PLUS
Recognition
Record
(academic)
Recreation
Residence
Roots
Rogues
 
 
 

The life 
& times 
of 
Warren Swil
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

V 1.2

 

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Banned former Nusas President Mr. Neville Curtis has arrived in Australia and has applied for political asylum there. 

This emerged from telephone calls to Mr. Curtis, who is aboard the luxury Italian liner Guglielnlo Marconi, and to a senior newspaperman in Perth, Australia. The conversation with Mr. Curtis cannot be reported because he is a banned person. 

His mysterious disappearance was discovered on Wednesday last week when he failed to appear at a court  hearing on charges of contravening his banning order. 

Mr. Peter Ewing, night news editor of The West Australian, a newspaper in Perth,  yesterday told the CapeTimes of Mr. Curtis's arrival in Fremantle on Saturday morning. He gave an immigration department official a written application for residence, and he did not have a passport. 

Mr. Ewing, who used to work for a South African newspaper, said Mr. Curtis had returned the passport he had used to its owner, a Mr. L Reynolds, before he left Cape Town. 

“When he arrived without a passport, the official put him in the custody of the ship's captain, Captain R. Santorini. The ship is now bound for Adelaide and Melbourne where it will arrive on Wednesday,” he said. 

“Mr. Curtis's application will be sent to the Minister for Immigration, Mr. Clyde Cameron, today, and the Department of Foeign Affairs will consider the case. Mr. Cameron's decision is expected to be ready when the ship reaches Melbourne, where Mr. Curtis is planning to get off.  Mr. Curtis did not leave the ship at Fremantle, and was seen by only one departmental official. We suspect that a South African journalist on board the ship recognized him.” 

Mr. Ewing said he had spoken to Mr. Curtis yesterday. “He had been organizing political activity in South Africa and feared reprisals from the South African government,” he said. 
“He did not tell anyone at home about his decision to escape, and he had no problem getting on board the ship,” Mr. Ewing said. 

“He chose Australia because he has relatives here - an uncle in Canberra and other relatives in Melbourne. He wanted to tell Australians what conditions in South Africa were really like. He is very much committed to South Africa and will return ultimately. Officials at Fremantle did not let him off the ship but were friendly and kind. He hopes to be able to continue his studies toward an MA in politics in Australia. He is writing a thesis on South African politics and 'decision making'.” 

The story, of Mr. Curtis's arrival in Australia is to be used as the lead story in The West Australian this morning. 

Mr. Jack Curtis, father of Mr. Neville Curtis, said from Johannesburg yesterday that his son's arrival in Australia was “just great. I feel more relieved now than at any time since he was banned,” he said. 

“Australia is my former home country and we have family there who have tremendous sympathy for Neville personally and the liberation movement. This will give Neville the scope for continuing the work he was doing before he was banned, both political and academic,” he said.