1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Dad, push the doors closed, got them locked so no 2 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: one could get out, and he's turned around and yelled out, 3 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 1: no one is leaving this tab until I get my 4 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: wallet back. Now there's one hundred men who turned and 5 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: looked at us, and there was just complete silence. It 6 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,440 Speaker 1: wasn't long after that, or probably a couple of years 7 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: after that, that he was featured on Australia's Most Wanted. 8 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: Oh that would help, So he was in the probably 9 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: the most wanted list. 10 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 2: I'm Andrew Rule. This is Life and Crimes, and today 11 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 2: we welcome to the studio Peter Norris. And Peter Norris 12 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 2: has written a book which is very eye catching. It's 13 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,239 Speaker 2: called The Bank Robbers Boy. It has a very striking 14 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 2: image on the cover, better than many covers. Peter designed 15 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 2: it himself. It's a photograph of himself, just a rough 16 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 2: little snapshot of himself as a I presume it's himself 17 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 2: as a little boy of maybe two, and he's looking 18 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 2: at the camera carefully, perhaps watchfully, and it is a 19 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 2: perfect image for the subject. And the subject really is 20 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 2: the memoir of that little lost boy who grew up 21 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 2: knowing that his father was one of the biggest and 22 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 2: toughest bank robbers in Australia in the golden era of 23 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 2: bank robbery in this country? Is that a fair summary, Painter. 24 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: That's a fair summary, Andrew, Yeah, yeah, And as you say, 25 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: I did design the cover myself and carefully chose that photo. 26 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: You know, it's not one, not a moment that I remember. 27 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: Too young to recall obviously, But. 28 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 2: How did you come to still have that photograph after 29 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 2: all your disjointed life which we're going to talk about. 30 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 2: You've been moved from pillar to post until you've turned 31 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 2: maybe eighteen or something, and a lot of stuff would 32 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 2: have got lost along the way, but you kept that photograph. 33 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, I've managed to keep a couple of photo albums 34 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: and somehow, you know, as you go through my story, 35 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: there's lots of moments where I'm able to grab a 36 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: backpack and fill it with whatever I. 37 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,079 Speaker 3: Could, and you grab the albums and it was always albums, 38 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 3: always photo along with a Tom the turtlemost Eddy Bear, yes, 39 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 3: and maybe one set of clothes, but that was it. 40 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,799 Speaker 2: So Teddy Bear and your family albums, Well, that's said 41 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 2: something for your character. 42 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:25,800 Speaker 1: They've been with me for life. 43 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 2: For life, isn't it isn't that beautiful. It's a touching 44 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 2: story in many ways, simply told effective, no pretension. You're 45 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 2: not one of those guys that licks the pencil stub 46 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 2: and looks for long words. 47 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:39,520 Speaker 1: You just tell it how it was. 48 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 2: And I found it quite moving, actually, and I was 49 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 2: reading it. I was saying a few minutes ago before 50 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 2: we started that I was reading this on the train 51 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 2: and I found it. I was worried that I'd miss 52 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 2: my next stop, you know, because I was getting involved 53 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 2: in it what happened next and soon, because there was 54 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 2: always something happening in your young life life, and it 55 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 2: was from crisis to crisis, and it's very compelling. Did 56 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,959 Speaker 2: you find that aspect when you were writing it that 57 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,799 Speaker 2: it brought back the way it felt to be that 58 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 2: little boy? Yeah? 59 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,639 Speaker 1: I did, and look and one thing that I suppose 60 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: that I really wanted to get out of this was 61 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,919 Speaker 1: to be authentic. And as you say, so if I 62 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: felt a certain way at the time, I didn't need 63 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: to use fancy words or look up at thesaurus to 64 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: make it sound a little bit more fancy than it 65 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: was exactly. I just just wrote it the way I 66 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: felt at the. 67 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 2: Time, and it's highly effective and We met at a 68 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 2: writer sesstel recently and never set eyes on each other before, 69 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 2: and you said I'd like to read a piece, and 70 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 2: you read a few paragress from the book, and I 71 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 2: found it enormously moving. I thought it was very well 72 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 2: chosen and very effective, and that we may get to 73 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 2: that bit today. It was the day that your dad said, 74 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 2: we're heading west. Like you went to a lot of 75 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 2: places with your dad at very short notice. Two minutes, 76 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 2: three minutes, five minutes. 77 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: They're always a short note. 78 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 2: And as you said at the time, you got a 79 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 2: car meaning dad pinch one and you drove from I 80 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,679 Speaker 2: think it was I think it was from Melbourne to Perth. 