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James Muirhead’s lifetime of service was summarised by the Chairman of the National Crime Authority and
Federal Court Judge, John Phillips, as follows: ‘Throughout his career, His Honour’s conduct of his judicial
responsibilities has been distinguished by his learning, unfailing courtesy and strong sense of duty... So, four
times a Judge, then Royal Commissioner and Administrator. Six appointments under the Crown and a lifetime
spent in the honourable discharge of them’.
J H Muirhead, ‘Discharge the Jury?’, Menzies School of Health Research Oration, 1989; J H Muirhead, ‘The Australian Aboriginal and the
Law’, First Victorian Institute of Forensic Pathology Oration, 20 October 1990; J H Muirhead, Anzac Day Address, Katherine, 25 April 1992;
Personal correspondence and conversations with Hon J H Muirhead, 1992–1994 and various public addresses, 1989–1992; Northern Territory
Land Titles Office records; P A Rosenzweig ‘The Retirement of the Honourable J H Muirhead, AC QC’, Sabretache, XXXIV, 1993.
PAUL ROSENZWEIG, Vol 3.MULDOON, PHILIP FRANCIS (1897–1979), clerk, mounted policeman and gaol governor, was born at Mount
Barker, South Australia on 3 May 1897, son of John Joseph Muldoon, born County Meath, Ireland and Mary Jane,
nee Peake, of Mount Barker. Philip was the tenth of 13 children, there being four females and nine males.
Educated at the Hahndorf College, he left school at 14 years of age and initially worked for a short time on the
family mixed farm at Mount Barker named ‘Butterfield’, and as an assistant to a local blacksmith. The year 1914
saw Philip employed by the Post Master General’s Department (PMG). As a postal delivery boy he first worked
at Mount Barker, then following his father’s death in 1914 his mother moved to Adelaide where Philip worked
as a clerk in the stores section of the PMG and from there he was sent to Mount Gambier. Philip then accepted a
transfer to Darwin where he arrived on the steam ship Mataram on 4 April 1918. An early Darwin experience was
to witness the riot that culminated in the removal of Administrator Gilruth from office.
On the 19 May 1919, Philip Muldoon was appointed to the Northern Territory Mounted Police. After two
years service in Darwin he was transferred to Timber Creek as assistant to Mounted Constable (MC) Tom Turner,
already a legendary figure of the force. Back in Darwin in 1923, Muldoon was sent by motor launch to Borroloola
in order to escort five white prisoners back to Darwin on a charge relating to cattle duffing. One of the accused
was Bill Harney, whose charge was eventually dismissed. In later years, Harney became a patrol officer, the first
ranger at Ayers Rock (Uluru) and author of 14 books of great Northern Territory interest.
In 1924, MC Muldoon was relieving officer in Katherine. A short time later, he was sent to relieve Senior
Constable (SC) John Lovegrove at Newcastle Waters. As SC Lovegrove had been promoted to Sergeant he was
transferred to Rankine River and MC Muldoon remained at Newcastle Waters until 1929.
He took leave in 1928, during which time he met, became engaged to and married Bertilla Williams. The marriage
was celebrated at The Queen of Angels Catholic Church at Thebarton, South Australia, on 12 May 1928. Early in
1929, Mrs Muldoon went to Adelaide for the birth of their first child. While she was away, MC Muldoon went
on a long car patrol with Chief Stock Inspector Bishop to cover the cattle stations of the Barkly Downs regions.
During the trip, Muldoon became very ill and was flown from Brunette Downs to the Camooweal Hospital by the
newly established Flying Doctor Service. The diagnosis was black water fever (dengue), which proved to be most
serious and near fatal. Eventually recovering but still not well he returned to Newcastle Waters then travelled to
Alice Springs in time to greet his wife and new son, Brian Vincent, on the first passenger train to arrive in August
1929.
In May 1930, Muldoon was offered a transfer to either Canberra or Alice Springs owing to his continued
ill health. The family chose Alice Springs but because of a problem with the Central Australian Government
Resident, V G Carrington, he was first sent to Arltunga then Barrow Creek. A little later, he was transferred to
Alice Springs for two years. Early in 1933, Muldoon returned to Barrow Creek, but as there was increased mining
activity at Tennant Creek, he was required to combine his police duties with that of mining warden. By 1935, there
was need for a warden closer to Tennant Creek so he set up his office in the old Telegraph Station, 12 kilometres
north of the present township. With the appointment of a fulltime mining warden at Tennant Creek, Muldoon’s
police duties increased again and his mining warden’s role was confined to the wolfram fields of Wauchope and
Hatches Creek.
His second child, Patricia Anne, was born in Adelaide House, Alice Springs in 1937 and by then his health was
still far from good. Mounted Constable Muldoon resigned from the police force to become Keeper of His Majesty’s
Gaol and Labour Prison in Alice Springs. He served in this position from 1 November 1938 to 11 October 1958.
The prison complex being new, Muldoon took it over from the builders and then had the major task of fitting it
all out, the building cost having been 15 888 Pounds and 17 Shillings. Until other staff were appointed he was
on call 24 hours a day. The gaol complex became a maximum-security prison and the grounds the showplace
of Alice Springs. Citrus trees flourished, as did native shade trees, vegetable gardens and magnificent arrays of
flowers. The first town tennis court was built within its confines, for recreational purposes for the inmates during
the week; the weekends for reasonable town use.
Officer Muldoon treated all prisoners alike, from Aborigine to European. A strict code of work ethic
was maintained. Huge dumps of firewood were established for prison use as well as for other government
instrumentalities. A most humane and dedicated Christian man thus created a model prison system.
Many are the stories circulated by ex-inmates, townspeople of the era and media alike. All tell of a kindness
exhibited by this man who treated all people as equals. However one story is true; the time when Olive Pink was
ordered by the court to serve a few days in prison, or pay a small fine, for some misdemeanour. Being something
of an eccentric anthropologist and ‘do gooder’, she refused to pay the fine and chose the short prison sentence.
Alarmed at having Miss Pink as a guest, Officer Muldoon paid the fine from his own pocket and suffered much
chagrin from the lady in question for quite some time to follow. Throughout Philip Muldoon’s time in charge of