Whilst the cheque had been made payable to me $4,250, Jean Evans later exchanged that for two separate amounts. One to me for $2000 and the other to the owner of the vehicle for $2,450. The first I paid off bankcard, the other Paul and I went around to settle with the owner and pick up the vehicle. This cheque was Evans's and had nothing to do with Trewartha. From there we went to pick up a roadworthy, that Trewartha settle out of his own pocket. Once that was done we obtained Queensland Registration, that was made out in my name and NOT that of the movement; here again Trewartha paid the bill.
For all intents and purposes the vehicle was mine to use. Almost immediately I began planning in earnest the trip across the State, that I had originally drawn up. This time I was told to pare back the schedule and take John Clodd with me. I liked the idea of John coming along, as he better than most was demonstrably committed to the movement and more politically aware than the others.
I arranged to have the vehicle signwritten. This too was a donation to the movement, from Miami Signs. Along each side of the cream stationwagon in letters ten inches high in royal blue Pauline Hanson Support Movement. It was accompanied by red lettered 'Giving Government Back to the People.' Ironically, the only time it was used was to launch the Pauline Hanson Support Movement in Ipswich. It was there that I spoke on the same platform as Hanson herself. The only memory I have of that meeting was when a journalist from the Australian Associated Press commented that 'the body language between you and Hanson, said it all. She hates your guts.'
On the evening of February 3rd 1997, a committee meeting was held at John Clodd's rooms. During the course of that meeting Paul Trewartha said that he had rung Pauline and that she had informed him that a David Ettridge, her new National Adviser would visit us. This of course came out of the blue to all of us. Only Hazelton and of course Trewartha, knew of this man.
A memo went out from this meeting explaining to branches why the Movement appeared to be in limbo. Already I was fielding may questions and being blamed for our inertia. Iris who had been visiting her family in Adelaide had reported to the movement down there, indicating that they were rearing to go in the coming year. The order for new registration books with 'incorporation' stamped on them was ordered to be actioned as soon as word came through. Unfortunately these were printed prematurely by mistake and when Hanson finally authorised the incorporation these were never utilised and the printer was left unpaid. .
I reported on the call I had from Joseph Wayne-Smith, who informed me that he was writing a book in support of Hanson and that he was looking for a publisher. Peter Presscott, a new member of the committee told us that he may be able to address that matter and said he would get back to us.
Vic Piccone, from Silkwood, North Queensland had rung me and told us that he had raised thousands of dollars with over 1600 people attending seven functions. He was buoyant, ribbing me for 'not being as popular with Hanson as he was.' Candidly I was worried about Piccone. He had taken it to himself to build the movement in the north. He was capable, I had no doubt, but these functions, these hiring of helicopters and expensive office equipment, were a worry we could do without. Even so, despite being back Hanson had still not honoured her commitment to us, for incorporation.
The following day Feb 4 Hazelton rang Iris and asked for her to put a meal on for David Ettridge. She agreed. When I spoke with her she was coy about this unknown, Ettridge, but assured me that all my questions would be answered by him. I looked forward to his visit with a mind that this could be the first time that I could work with someone who might have some ideas. Certainly I saw the situation as being a positive.
Paul Trewartha,(who else,) insisted on picking Ettridge up at the airport. In the meantime Lindon Litchfield, Ron Paddison, Iris and myself had assembled in our lounge. When Paul arrived with his charge, we were confronted by a smart looking, immaculate middle-aged man. We were introduced to him and before long sat down to a three course meal, that Iris had prepared.
David was very impressionable. He handled himself with the utmost confidence, without seeming to be pushy. He was pleasant and without putting any degree of cynicism on this observation, charm personified. During the course of the meal he told us about his family, about his role with World vision and how he admired Pauline Hanson. He appeared to me to be totally credible. I think I speak for all those who were at the table that we thought he was going to be a great help.
