John Webster (orator)
Encyclopedia
John Webster, aka Mohammed Jon Webster, or more simply just Webster (circa 1913 - 15 December 2008), was a soap box orator and public speaker who principally plied his trade at Speakers' Corner
near Marble Arch
at Hyde Park, London
and beneath the Moreton Bay Fig
trees of The Domain, Sydney
from the early 1950s till the late 1980s. He also made sorties into the then wilds of Arabia, Tasmania, Melbourne's Yarra Bank and various other outposts of the erstwhile British Empire. Webster, who almost always referred to himself in the third person, cultivated a provocative oratorical style of delivering a wide-reaching and eclectic philosophy in a hybrid carny barking cockney/Australian accent. He was the most prominent and listened-to of all long term speakers at the Sydney Domain. Journalist John Edwards wrote in 1971 "The only (modern) force is the inimitible (sic) Webster who, lately returned from England, is responsible for most of the popularity of the (Sydney) Domain." Nene King
observed of a day spent at the Sydney Domain "Webster (no first name, no mister) commanded the largest audience as he waved a a verbal flag for the British Empire - 'We Englishmen are God's gift to the whole world.'"
who told him in 1947 "we can use the Jews." This prompted him to reassess his ideas and he subsequently wrote a letter of apology to the Jewish Chronicle of the times expressing his regrets.
The deployment of the famous name of the prophet of Islam in one of Webster's monikers hails from a time wherein he, having received the honorary title of Sheikh from the Hazhar University of Cairo whilst married to a Jewish woman, embraced the Islamic religion in order to marry a Moslem one. This marriage to a Persian woman in 1963 was as brief as his previous marriage to the Jewish lady. He told journalist Linda Hornsey that he had been working for the Ministry of Information when he suggested, inter alia, on a television programme that the Arabs should make peace with Israel: "After that I made a quick but quiet retreat from the Middle East". He told the same journalist that he had once been a "card-carrying member" of the Communist party, then a fascist, a mystical Moslem of Sufistic leaning before evolving into a "simple" humanist. He had come to see the adherence to doctrinaire creeds as dangerous, and planned to set up an "ecological workshop on religion", where people could come to have their religion "tested".
, founder of the Wayside Chapel
in Kings Cross, New South Wales
claimed "Here at the Chapel, Webster has helped to make what we call the Family of Man a reality." The Uniting Church of Australia's Reverend Bill Crews (clergyman), host of a free restaurant for the poor in Ashfield, New South Wales
, made frequent visits to Webster's domicile in Webster's declining years. He remarked that "He (Webster) influenced so many people, taught us how to think in lots of ways...I think he thought he'd live forever" Webster passed away quietly at a secret retreat in Launceston, Tasmania
shortly before his 96th birthday, leaving no immediate heirs.
Speakers' Corner
A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate and discussion are allowed. The original and most noted is in the north-east corner of Hyde Park in London, United Kingdom. Speakers there may speak on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful, although...
near Marble Arch
Marble Arch
Marble Arch is a white Carrara marble monument that now stands on a large traffic island at the junction of Oxford Street, Park Lane, and Edgware Road, almost directly opposite Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park in London, England...
at Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
and beneath the Moreton Bay Fig
Moreton Bay Fig
Ficus macrophylla, commonly known as the Moreton Bay Fig, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the Moraceae family that is a native of most of the eastern coast of Australia, from the Atherton Tableland in the north to the Illawarra in New South Wales, and Lord Howe Island. Its common name is...
trees of The Domain, Sydney
The Domain, Sydney
The Domain is 34 hectares of open space in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Sydney central business district, near Woolloomooloo. The Domain adjoins the Royal Botanic Gardens and is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust, a division of the New South...
from the early 1950s till the late 1980s. He also made sorties into the then wilds of Arabia, Tasmania, Melbourne's Yarra Bank and various other outposts of the erstwhile British Empire. Webster, who almost always referred to himself in the third person, cultivated a provocative oratorical style of delivering a wide-reaching and eclectic philosophy in a hybrid carny barking cockney/Australian accent. He was the most prominent and listened-to of all long term speakers at the Sydney Domain. Journalist John Edwards wrote in 1971 "The only (modern) force is the inimitible (sic) Webster who, lately returned from England, is responsible for most of the popularity of the (Sydney) Domain." Nene King
Nene King
Nene King was editor of some of Australia's most famous women's magazines, including Woman's Day, New Idea and Women's Weekly.-Early life:King was born in March 1943 in Melbourne to a Jewish family. Her parents were Lionel and Emily and she has an older brother, Peter...
observed of a day spent at the Sydney Domain "Webster (no first name, no mister) commanded the largest audience as he waved a a verbal flag for the British Empire - 'We Englishmen are God's gift to the whole world.'"
