of the full page the other the story.  The links are:

ST JOHN'S ARGUS 19 MARCH 55 FP 

ST JOHN'S ARGUS 19 MARCH 55 ST

ST JOHN'S ARGUS 07 JUNE 55 FP 

ST JOHN'S ARGUS 07 JUNE 55 ST

ST JOHN'S THE AGE 19 MARCH 55 FP

ST JOHN'S THE AGE 19 MARCH 55 ST

As I have written above, The Argus was a leading daily newspaper in Melbourne from 1846 until it closed in 1957. See the Wikipedia article about the paper. The link is The Argus (Melbourne) Wikipedia.

We moved from 6 Miami Street, Hawthorn East, in about February 1953 to a house Dad had bought at 90 Harp Road, Kew. We were still living there at the time of the fire at St John's.

I remember arriving home from school only to be greeted by my mother at the door weeping because she had just heard on the radio that St. John’s had burned to the ground.

The Church mattered. It was important.

I have attached a copy of the 1955 Electoral Roll for the Division of Kooyong Kew North showing my mother and father registered as voters at 90 Harp Road, Kew.

The link is: Electoral Roll Kooyong Kew North 1955.

My father was an alcoholic and adulterer. At one stage my mother, who dearly loved him, went to see the minister at St John’s, Camberwell, Tom Thomas. We had worshipped there for years so naturally my mother expected the vicar to be supportive.

She complained about my father’s drinking and adultery, but Thomas wasn’t interested and rejected her pleas. I recall my mother coming home bitterly disappointed by the vicar’s attitude.

My father, an affluent man, regularly donated to the church and I do not doubt that influenced Thomas.

Dad’s support for the church was far-reaching and when St John’s was rebuilt after the fire in 1955, he paid for one of the new stained-glass windows. A costly affair.

Such is the way of the world. You can sin against God – commit adultery, spurn your wife and children, drink beyond reason – and as far as some men of the cloth are concerned it is of no account providing you pay with hard, cold cash.

I have attached copies of six pages from History of St. John’s Camberwell which was published in Melbourne in 1963. On pages 218 and 219 the author R. J MacDougall writes about the stained-glass windows that had been donated to the new church.

On page 219 he notes: “. . . and that of St. Matthew the gift of Mr. Charles Calderwood”. No mention of my mother, not even of family.

Each of the copies is a double-page spread so there are only three links. They are:

ST JOHN'S HISTORY TITLE PAGE

ST JOHN'S HISTORY CONTENTS PAGE

ST JOHN'S HISTORY PAGES 218-219

For years my mother had worked hard to maintain the family home to my father's high standards – which to say the least were demanding. She had supported him through all those difficult years when he had to study to achieve his accounting qualifications.

But that all meant nothing. It was just taken for granted and quietly swept away. No wonder she was bitter.

He was just an arrogant, egotistical man seeking to impress others with his generosity. And, when it’s all said and done it meant nothing. The only religion acceptable to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High) is the religion of Islam and all that vanity, all that show, meant nothing.

HIGHLAND AVENUE, BALWYN

In early 1956 Dad bought another house at 8 Highland Avenue, Balwyn, and we moved there. He didn't tell my mother that he had bought the house. There was no consultation in the marriage, no love, no comfort. Just an arrogant man who showed contempt for a loving wife who had done him no wrong.

It was while we were living at Highland Avenue that my mother decided to separate. She could no longer handle his infidelity, his drinking, the mental cruelty, and she left the house with me in 1961. 

I have attached a copy of the 1961 Electoral Roll for the Division of Kooyong, District of Balwyn, showing my mother and father registered as voters at 8 Highland Avenue, Balwyn. There are two pages.

The links are: 

Electoral Roll Kooyong Balwyn 1961 - 1

Electoral Roll Kooyong Balwyn 1961 - 2

As I said above, when they separated, I went with my mother, a decent, chaste, loving woman, whom I believed had been wronged. She was a good mother to me and my sister.