After our meal we made our way to John Clodd's rooms, eager to hear what David Ettridge was about to tell us. We knew from what little that we had been told, that he wanted to let us know what the plans for Pauline were and how we could dovetail in with them. In a private conversation that Ettridge and I had before the informal 'formal' meeting he told me in broad terms that they, Pauline and himself had decided to form a party. I immediately told him that the word 'party' was anathema to Hanson as she had explicity said much earlier that she would not conform to any party dictates. This was one of the things that I admired about Hanson. Ettridge liked the idea and agreed that I had a good point. "Brilliant' he enthused. He went on 'from now on the word 'party' is no longer in our vocabulary', nor was it. I believed at that point that the PHSM would be a complimentary entity, retaining its own independence. This I indicated. 'That is right Bruce. The only people who will be behind Pauline will be the Support Movement. Like you say on your membership tickets 'Soldiers in Paulines Army.'
I remember once Pauline telling me that she did not like the idea, because it sounded as though they were like the Salvation Army. I joked 'thats not a bad bench-mark' but the comment sailed over her head.
Ettridge went on to say that the only 'political entity' would be confined to Hanson, himself and 'those who were elected into the parliament'. In other words the body of any new party would be politically inert. I was never happy with this concept and instantly decided that I would have nothing to do with the 'political arm' of Hanson. It became crystal clear in those few minutes that the people would be there for two essential reasons; to facilitate the logistics of running future candidates and to provide a financial base. "We want $15 million to fight the Federal Election,' He concluded.
The meeting was an informal gathering with twenty odd people turning up. David was introduced to each person and then we all settled down to hear what he had to say. Paul Trewartha briefly told those present that David had come to the Coast at Hanson's request, to let us know the 'state of play.'(Hazelton later was to tell me that Hanson had sent him down for one reason; to get rid of Whiteside and take over the movement.) David commenced by telling us a little of where he had come from. Like us he said he admired Pauline very much. It was important he went on that we worked together and helped Pauline achieve her goals. When questioned on what he had done on a commercial basis, that had caused Hanson to engage him as her National Director, he waved a copy of a glossy blue brochure and said that he was now marketing a magazine with great potential called Champions. This meant nothing to any of us, until he said that the fast-food chain Macdonald's had got behind him to promote it. This was heady stuff to gullible people like us. Ettridge was a smooth operator. I began to get the feeling that he was really a light-weight, but the women at that meeting were absolutely besotted with him. Ettridge told us that we had started something that was really big, but in order for it to achieve anything it must be organised with discipline and military organisation. Secretly I agreed. He went on; 'what I want to see is what you've started build into something that will bring about a great change in the way government is done in this country. Pauline provides that hope. I believe that this whole thing should be done differently. With that in mind Pauline has detailed me to become her National Director. From now on it will be my job to bring all this together. Pauline has chosen to make Manly her Australian headquarters.' At this point I interjected: 'Mr Ettridge, you appear to forget that we are not Pauline Hanson property, we are her support movement by our own choice. What Hanson does is her own business.' A little flustered Ettridge went on, 'That is the point I am making.' I want to tell you that Pauline has asked me to take control of her political career and that means the movement that has her name. He inferred that we already owned something that was not ours, but by definition of carrying her name, was rightfully hers.
You could hear Ettridge's tone changing; it went from being totally patronising, to one of growing tenseness. I was not the only one to sense this as one or two of our more committed men cast a furrowed brow in my direction. John Clodd in particular was worried by Ettridge's nuances. But then he was more finely attuned to the politics of what was being said. The women were more focussed on this hansome looking man, who was saying all these nice things about us and essentially agreeing with what we were doing. They saw Ettridge as joining forces with us, a man who was going to help us get Hanson up as a political force.
We on the Gold Coast were the headquarters of the movement. Every item that was in the system stemmed from the work of three people, even though we were eighteen in number. The tee- shirts, bumper stickers, posters, lapel badges ...which entailed much silk-screen work ...and had taken many hours to produce, was the work of the Clodd family. The tee-shirts had taken on a life of their own and as Hanson gained more media attention, the orders for tee-shirts began to escalate. It was the same with bumper stickers ...the orders continued to grow. As founder of the movement I had no problem with this. Clodd had done all the hard work, much of it donated and then for a while at cost. Once we were up and running, I believed that all the merchandise should be produced by him. Even so Clodd was always going to donate 20% to the movement.