81 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 2: I was across another and you had a sort of 82 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 2: a scene with your father on the way and I 83 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 2: thought the really said a lot for your character, and 84 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 2: also you're writing that you were able to capture that 85 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 2: a moment of wisdom. Yeah, it's skilled from the whole 86 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 2: violent loss and everything else that you Yeah. 87 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:38,360 Speaker 1: It's a small part of the small part of the 88 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: book obviously, but such an integral part of the story 89 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: because it highlights my love for my father, but also 90 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: the fact I didn't want to become him. 91 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 2: You didn't want to be him here. Yeah, it's a 92 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 2: funny split thing. 93 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, really tough. 94 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 2: You love your father or your mother, but you don't 95 00:04:57,360 --> 00:04:58,039 Speaker 2: want to be them. 96 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, and as a kid, a tough time to negotiate too, 97 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 1: and confusing feelings and terrible yeah, awful. 98 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, you feel that for people who have got this, 99 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 2: you know, built into humans, is this loyalty to your 100 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:17,480 Speaker 2: own and to think that you've got to somehow negotiate 101 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,160 Speaker 2: that when you know one member of the family's been 102 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 2: dragged off to jail and the other one's dragged off 103 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 2: to the boys home, and the girls are dragged off 104 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 2: to god knows where. 105 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: It's very confronting, confronting, and imagine it must be the 106 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: same for you know, as you probably found through your 107 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,719 Speaker 1: research and writing, being married to a criminal would almost 108 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: be the same. And I imagine this totally. I love them, 109 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: but yeah, you know, but I don't. 110 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 2: And then finally, which leads us to one. 111 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,840 Speaker 1: Of the big psychological. 112 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 2: Things in your book, I imagine, I think, and tell 113 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:53,720 Speaker 2: me if I'm wrong, is the fact that ultimately your mother, 114 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 2: the woman who gave birth to you and to your siblings, 115 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 2: on one day, she just left, which happened so long 116 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 2: ago that I doubt you can actually remember. 117 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 1: It, literally, don't remember it. 118 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 2: You were the baby of the family. 119 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: Yep. 120 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:12,039 Speaker 2: Absolutely, your older siblings would remember her a little bit. Yeah. 121 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: So I've got three older siblings, two or two sisters 122 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: and a brother. 123 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 2: And they're still with us. 124 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 1: They're still with us. Yeah, my older brother and my 125 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:23,480 Speaker 1: older sister. So, older brother Dave, older sister Tina, they 126 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: both remember her, they do, yep, yep. So you know, 127 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: a lot of the memories in the early chapters, you know, 128 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: I'm relying on, particularly on my brother. Yeah, Mum's departure 129 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: is all. He's all Dave's memories. 130 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, and so take us to that. You've rebuilt this 131 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 2: through your brother's eyes. 132 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, Well, you know, I was born in nineteen 133 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: seventy three. It's not long after that, from eighteen months 134 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: a toddler kind of just you know, walking getting around 135 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:56,159 Speaker 1: and without knowing. My brother Dave, he's pretty much my father. 136 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:01,599 Speaker 1: He's this charming, great guy to sit in a beer with. Again, 137 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:03,720 Speaker 1: I probably wouldn't want to be him. It's different, but 138 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: a great guy who you know, he has friends that 139 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: are high court judges and criminals and everything. In between 140 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: these these they're just just amazing individuals have the ability 141 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: to befriend everybody. So we had some great conversations and 142 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: he recalled the day that mum told told him and 143 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 1: cuddled all of her kids and had a shopping bag 144 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: and was going shopping for the day and quarter bus 145 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: and she went and away she went. 146 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 2: This is outside the town of in New South Wales. 147 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah's this. I think this was in Kellyville, 148 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: I believe in a Sydney. 149 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 2: Suburb, Sydney suburb. So she just and that was it. 150 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 2: So she plotted her exit in the previous hours or days, 151 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 2: days and months, Yeah. 152 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: With full knowledge of her parents, who you know, my 153 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: grandmother and go Pa, you know, they would have known 154 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: that the time that that day she was she was heading, 155 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 1: she was heading. And yeah, so we have not heard 156 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: from her or seen her since at all. Nothing. 