My sister remained living with my father. She was five years older than me and by this stage had already met her husband-to-be at a Young Liberals meeting. The situation was worsened for me because when I went back to visit my father on a few occasions it was obvious he was being dishonest about my mother.

A classic example was when my sister was due to marry at St. John's Camberwell. I went to visit the household because I knew my grandfather and grandmother had flown from Sydney to stay with my father so they could attend the wedding.

To my surprise my Grandfather spewed forth filth about my mother, claiming she was a 'whore, a prostitute'. I was utterly stunned and didn't know how to handle the situation. It was obvious my father had been telling his family lies about Mum and I simply had no idea what to say to my Grandfather.

On the one hand I respected my grandfather, on the other I was confronted with the most appalling slander. I knew my mother. She was a good woman, utterly innocent of the filthy accusations. I have never forgotten what he said. I can still see his face as he spewed forth the evil.

From what I recall I did not reply. On the one hand I was too shocked and on the other I had nothing but respect for my Grandfather.

Even though he was born in in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1888, he had worked his way back on-board ship when he was about 14-years-of-age to Northern Ireland to become apprenticed in the Belfast shipyards.

He told my Gran, it was the hardest thing that had ever befallen him. The ship's master and crew treated him badly and worked him pitilessly.

He was lucky he wasn't raped. Life aboard ship in the early 1900s could be brutal beyond belief.

There was a famous novel published in 1931 in the United Kingdom by James Hanley called 'Boy' which describes the brief and bitter life of a lad from Liverpool who stows away aboard ship. He is discovered and signed on to the crew so he can earn his keep.

He is sexually assaulted and later contracts syphilis from a prostitute in Egypt. The story concludes with him being smothered to death by the ship's captain and his body being cast overboard. I recall reading years ago that Hanley claimed the novel was based on a true incident, but this may not be correct. See the notes under the heading 'Autobiography?' in the Wikipedia article about the novel. The link is James Hanley - Boy. 

Needless to say, the publisher was prosecuted for obscene libel and heavily fined.

Some people can't handle the truth. The English especially can't always face reality. Life's not a carnival. 

Returning to my Grandfather, I had heard the stories in the family of how he had gone on from his apprenticeship in Belfast to become a marine engineer in the British Merchant Navy and settled in Seaforth, Liverpool.

He was legendary in our family - not solely because of his war service - but because he was known to be a hard-fisted man who was not to be trifled with.

The stories went that during his years at sea in World War One he would sign off at the end of a voyage and then sign on to another vessel.

Every time he left a vessel it was sunk shortly after, either torpedoed, or hit by a mine.

It was said this happened up to about seven times.

He had a brother, Stanley Charles Calderwood, who as a second lieutenant won the Military Cross in March 1917 at Warlencourt in France fighting in the trenches.

I've read his citation: 'for conspicuous valour'. A copy is attached. Click Stan citation 1917.

Little wonder that I didn't know what to say to my Grandfather. 

'WHO IS YOUR MOTHER?'

Now, one of the reasons I have gone to such great trouble to establish my family’s background is because when I was living in Islamabad, Pakistan, I was regularly assailed – especially in the first year or so, 1985 and 1986 - with the question ‘who is your mother?’

I used to wander around wondering what was going on. Because the repeated questions suggested to me that somebody was questioning my antecedents.

But why? It didn’t make sense. Unless you link the questions with later events that I have set out on my page headed 'ORGANIZED CRIME RESEARCH . . .’

Was the truth that somebody was trying to undermine my standing in Islamabad so that I could become an easy target for something sinister? And, was that someone the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States.

Had they been so successful in infiltrating Pakistani society that they could actually try to manipulate the situation by hoping to poison my relations with other Muslims?