Ideological Development and Weltanschauung
Webster, by his own confession, navigated the whole gamut of ideological spectra from the centre to the far left, then over to the extreme right and back to the middle again. A communist rabble rouser in the 1940s, he went on to subscribe to the anti-semitic views of the British fascists, until he was approached by Sir Oswald MosleyOswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
who told him in 1947 "we can use the Jews." This prompted him to reassess his ideas and he subsequently wrote a letter of apology to the Jewish Chronicle of the times expressing his regrets.
The deployment of the famous name of the prophet of Islam in one of Webster's monikers hails from a time wherein he, having received the honorary title of Sheikh from the Hazhar University of Cairo whilst married to a Jewish woman, embraced the Islamic religion in order to marry a Moslem one. This marriage to a Persian woman in 1963 was as brief as his previous marriage to the Jewish lady. He told journalist Linda Hornsey that he had been working for the Ministry of Information when he suggested, inter alia, on a television programme that the Arabs should make peace with Israel: "After that I made a quick but quiet retreat from the Middle East". He told the same journalist that he had once been a "card-carrying member" of the Communist party, then a fascist, a mystical Moslem of Sufistic leaning before evolving into a "simple" humanist. He had come to see the adherence to doctrinaire creeds as dangerous, and planned to set up an "ecological workshop on religion", where people could come to have their religion "tested".
Oratorical style and technique
Webster was wont to claim that his purpose in orating was to inspire people to think for themselves. His method was one of deliberate provocation, irony, "verbal cartooning" and a wit attested to by all commentators of the time. "I have never yet heard Webster bettered by a heckler, nor stuck for some kind of answer to a question." "It could be argued that the greatest demagogue in Australia today is a 53 year old Cockney named Muhammed (sic) John Webster" wrote Sydney Morning Herald journalist Gavin Souter in 1966, "There is no one in the Australian Parliaments to match him, and in Sydney's Domain he has no real competition." "Webster insults, abuses and ridicules his audience. The response, in laughter and applause, would be the envy of any television comic" observed Jim Oram.Passing and Legacy
The late Reverend Ted NoffsTed Noffs
Theodore Delwin Noffs was a Methodist minister, writer and founder of the and Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross, Sydney, in 1964. During the youth revolt of the 1960s, Noffs was attracted to what he saw as the life-affirming side of the movement...
, founder of the Wayside Chapel
Wayside Chapel
The Wayside Chapel is a ministry in the Kings Cross/Potts Point area of Sydney, Australia.-Description and history:The Wayside Chapel was established in the Kings Cross area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 1964. Ted Noffs was the founder of the Wayside Chapel, which was at the time a...
in Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
claimed "Here at the Chapel, Webster has helped to make what we call the Family of Man a reality." The Uniting Church of Australia's Reverend Bill Crews (clergyman), host of a free restaurant for the poor in Ashfield, New South Wales
Ashfield, New South Wales
Ashfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.The official name for the...
, made frequent visits to Webster's domicile in Webster's declining years. He remarked that "He (Webster) influenced so many people, taught us how to think in lots of ways...I think he thought he'd live forever" Webster passed away quietly at a secret retreat in Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
shortly before his 96th birthday, leaving no immediate heirs.
External links
- Webster Dies - ABC News 16-12-08.
- His ashes scattered in Sydneys Domain - ABC News
- Obituary:Sydney Morning Herald 17-12-08 http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/demagogue-has-last-word/2008/12/16/1229189622994.html
- The Speakers, Heathcote WilliamsHeathcote WilliamsHeathcote Williams is an English poet, actor and award-winning playwright. He is also an intermittent painter, sculptor and long-time conjuror...
: http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/17825728?selectedversion=NBD8706206