157 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 2: That is fifty years it happened in seventy five, right, yeah. 158 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, fifty years ago. Yeah. So I even't found a 159 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: fourth birthday card recently actually, so in one of the 160 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: albums I had with these things that I grabbed which 161 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: is from her, but it's in my dad's handwriting. Oh 162 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: so Dad, Dad, had given it to me at the 163 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 1: time to. 164 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 2: Say this is from mom, to say this is from mom. Oh, well, 165 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 2: let see, I've still got that. Yeah, it was thoughtful. Yeah. 166 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's another theory to that though. What's that? 167 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:46,960 Speaker 2: Oh I see, it could be very sinister, It could 168 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 2: be very Yeah, that's the point too. 169 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, okay. 170 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,840 Speaker 2: So which leads us to a question which I raised 171 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:55,840 Speaker 2: with you when we first met, and I think I 172 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 2: didn't raise it, and it certainly occurred to me. If 173 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 2: you were able to your mother through using people who 174 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 2: are good at finding people, would you want to do 175 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 2: that or would you not want to know the truth. 176 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: No, I would absolutely want to know that. And you know, 177 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: the way that I even finished my story, part of 178 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:19,559 Speaker 1: that is just letting Mum know that I forgive her 179 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: for those decisions. The decision to walk away from four 180 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: children would be a tough one, terrible and yeah one 181 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 1: that you know, no doubt, if she's still alive, would 182 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: still be with her. But I'm also aware that had 183 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: she taken the four of us, Dad would never stopped looking. 184 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 2: Oh I see, yeah, and that would be bring its 185 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:39,840 Speaker 2: own problems. 186 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: That would bring its own problems. 187 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 2: I suppose we owe it to our listeners to sketch 188 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 2: in a sort of a thumbnail sketch of your father's 189 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 2: career as a bank robber and other things. Okay, who 190 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 2: was your dad and where'd you start out? As suppose 191 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:53,079 Speaker 2: you know what happened next? 192 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: Now I know, certainly before my time and before kids. 193 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: You know that he spent a fair at a time 194 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:05,559 Speaker 1: in Tamworth Boys Home and a lot of our more 195 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:10,319 Speaker 1: notorious criminals there and Grafton, Grafton Jail, So it's probably 196 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:14,240 Speaker 1: Grafting where he met some of the more notorious criminals 197 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:17,960 Speaker 1: such as George Freeman and those guys. And he knew 198 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:20,959 Speaker 1: Russell Cox, Russell Cox Russell, Yeah, mad Dog Cox. 199 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 2: There were some big um robbers at that era that 200 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:27,559 Speaker 2: came to Sticky End. Yeah, that's reading Raymond. 201 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:30,480 Speaker 1: Raymond n Yeah. And there's still a guy that I 202 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 1: refer to it in the book and I still don't 203 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 1: know who it is because it's again it's my brother's 204 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: memories and just a guy called Wombat, who we called Wombat. 205 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: And we were just watching the news one day because 206 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 1: we'd seen met this wom bat at our house. He's 207 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 1: there regularly. And then the news came on and showed 208 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 1: a man who'd been pulled up at a traffic light 209 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:57,160 Speaker 1: and been shot in the head, and that was that 210 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: was one Bat saw. Yeah, sure who he was, though 211 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:03,319 Speaker 1: you must find that we need to know who Wane 212 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: Bat was. 213 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 2: What do you think happened there? There'd be a falling 214 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 2: out between friends. 215 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:08,679 Speaker 1: It'd be a falling out between you. 216 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:10,520 Speaker 2: You don't get shot in the head of the traffic. 217 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:13,920 Speaker 1: Light by that's by a lollipop. No, clearly a hit. 218 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,040 Speaker 1: And you know there's those that stuff going on at 219 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 1: the time. 220 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:23,720 Speaker 2: Okay, so you might have something falling out of it. Yeah, ye, 221 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 2: suspected of informing, Yeah, cheating somebody out of money or. 222 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: Something like that. 223 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:31,680 Speaker 2: Yeah. 224 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,240 Speaker 1: I tend to find that most of the criminals of 225 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:38,560 Speaker 1: that era, although they're criminals and clearly dishonest, I found 226 00:11:38,559 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: they had their own code. Though I certainly no listening 227 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: to Dad that he was always fair and would never 228 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 1: robel cheat another criminal. That was his kind of That 229 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: was the discussions that we used to have. 230 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 2: If you were whacking up the bank robbery money, you weren't. 231 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 2: You weren't dealing it from the bottom. 232 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: You just you just be fair and honest. But anyway 233 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:03,200 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean they're all the same, I suppose. 