Our newsletters, were now giving way to the idea of a national newspaper. This of course was an ambitious project, but already I had developed a conduit for bringing this about. In fact at the time in my own home which was essentially the PHSM office, a large bench had been installed to create the embryonic newspaper on. Waiting, already, earmarked was a computer with the appropriate software. Already I had produced a draft copy of the PHSM Herald, which the committee responded to very favourably.
'There is only one person in charge from now on and that is myself. This is the way it has to be. We do not and cannot succeed with an independent organisation. It has to be understood that all of you will take your orders from me. When I say ALL, I mean from Pauline down. Pauline will be 'marketed'; she will be sold as a commercial product. '
Now this was unbelievable stuff. Hanson ...marketed! And who else was qualified enough to do it? An ex World vision fundraiser ...that's who.
One or two of us began to see that Hanson's only attraction to Ettridge had nothing to do with her political welfare but everything to do with printing money.
'What do you intend to do with Hazelton?' I shot across his bows.
"Hazelton, will answer to me as will Hanson and all of you. She will be confined to her Oxley office and reined in. Her influence on Pauline will cease.'
I had expressed to Ettridge that I believed that Hazelton exerted too much influence, so in a sense I was not unhappy with this development. I had always believed that Hanson needed space to work in and that too many people were shoving their own ideas down her throat. In Hazelton's case her influence was not so much political advise, but to whom she should speak with.
'As I understand it Mr Ettridge, from what you are saying is that you are going to set up in Manly and control Hanson, who is a completely independent entity and because we are a support movement, NOT A HANSON ENTITY, you intend to organise us as well. If that is so, what is our role, who is going to produce the merchandise, who is going to put out the newspaper and more importantly, who is going control the financial aspects."
'Your role will be to develop the Queensland Branch. You are quite right Bruce, the control will come from Manly. It is only right that since we will be the new Headquarters, that we produce all the written material, which you will distribute. We also have the plant to print all the merchandise that is being printed here."
Both Clodd and Trewartha took issue with this, since the initiative and creation of this material had come from the Gold Coast. Ettridge told them that a certain amount of residual work, (presumably that which had no material gain in it for him) would still be done here.
There was something about all this that had a a most unpleasant odourabout it and it certainly wasn't Ettridge's aftershave. I thought about what I was to ask next, whilst Ettridge was dampening down the concerns of two or three who were pushing this thing beyond his comfort level.
'You tell us David that Hanson will answer to you, that Hazelton will answer to you. You have come here as an uninvited visitor and tell us that we will answer to you ...what I want to know ...is WHO DO YOU ANSWER TO?
Ettridge could not conceal the discomfort of this question. He hadn't expected it ...he groped momentarily to retain his uneasy composure.
"Good question ...he paused. 'Well all you need to know, since you ask Bruce is that he is a 'brilliant and dynamic young Liberal.' He will be the man who will build this new party, that will be called ONE NATION.'
New party ...? One Nation ...? What the hell was all this about? Coldly I shot back at him 'and just who is this 'brilliant and dynamic young Liberal?'
'You will know him simply as Mr 'X'. So there it was, cloak and dagger stuff, brimming with paranoia even before they got started. It was to be the fore-runner of what was to come, but no-one there was to see it coming.
I was angry and in no mood for pleasantries. I stood up, fixed my gaze on Ettridge and said 'Mr Ettridge, you are nothing but a bloody con man. Now bugger-off back to Sydney and forget all about us.'
Closing my brief-case I turned and walked out of the room midst a shocked silence.
Edwin Burke once said: 'For evil to flourish, all it needs is for good men to do nothing.'
When I left the room that day I left behind many good men, but they did nothing. In the end evil flourished and it manifested itself not so much in Pauline Hanson, but through the 'architects' of One Nation.