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Clip description
Wharfie Tiddly Pete (Jock Levy) is drinking at the Royal Oak Hotel when he should be reporting for work at the waterfront. He leaves the pub drunk and stumbles across the road into the traffic. On his way down to the docks, he is followed by a journalist and photographer. He clocks in late and the foreman, 'Sackem Plenty’, comes over to see what the fuss is about. Sackem tries to send Pete home, but Pete starts to dance with him and a small crowd gathers around. This scene is caught on camera and winds up on the front page of the newspapers with one headline reading, 'Wharfies, a mob of tosspots!’
Curator’s notes
This clip drives home the message that the bad behaviour of one wharfie can bring negative publicity that has a detrimental effect on the whole union. The name of the foreman – 'Sackem Plenty’ – is a none-too-subtle reminder to workers watching this documentary that it is not just the media looking for them to slip up, but management as well.