234 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:06,720 Speaker 2: I guess not interesting, isn't it that sort of basically 235 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:08,880 Speaker 2: sociopathic crooks can have a code that they. 236 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:10,680 Speaker 1: Still Yeah, yeah, they had their own code. 237 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 2: I was very impressed to give our listeners and readers, 238 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 2: your readers, some impression of your father's charisma and strength 239 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:26,320 Speaker 2: of character and his sheer presence. Let's say there's a 240 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,560 Speaker 2: story you described and it's in a tab. Clearly, like 241 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 2: so many other citizens, your dad spent a lot of 242 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 2: time punting, and that was probably the root cause of 243 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:39,400 Speaker 2: most of his troubles. And you know, the money comes 244 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 2: in and the money goes out, Well, we know where 245 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:45,000 Speaker 2: it's going. He wasn't buying Jaguar cars. He was backing 246 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 2: horses and dogs. 247 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:50,079 Speaker 1: That yeah, And we're punging from a from Thursday night 248 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:50,679 Speaker 1: till Sunday. 249 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 2: That was it. His wallet goes missing in this crowded tab. 250 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 2: He steps out and grabs some piece of wood from 251 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 2: somewhere and somehow gams the double doors so they won't 252 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 2: open from the inside. Yeah, and then he bails up 253 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 2: everybody in that room. Now, they might have been one 254 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 2: hundred people, They might have went. 255 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 1: Fifteen there was a day that I recall, Dad had 256 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:15,959 Speaker 1: placed his newspaper down on a bench and if you know, 257 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 1: for those that are old enough to remember, the old 258 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,079 Speaker 1: tab's there. You know, they smoke field back in the 259 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:23,720 Speaker 1: day when you could smoke inside the building, and there's 260 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: just races blaring, and there's generally only males in there, 261 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: and you know, one hundred blokes just all running around 262 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:29,959 Speaker 1: putting their bets on. 263 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:32,080 Speaker 2: Yep, and yeah. 264 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,320 Speaker 1: So he'd left his wallet on one of the benches, 265 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: placed a bet, and then gone to his pocket to 266 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: grab his wallet and realized that, you know, it wasn't there, 267 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:44,080 Speaker 1: gone back to the last place that he was and 268 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:48,160 Speaker 1: the wallet wasn't there either, And I remember just looking 269 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: at him, and his face used to kind of go red, 270 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:52,319 Speaker 1: and these veins would pop out in his neck, and 271 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:55,240 Speaker 1: I just had my little arm. I would have been 272 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: about seven at the time. I reckon, just had my 273 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 1: arm wrapped around his leg. And then he started walking 274 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,800 Speaker 1: towards the front door. Thank god, you know, we're just 275 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:06,000 Speaker 1: going to leave, because I knew what he was capable of. 276 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: And then we got to the door. Instead of walking out, 277 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: he's pushed the doors closed, got them locked. So no 278 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: one could get out, and he's turned around and yelled out, 279 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: no one is leaving this tab until I get my 280 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:25,240 Speaker 1: wallet back. And there's one hundred men who turned and 281 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 1: looked at us, and there was just complete silence. And 282 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:34,400 Speaker 1: of course, as a seven year old fairly daunting, fair 283 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:38,120 Speaker 1: if you were, I got no doubt that he would 284 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: have at least intended to work his way through each 285 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: of each and every one of them. And there was 286 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:45,880 Speaker 1: a man at the back of the room who put 287 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: his hand up and said, I just found this. Is 288 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:51,480 Speaker 1: this your wallet? And he pushed his way through the 289 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 1: hundred men to get to the back and snatched the 290 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: wallet and look through it, nothing missing, and then that 291 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: was carry on. Opened the door, opened the door, and 292 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 1: off we went, if we went. So that tells you 293 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:06,400 Speaker 1: a lot about your father, that story, doesn't it. He's 294 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 1: a punter, a victim of the punt really, yeah, absolutely, and. 295 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:14,400 Speaker 2: Probably committed crimes to square up betting debts. Probably, yeah. 296 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: I had Yeah, lots of our, lots of their parties 297 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: and contacts. There was always bookmakers present, so I'm sure 298 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 1: there was credit given, as you know, it was required 299 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 1: and all those sort of. 300 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 2: Things, and they'd have to then have to square off. 301 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,680 Speaker 2: And of course they always pay their bookie, always pay 302 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:33,720 Speaker 2: book always pay the book The thing is big on 303 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 2: bookies and and most bookies always pay their debts too. 304 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: Notwithstanding that, I think they robbed it for your bookies 305 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:44,920 Speaker 1: too after some big race mates too. That was that 306 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: was the thing back in the. 307 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 2: Day Lloyd Tidmarsh ended up dead, was That's right been 308 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 2: Jockie Smith and Jockie Smith would have been a contemporary 309 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 2: of your fathers. They would have known it, They would 310 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 2: have known each other, Yeah, for sure, from the same 311 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 2: sort of blood. Really very famous escapeian. 312 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:09,359 Speaker 1: Famous for his for his escapes. Yeah, yes, capologists. 