The Hilton bombing occurred on 13th February 1978. It was the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting (CHOGRM). The bomb was planted in a rubbish bin directly outside the main entrance to the Hilton Hotel in Sydney. The bomb exploded when the bin was emptied into a garbage truck at 12.40 hours, killing two garbage collectors, Alec Carter and William Favell, a police officer Paul Birmistriw succumbed to his horrific injuries and died later, while 11 other people suffered serious injury. There were 12 foreign leaders staying at the Hilton Hotel at the time of the explosion.The Ananda Marga sect were targeted and blamed for this blatant act of terrorism and three of its members were arrested, namely Timothy Anderson, Ross Dunn and Paul Alister. All three were convicted and sent to prison. My understanding is they were later pardoned and received compensation for false imprisonment.
In this country, once pardoned, they are entitled to be considered innocent of the crimes they had been charged with. It seems to me the evidence was deemed unreliable, yet the case is very similar to that of Lindy Chamberlain, she has been pardoned and exonerated of all crimes, therefore is entitled to the presumption of innocence, yet debate still remains today surrounding her innocence by a small minority of people who were so convinced of her guilt at the time of her trial, that they refuse to accept the court’s eventual finding, and so it is to some extent the same for Anderson, Dunn and Alister.
I do not hide the fact that I did not like them, they were always agitating for something, vegetarian meals and supplements, including a variety of nuts and other special vegetarian foods and green tea. One of their principles and commitments to the sect was that they were vegetarian. There was always an ample supply of vegetables on the food barrow, they just needn’t have taken the meat, after all they were in prison for goodness sake. There are pensioners who have worked hard all their lives who could not afford to live in luxury like these prisoners were beginning to.
On one occasion Anderson, Dunn and Alister were housed in 13 Wing in the Metropolitan Remand Centre, at the Long Bay Prison complex. On the “D” watch (14.00 to 22.00 hours), were two very experienced officers Sandie Storie and John Royce, both of whom I knew and had a lot of respect for. Around 18.00 hours Mr Royce received information the prisoners on the middle landing were going to refuse to go to their cells at lock in time (21.30 hours). Mr Royce informed Principal Prison Officer Mr Dyson of the pending trouble in the wing.
Mr Dyson instructed Mr Royce of the procedure he was to carry out.
Should the prisoners refuse to go to their cells at lock in time, Mr Storie was to issue a direct order to the prisoners to go to their cells.
If they refused Mr Storie’s direct order, he (Mr Royce) was to issue a direct order to the prisoners to go to their cells.
Should the prisoners refuse both officers’ direct orders, Mr Dyson was to be notified immediately.
The prisoners refused the direct orders from Mr. Storie and Mr. Royce.
To find out what happens next in this tense standoff, read my book “Cutting the Bars – Volume 3”, page 70.
