Nancy Berryman, The Sun-Herald, March 25, 1979, p. 9.

Is John Singleton mounting a new advertising campaign to change his own rumbustious image?

A new, totally different John Singleton emerged this week — a man who believes in God, writes poetry, raises budgies and cultivates flowers.

Wait on, can this be the same hell-raiser and policeman kisser we’ve all heard so much about?

The millionaire Singleton of ocker ads and Saty night dogs who has appeared in court twice in the last month charged with assault?

According to the man himself and his loyal bank of friends, John Singleton is a man of many parts.

And the punchy one that keeps hitting the headlines has been blown out of all proportion, Singleton told me last week in an exclusive interview.

Friends say his latest sortie into the courts has him worried. But it was a jovial, good natured Singleton who talked for an hour about violence, businessmen, drink … and poetry.

ON VIOLENCE: “I abhor violence,” he said.

I don’t think I’ve initiated a fight ever … I can only think of about four or five times …

ON BUSINESSMEN: As friends of Singleton will tell you he likes the company of boxers, footballers and rodeo stars. They’re his kind of people.

“I spent 20 years in business and I feel immense sympathy for the majority of businessmen,” he said. “They live in an unreal world, doing unreal things, trying to make themselves feel important.”

“I said I would get out when I turned 35 and I did.”

ON DRINK: Singleton also dismissed suggestions that he can get aggressive after a few drinks as “absolutely ridiculous.”

“Drink has a similar effect on everyone. It exaggerates the mood you’re in. If you’re in a good mood you get happier. If you’re down in the dumps it doesn’t help.”

According to Singleton, he doesn’t often get down in the dumps. “I just think about how fantastic life is.”

ON HIS TV SHOW: Referring to his suspension from Channel 10:

“I’ve tried to put it out of my mind. It was successful for a new show. It beat the Rugby League in the ratings.”

He accused Channel 10 of acting as its own judge and jury.

“I’m old-fashioned enough to believe you should always wait and find out the truth.”

“I read what Channel 10 had to say in the papers but what I have to say I’ll say face-to-face.”

“That’s the right thing to do.”

ON POETRY: Apart from breeding budgerigars and doves, growing flowers, collecting good paintings he also writes.

Already in print is a children’s book called Vic the Viking, published in 1969, which he wrote under the name Eric the Red.

And lately, he’s taken to poetry. It’s ironic, he said, that his first poem to go public — it was recorded and set to music by close friend John Laws who played it on his radio program on Monday — should so aptly describe the events of the week.

It’s called Criticism and we quote a little of it:

A VERSE FROM THE OCKER AD MAN
And the rose was red
And beautiful among the grass
And trees and in the earth
And criticism came together,
As criticism does, and sat around the rose,
As criticism does, and spoke and acted
Without thinking as criticism does.
And the red was too red and the petals were too soft and criticism took.
Them off and smiled and nodded.
As criticism does.

ON FAILURE: Getting dumped is nothing new to him, he said.

“I’ve been dumped lots of times. The worst time was when I was just a kid, starting out on my own in advertising at 26 years of age.”

“I had a run in with Kerry and Clyde Packer. One thing followed another and the agency was suspended.”

“I had no income but I stuck it out. As a result I built the most successful agency in Australia from that disastrous beginning and finished up with Kerry Packer as one of my best friends.”

At 37 and retired from advertising, a challenge is what makes John go.

He’s already made a million, bought his harbourside home with swimming pool, private beach and tennis court and married a beautiful woman — former top international model and television personality, Maggie Eckhardt.

Right now the challenge is to make Australia the world’s biggest rodeo centre. He also wants to make rodeo more popular than Rugby League.

One of the things I’m proud of is that I was Australia’s most unsuccessful politician. And having met most of the successful ones I reckon that’s the ultimate accolade.

“Proud” is a word Singleton uses often.

There are two things in life according to the Singleton code; reputation and pride.

“The first is what other people think of you, and that’s unimportant. The second is what you think of yourself and that is important.”

“My reputation may be in doubt but my pride will never be in doubt.”