313 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 2: But it also shows that the victim of the pump, 314 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 2: but also enormously confident, tough bloke who who'd come through 315 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 2: baptism of fire in the boys' homes and that made 316 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:25,080 Speaker 2: him the toughest bloke in the most surroundings. Yeah, he 317 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 2: wasn't actually in a high security jail. He was tougher 318 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 2: than the most paper And. 319 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:32,600 Speaker 1: There was something about I think crims of that day 320 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: that they all knew how to box. 321 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:36,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, they're all. 322 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: You know our uncle Billy Billy Smith. You know, if 323 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,600 Speaker 1: you look up some of the best sort of street 324 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 1: fighters back in those days. You've got you've got him in. 325 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 1: Some of the boys that they'd say were the ones 326 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:54,560 Speaker 1: that could go yeah and very good. A story in 327 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 1: there about visiting a fish and cheap shop. Our uncle 328 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: Billy cleaned up the bikes a through them through the window, 329 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:04,919 Speaker 1: and this guy was, you know, five foot seven with 330 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:08,640 Speaker 1: coke bottle classes cheesy. Yeah, good fight. 331 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, and the good fighter is a lot better 332 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:12,320 Speaker 2: than people that can't. 333 00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:14,119 Speaker 1: Yeah, it doesn't matter about size. 334 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:18,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's quite compelling stuff. Just lead us through from 335 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:22,359 Speaker 2: when your memory kicks in. When how far back do 336 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:24,399 Speaker 2: you think you can remember? You remember turning fourth for 337 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 2: a start. 338 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:29,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, So my first memory, my literally my first memory, 339 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:34,640 Speaker 1: I was living in a foster care situation. Now at 340 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:36,280 Speaker 1: the time, I wasn't aware I was in a foster 341 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:39,880 Speaker 1: care situation. I thought that was my biological family. 342 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:43,520 Speaker 2: The Seventh Adventures. Yeah, the one who belted it yep. 343 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,159 Speaker 1: Yeah, so I had this problem right up until I 344 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 1: was a teenager, until I got my nose quarter eyes. 345 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:51,160 Speaker 1: But it used to just bleed nighttime. And then yeah, 346 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:53,720 Speaker 1: the the person I thought was dad gave me a 347 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,439 Speaker 1: pretty big belting for bleeding on the machine. 348 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 2: Unbelievably cruel thing to do something that's clearly involuntary. 349 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:04,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, it seemed like it. But interestingly, it was around 350 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:09,719 Speaker 1: that time when something clicked in my head and I 351 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:14,400 Speaker 1: looked a little bit closer at my surroundings and I realized. 352 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:15,399 Speaker 2: That I'm not different. 353 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I was this tall, curly haired kid. My 354 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:23,240 Speaker 1: siblings had red hair and were plumping around and different. 355 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:25,199 Speaker 1: Mum and Dad didn't look anything like me. 356 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,640 Speaker 2: And you twigged, and I tweaked, and you still had 357 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:34,680 Speaker 2: some faint memory of your siblings, some faint memory. I 358 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 2: I've just read this in the last twelve hours, but 359 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 2: just explain to the listeners how you came to be 360 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:44,960 Speaker 2: reconciled with your biological father. 361 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 1: After that, it was just like any other Sunday morning, 362 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:51,360 Speaker 1: and this seventh day at Venice. Family that I was with, 363 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,399 Speaker 1: you used to go to church every week, and I 364 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:57,199 Speaker 1: was a very active child, so I was out just 365 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:01,399 Speaker 1: running around the garden before church, literally just running laps 366 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: around this this rectangle. And this man walked into the 367 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: front gate, big burly guy, big thick arms and thick shoulders, 368 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:14,880 Speaker 1: and he had there was another person with him that 369 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,959 Speaker 1: went towards the person I thought was my mother, and 370 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,760 Speaker 1: this man made a bee line straight to me, and 371 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,399 Speaker 1: there was a moment of confusion, but he came straight 372 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:28,400 Speaker 1: to me and picked me up, and we just looked 373 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:31,919 Speaker 1: at each other. And I think the first thing I 374 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,399 Speaker 1: believe I said was can I go home? Can you 375 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: take me home? I just knew that was carried me 376 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:42,360 Speaker 1: out to a waiting car. 377 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:46,120 Speaker 2: And seventh Advents didn't put up much opposition. 378 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:49,000 Speaker 1: Well, the other person that was there, and I know, 379 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: I don't know this for a fact. I believe was 380 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 1: probably social work or someone. And I do know that 381 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 1: for a fact that Dad at that stage had had 382 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:01,439 Speaker 1: won the to get his kids back through the new 383 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:02,240 Speaker 1: South Walest courts. 384 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:05,720 Speaker 2: He'd done it properly, done it properly. So he collected 385 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 2: all four of you. 386 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: He collected all three of us, colllected me and my 387 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:09,920 Speaker 1: two sisters. 