The Sly Dog Strikes – SA Senior Politicians Run For Cover

Breaking News from SA’s Attorney General: the Somerton Man has already been identified! Part 1

I had a random day off yesterday (Wed 28^th of Jan) and popped past the local supermarket to get a few things midafternoon. On my way out the SA Deputy Premier and Attorney General, The Hon  Kyam Maher MLC, was there campaigning with the local incumbent MP for the electorate; the SA election is fast approaching. I went over to say hello, grabbed a nice quality calico tote, exchanged a  handshake with the DP and pleasantries with the MP (her right hand was in a splint – too much hand shaking in recent weeks?). I then addressed Mr Maher to see if it was OK to hit him up with a question. It could have been about anything, but he was more than happy to oblige… always smiling.

Kyam Maher (how’s the irony?)

I asked him, as the State’s Attorney General, when we would be likely here the results from either Forensics SA or the State Coroner about the identify of the body exhumed from West Terrace cemetery – a man who had died on Somerton Beach back in November 1948. “The Somerton Man….” He replied with an even bigger smile. He said the identity had already been made public, “a professor from the University of Adelaide, who’s name I can’t recall, had done the genetic work and identified him. A man from Victoria who had split from his wife. It would be easy to find on the internet”. Seriously I was thinking? I wasn’t sure if he was referring to Prof Abbott or Prof Hanneberg and was about to ask for clarification, then he mentioned the Prof ended up marrying a woman whom the Prof thought was a relative of the Somerton Man… so he was definitely talking about Abbott.

He said the identity wasn’t that exciting after all the talk of spies stealing secrets from Woomera, and that he personally was hoping that the SM was an Eastern Bloc spy.

Mr Maher seemed to know some details about the case (he mentioned he was named after the poet Omar Khayyam who wrote the Rubaiyat) but did say the book of poems was thrown into a car parked out the front of the nurse’s house, and it matched the piece of paper found on SM with the words Tamam Shud that means ‘the end’.

More to follow…

Breaking News from SA’s Attorney General: the Somerton Man has already been identified! Part 2

I asked if we would be seeing any findings from the Coroner’s Court to confirm the identity, as I semi-regularly look at the findings posted to the web and keening waiting for a confirmed identity, and he replied something along the lines that the identity was already known, so it wasn’t likely there was going to be any additional work done by the State Government of SA.

I think he wanted me to move on as there were plenty of other constituents there doing their shopping to meet and great, so he changed the subject and asked if I would be supporting the incumbent MP at the upcoming election, to which I said yes of course (that MP had actually door knocked our place before the last election and had a chat whereas the previous incumbent was a right FW who did not). I think he and the local MP thought I was some kind of kook. I can’t imagine what they would think of the other way more hard core SM internet commentators!!

I walked away thinking that didn’t seem right, hopped in my car and drove home.. I was a bit absent minded contemplating the fact that the State’s AG thought Prof Abbott’s work was scientifically sound that I made the rookie mistake of driving right past where they were standing! Not sure if Mr Maher or one of his staffers took my rego down to past onto SAPOL or not. Needless to say I didn’t get a visit last night or this morning from the higher authorities telling me to keep my mouth shut and stop asking questions or else. The coming days will tell.

Now half of you will blurt out “Cover up! Back then and still to this day…” while the other half will probably say “Hah!, told you so, it’s Carl Webb”.

You heard this first on Toms By Two and certainly not on the TS Blog Spot.