As I have written above, I took the 'ORGANIZED CRIME RESEARCH . . .' page down in April 2024 because I was concerned that it too might be misunderstood. My intention in writing the page was not to humiliate the Pakistanis. I was trying to arrive at the truth about certain events that occurred while I was living in Pakistan from April 1985 to September 1990.

But, I realised in reading the page that it could be misunderstood as an attempt by me to belittle or humiliate some people in Pakistan and out of fear of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) I removed it.

Insha-Allah, I may restore the page, but that must be Allah's decision not mine. He is the One who knows best, not me. I have been making Dua about the matter and if it pleases Him, Insha-Allah I will try to abide by whatever He wants.

SEEKING ALLAH'S HELP

If I have one regret in life it is that I failed Mum when I tried to revert her to Islam. My mother would listen politely, but I failed to convince her, and I think part of the problem was I did not realise you could call on Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High) for help under those circumstances.

If you have reverted to Islam but you have relatives or friends whom you love but they have failed to do so, then it is halal (lawful) to beg Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High) to revert them to Islam. You normally cannot intercede for those who don't believe in Islam, but in this situation, you are allowed to call on Him for help.

I didn't realise that at the time and frankly I think that is why I failed to persuade her to embrace the true religion. I needed Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High).

 There is a saying in Islam lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata ʾillā bi-llāhi l-ʿaliyyi l-ʿaẓīmi which  means 'there is no power nor strength except by Allah the Lofty, the Great' - in other words you simply can't achieve good without Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High), that's what it basically comes down to. 

In discussing the matter of lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata ʾillā bi-llāhi l-ʿaliyyi l-ʿaẓīmi I have quoted from the Wikipedia article on the subject. If you want to read further the link is Hawqala .

One point that may puzzle non-Muslim readers is my use of the word 'revert'. In English it is common to refer to people who have reverted to Islam as converts, but many practising Muslims use the word 'revert' because we believe that everybody is born a Muslim - that's the natural religion - but non-Muslim parents take their children away from the religion. 

So, if you embrace Islam, you are actually not 'converting' to the true religion but 'reverting' to it.

And, if you are wondering why I still seem so angry about my father's behaviour then I will answer this way. It's because in the eyes of God - in Allah's eyes (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High) - it matters how you treat your wife. And, believe you me, Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - glory be to Him, the Most High) never forgets.

There are several Ahadith in which the Prophet Muhammad (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) warned that the best among you is the one who treats his wives best.

One of the Ahadith reads:

"Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'The most complete of believers in faith are those with the best character, and the best of you are the best in behavior to their women' ". 

Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 1162

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Tirmidhi.

It's obvious my father didn't get the message!

PARENTS MARRIAGE FAILS

The separation which ended in divorce triggered a lot of emotional turmoil in me about Christianity. I was already struggling to grasp the Trinity – a doctrine that to my way of thinking was suspect – but to witness my father’s hypocrisy only exacerbated the matter.

The breakdown in my parents’ marriage and consequent clashes with my father proved to be catalysts that drove me away from the Church. That break influenced me profoundly and I went from being an innocent choirboy who believed in God to eventually being a renegade who knew only too well some of the darkest paths in life.

As I grew older my dissolute, rebellious behaviour went beyond the pale and in the late 1960s and early 1970s I found myself blundering from one crisis to another. Like my father I too drank whisky. Like him it made me quarrelsome, argumentative. There's nothing worse than a nasty drunk.

I had seen my father drink a bottle of whisky in a night and then get up and hit the port in the morning. I found myself heading down the same path.

It was that devolution into some of the darkest paths of life that eventually led me to trying to find God again in the mid-1970s – a journey that culminated in me embracing Islam in 1983.

WEBCOPY 29 NOV 25

WEBCOPY 09 FEB 26 AMENDED

WEBCOPY 11 FEB 26 EDITED

WEBCOPY 12 FEB 26 1ST EDITED AND PROOFED

WEBCOPY 12 FEB 26 2ND

WEBCOPY 12 FEB 26 3RD