388 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 2: Oh, and Dave was Dave decided with your grandparents, with 389 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 2: your maternal grandparents, yep, of course, yeah. And did Dave 390 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:18,200 Speaker 2: grow up with him pretty well. 391 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:22,240 Speaker 1: Grandpa died probably when Dave was pretty young, just a teenager, 392 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:26,080 Speaker 1: and then he went off really just made his own life. 393 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 1: He became a gunsmith. But yeah, so I went back 394 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:31,760 Speaker 1: to this waiting car and there was these two giggling 395 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:35,679 Speaker 1: girls in the in the back seat and they were cheering, 396 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:37,119 Speaker 1: and they were my sisters. 397 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:42,960 Speaker 2: Your grandparents in maternal grandparents, popping Nana. They lived originally 398 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 2: they lived out on a property somewhere out of Sydney somewhere. 399 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:46,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, yep, yep. 400 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:48,520 Speaker 2: What did grandpa do? 401 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: Look, I never saw of saw him go off to work. 402 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:53,959 Speaker 1: It was just things that he do around the property. 403 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,440 Speaker 1: You just you know, fixing fences, little farm. Yeah, he's 404 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: a small farm. I didn't kind of see any maybe 405 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: you know, a few cattle and things, but nothing, nothing significant. 406 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,159 Speaker 1: Some sheep and a few cattle, but yeah, probably just 407 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 1: more of a hobby sort of. I quite imagine that 408 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:09,840 Speaker 1: that day. 409 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 2: He is more or less retired. And they'd adopted your 410 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 2: mother when she. 411 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 1: Was a little girl. Yep they had Yeah. 412 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 2: And did they have any other children or adopted her, not. 413 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: That I'm aware of. No. So so their surname was Norris, 414 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:24,440 Speaker 1: which which Mum talked. 415 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 2: Mom took back, And where did your mother meet your father? 416 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:28,160 Speaker 2: And do you know the story? 417 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, I do know the story. Yeah, she was working 418 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 1: in a pub I believe, just pouring drinks. And she 419 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:38,399 Speaker 1: was a part time model as well. She was about 420 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:43,960 Speaker 1: twenty at least twenty years dad's junior, and Dad wasn't 421 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: a big drinker. But we'd spend a lot of our 422 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:50,120 Speaker 1: time at pubs and always be these you know, these 423 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: accomplices of dads. It would be sitting around tables just 424 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,920 Speaker 1: just talking, and you know, they'd throw us some money 425 00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: to go down to the milk bar and buy some 426 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:01,640 Speaker 1: lollies while they they did, or do whatever they did. 427 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: But Dad, anyway, obviously prior to us coming along in 428 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: one of these meetings, that had met mum and they 429 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:09,160 Speaker 1: hit it off. 430 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 2: And had four kids and had four and they stayed together. 431 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,120 Speaker 2: That would be back around the time Dave was born. 432 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 2: I suppose. Yeah, he's how many years older than you? 433 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, seven years older than me, so mid sixties and. 434 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:24,280 Speaker 2: Sixty five, and by seventy three, moms gone by seventy four, 435 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:25,800 Speaker 2: seventy four. I'm sorry. 436 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:29,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, So she's hit the toe, yep. 437 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:31,919 Speaker 2: And you don't have a feeling one while or the 438 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:33,920 Speaker 2: other about it, anything bad having to her. 439 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:37,040 Speaker 1: No, I must admit it's something I hadn't thought of, 440 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:40,679 Speaker 1: and it was someone else that suggested it to me 441 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,080 Speaker 1: that had I can sit and the way that this 442 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 1: came about. I had a phone call from somebody and 443 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:49,440 Speaker 1: I won't say all, someone who's in the media, who said, 444 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:54,000 Speaker 1: we've done a bit of looking around and your story 445 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:58,080 Speaker 1: about mum catching a bus and disappearing and never been 446 00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:02,400 Speaker 1: contacted was really similar to some others. Whether the result 447 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,119 Speaker 1: was that this person was murdered of course, had not 448 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 1: disappeared forever and not made contact with anyone, and that 449 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 1: was only this year that that that I. 450 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 2: Received that And that's not a crazy it's not a crazy. 451 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:19,879 Speaker 1: Theory crazy, No, it's not crazy at all. But what 452 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 1: about the. 453 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,919 Speaker 2: Preparations for you, the grandparents to adopt you out and all? 454 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:27,680 Speaker 2: As if it was prepared Ink hurts with mum. 455 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:29,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, so we were taken to a seventh Day at 456 00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:30,200 Speaker 1: Venice Church. 457 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 2: Do you think they'd already mapped that out ahead? 458 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,760 Speaker 1: Absolutely? Okay, yeah, yeah. 459 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,240 Speaker 2: I would suggest mummas there of anyon on them. 460 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:40,760 Speaker 1: That would suggest that. Yeah, but that's the story that 461 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 1: I know. Yeh, that's all I've been to. 462 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:46,719 Speaker 2: Well, that's a point to But we're dealing with childish 463 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:51,239 Speaker 2: memories which are tricky, correct it's very very interesting and 464 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,000 Speaker 2: you'd be very interested, you say, in finding your mother 465 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:54,600 Speaker 2: if you could. 