Somerton Man Plaster Bust Mystery #1 Solved And Another Takes Its Place...

 

Photo Taken November 2022 at SAPOL Museum Adelaide

In 2022 I visited Adelaide, I have relatives there, in fact, I arrived there with my young family in 1977 as a not-quite, 10-pound Pom, well Irishman. We lived there for 14 years and I have family who still reside in the City of Churches.

Back to the image, it was, as you can see, encased in a see-through plastic display box but that wasn't always the case, in fact, it spent much of its life in an open atmosphere and we will examine that aspect a little further shortly.

The mystery that had puzzled me for some years was one related to another photograph, this one:

In the image to the right, we see a man who is apparently examining the left eyebrow of the bust of the Somerton Man. The immediate thought was that he was particularly interested in the eyebrow because, quite possibly he could see some hair remnants there.


I imagine that some would be quite familiar with the image as I feel sure it has appeared several times over the years.


Mystery # 1
My question was, who is the man in the photograph? 

I searched deep and wide but I couldn't find the answer, someone may have already had it but it wasn't published as far as I could see.

While researching the Littlemore 'Inside Story' PDF documents, there was the photograph. It was in an article published in an edition of the Daily Mirror, Sydney dated July 13th, 1970. It was a particularly well-written piece and the man in the photograph had written it, his name was Patrick (Pat) Burgess a well-respected journalist with a history of doggedly pursuing the truth. (The article itself covered several issues including an extensive account of a discussion he had with John Ruffles, which, by the way, covered the meeting of Harry Gold with an, at that time, unnamed Soviet agent in a Bronx Cinema.) In the article, Patrick refers to an earlier piece he had written two years earlier but that does not as yet fall into Trove's remit.

There is more about Patrick Burgess at the foot of this post.

# 1 Mystery Solved & # 2 Begins:
 So that's one mystery solved but we now have another to consider. As you can see the bust is in an open office area and without a protective cover. Not an ideal environment for a plaster bust, an important item such as this should be in a climate-controlled environment with stable temperature and humidity levels. If that is not the case then, given the proud nature of plaster, the surface can become 'tacky' and attract dust and other particles including hair for example. I am as certain as I can be that the Forensic team examining the Somerton Man's body would have discounted, but possibly not dismissed the value of the rootless shaft of hair that was sent to Astrea by Professor Abbott.

By adding this question of lack of protection for the bust to the apparent lack of any substantiated connection between the rootless shaft of hair to the bust in the first instance and the fact that the hair used for the analysis now no longer exists and there are good reasons to be very concerned about the claim that Carl Webb was the Somerton Man.

Patrick (Pat) Burgess (1925–1989): A Courageous Journalist
& Foreign Correspondent

Patrick (Pat) Burgess, born on March 14, 1925, in Stanthorpe, Queensland, was a distinguished journalist and foreign correspondent. Educated in Sydney, he served in the Royal Australian Navy during WWII before pursuing arts and law at the University of Sydney. A passionate writer, Burgess began his career with the Catholic Weekly and later joined major outlets such as the Daily Telegraph and the Sydney Morning Herald.

His fearless reporting spanned war zones in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Papua New Guinea, earning him two prestigious Walkley Awards (1964, 1978). Known for embedding with Australian troops, he chronicled their experiences with vivid, poetic detail, often risking his life. Burgess also authored the novel Money to Burn (1982) and the nonfiction work Warco (1986).

Remembered for his courage and sharp insights, Burgess's legacy is one of resilience, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of truth. He passed away from motor neuron disease on January 23, 1989.

You can find the full article on Patrick here: 

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/burgess-francis-patrick-pat-12266