466 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:58,159 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I'd love to know. Yeah what happened? I mean, 467 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 1: if she's live, you know, she would only be late seventies. 468 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,160 Speaker 2: What is her full legal name? 469 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,680 Speaker 1: Rose Marie Arnold? Arnold is her birth. 470 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,960 Speaker 2: Name birth Rose Marie Arnold, known as Rose Marie Norris yep, 471 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 2: and possibly Rose Marie Pew at some start, maybe. 472 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe more likely Arnold or Norris. 473 00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:22,040 Speaker 2: When was she born do you think? 474 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:30,160 Speaker 1: I would say maybe late forties, early fifties, right, that's 475 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:32,520 Speaker 1: early fifties possibly. 476 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, she was about twenty one. 477 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,400 Speaker 1: Name men, I was pretty young and then had Dave 478 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 1: pretty pretty quickly. 479 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:43,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, right, you're not really sure when Nana Pop lived. 480 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:45,679 Speaker 1: No, I just know, well, I know we're out it. 481 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:50,080 Speaker 1: I think maybe Dural Durrell. Yeah, okay, potentially out that. 482 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:53,280 Speaker 2: Way that way, Yeah, okay, No, that's an interesting thing. 483 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 2: And you never know who's listening, who might go Ah. 484 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:01,360 Speaker 2: Also there are people who are very good coming. 485 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,479 Speaker 1: Records, that's right, and had records, And if anyone listening 486 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 1: it feels the need or want to do that. 487 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:12,639 Speaker 2: Yes, get in touch. No worries Now the obvious question 488 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 2: is what happened to the bank robber? Your dad Gary 489 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:20,640 Speaker 2: Pugh alias Gary Reynolds alias Gary A lot of name 490 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:22,359 Speaker 2: you've had? How many names you think you've had as 491 00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:24,359 Speaker 2: a kid growing up? So the name that you've answered, 492 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 2: Jesus what I had? Yeah? 493 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:31,760 Speaker 1: So many? And you move to your Reynolds Yeah, you know, 494 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:33,200 Speaker 1: hope so and. 495 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:35,680 Speaker 2: You always learned the name. Yeah, it was. 496 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:37,680 Speaker 1: Always something that we got to we had to practice. 497 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 1: So Dad just you know, instilled that in us to 498 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:42,640 Speaker 1: just keep asking the question over and over again. Yeah, 499 00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:44,639 Speaker 1: because we went to a new school under a new. 500 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 2: Name each time, they could just do that each time. Yeah, 501 00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:52,800 Speaker 2: we just another name. How would the police keep finding him? 502 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:56,640 Speaker 2: Now you're in Shepperton after going from Bendio, let's say, 503 00:25:57,040 --> 00:25:59,800 Speaker 2: and he's in New South Wales like really originally, so 504 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,200 Speaker 2: it's not as if the Victorian couples all know him, 505 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:07,160 Speaker 2: no or not by sight necessarily. Then Monday bang bang bang, 506 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 2: one night, you know, they come through the door and 507 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 2: they arrest him Victoria's how would that be? 508 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:17,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean you know, it wasn't long after that, 509 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: or probably a couple of years after that, that he 510 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,160 Speaker 1: was featured on Australia's most wanted Oh that would help, 511 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,560 Speaker 1: But that was two years after this particular time in 512 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:27,639 Speaker 1: Shepherd And so he was in the probably you know, 513 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,960 Speaker 1: the most wanted list I think at that time in 514 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:34,399 Speaker 1: Shepard And when we got raided was because of the fight. 515 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:38,159 Speaker 1: So we're living in Salvation Army, you restpite center in 516 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: Shepard And and we've been there for some time and 517 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:45,240 Speaker 1: on occasion we could hear what sounded like sort of 518 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 1: a domestic dispute in the apartment unit next two hours 519 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:52,760 Speaker 1: and for the most part we ignored it. It just 520 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,040 Speaker 1: seemed like, you know, a couple yelling at each other. 521 00:26:55,920 --> 00:27:00,440 Speaker 1: On one particular morning, it seemed like it escalated sort 522 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:06,080 Speaker 1: of breaking glass and a woman crying and a man, yeah, 523 00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:09,160 Speaker 1: yelling And it was that on this occasion that Dad 524 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,240 Speaker 1: went to the door and knocked on the door and 525 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:15,520 Speaker 1: was really polite and just you know, basically just sit, 526 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:19,520 Speaker 1: I'm here, just to check that everyone's all right. This man, 527 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:22,639 Speaker 1: who you know, was the one that was sort of 528 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 1: yelling at his wife and you know, potentially you know, 529 00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: the domestic abuse perpetrator, stormed out of the front wire door, 530 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,040 Speaker 1: you know, went straight into Dad and just started swearing 531 00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 1: at that Dad, and Dad being Dad, sort of tried 532 00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:41,880 Speaker 1: to remain calm, but that didn't last for too long 533 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:45,240 Speaker 1: while this guy was continuing to swear, particularly in front 534 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:48,640 Speaker 1: of us kids. So it ended up that they were 535 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:51,880 Speaker 1: ended up in a fistfight, and you know, Dad got 536 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 1: him a couple of good ones and split his eye 537 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,800 Speaker 1: open and his chin with her knee. But this was 538 00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:00,879 Speaker 1: a really, really really big man and eventually got the 539 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:05,240 Speaker 1: upper hand on Dad and had him on the ground 540 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:10,679 Speaker 1: with his arms around Dad's neck and he sort of 541 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:15,399 Speaker 1: had one arm locked in around Dad's throat, and he 542 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:17,439 Speaker 1: was quite calm at this stage the big man, and 543 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:22,320 Speaker 1: Dad's face was turning purple, and the man, in a 544 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: really kind of strange and almost psychopathic kind of voice, 545 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 1: just looked at us, you know, me and my siblings 546 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:30,719 Speaker 1: and said, you know, do you want your dad to 547 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,040 Speaker 1: die today? And was just in a really sort of soft, 548 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:36,560 Speaker 1: calm voice, which seemed you know, quite sort of spooky 549 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:40,440 Speaker 1: to us, and as kids, you know, we were deeply impacted. 550 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 1: We were sobbing and crying, and you know, I think 551 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:44,480 Speaker 1: one of my sisters had sort of dropped to her 552 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 1: knees and you know, rightfully so thought that dad was 553 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:51,400 Speaker 1: going to die that day, and that was really only 554 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:55,920 Speaker 1: broken up by you know, from the side came this 555 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: old man who you know, we don't ever really seen 556 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,160 Speaker 1: the chain, smoke mental cigarettes and never spoke to any one, 557 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:06,840 Speaker 1: and brought the stool that he sat on every ay 558 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:08,920 Speaker 1: down on this big man's head and split his head 559 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:13,960 Speaker 1: open and knocked him unconscious. So, yeah, an act of 560 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:16,720 Speaker 1: courage from an old man who pretty much said nothing 561 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:19,280 Speaker 1: at any time, does not it as you walked past 562 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,000 Speaker 1: and decided to act on that day? 563 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 2: Good stuff. But within twelve hours the police had grabbed 564 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:29,000 Speaker 2: your dad, yeah, and taken him off to Yeah. So 565 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,240 Speaker 2: that large he had charges penning. 566 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, charges pending. Yeah, but that large man had had 567 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:35,680 Speaker 1: said to us that day that he was going to 568 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: come and kill the whole family. Yeah, when we got 569 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: raided that night as kids, that's what I thought happened. Yeah, 570 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 1: until you know, I sort of woke up and Dad 571 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:48,800 Speaker 1: was pinned to the floor with detectives, and as he 572 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 1: did every single time, he was quite calm and just 573 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:54,640 Speaker 1: said it'll be our kay, Pete. I'll come and get 574 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:55,520 Speaker 1: you as soon as I can. 575 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:56,000 Speaker 2: Yeh. 576 00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:59,000 Speaker 1: That's another theme in the story is that Dad kept 577 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:03,160 Speaker 1: his promise, always came back to find me. I could 578 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:05,760 Speaker 1: couldn't always get all of us, but it always because 579 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:10,960 Speaker 1: you were the baby. Was that yeah, yeah, at that time, 580 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 1: as we might get too old, as I then became 581 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:16,520 Speaker 1: a state ward at Beltara, yeah yeah, and that it 582 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:20,280 Speaker 1: was a government decision to put me into Beltara. I 583 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:25,080 Speaker 1: was eleven, so that was pretty beautiful. It was horrible, yeah, 584 00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:29,560 Speaker 1: so you know, and I opened my book with an 585 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 1: open letter to the government of Victoria, just with a 586 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:37,000 Speaker 1: statement that they told me that I was going to 587 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 1: be able to read at a hearing. And then once 588 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:42,720 Speaker 1: they read my statement, they decided that it was too 589 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:43,960 Speaker 1: hard for them to hear it. 590 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, too heartbreaking, too heartbreaking, and. 591 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: They decided, well at work out safety reasons for that, 592 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:52,239 Speaker 1: that they didn't want their people exposed, people exposed as 593 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:56,120 Speaker 1: such as that, right, that was the excuse anyway, So 594 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:59,920 Speaker 1: I've put that to very effect. 595 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,760 Speaker 2: So Beltara, you're eleven, You're in there for X time 596 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 2: and it seems like a long time, but it might 597 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 2: have been months ago. Yeah, months, and then the wheel 598 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:15,280 Speaker 2: turns again and a foster family they turn up and 599 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 2: take you in. And so at the end of this 600 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:21,800 Speaker 2: first episode, we've got Peter eleven years old leaving bell Tara, 601 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 2: the Victorian State institution where he had to be put 602 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,680 Speaker 2: and ahead of him was a big adventure where yet 603 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:35,200 Speaker 2: again his dad finds him and they leave town. And 604 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:39,360 Speaker 2: that is what we will hear next week when they 605 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:40,200 Speaker 2: head west. 606 00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 1: Thanks Andrew, look forward to when you're covering all that 607 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:48,280 Speaker 1: off next week. 608 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:52,600 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening. Life and Crimes is a Sunday Herald 609 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:57,560 Speaker 2: Sun production for True Crime Australia. Our producer is Johnty Burton. 610 00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 2: For my columns, features and or go to Haroldson dot 611 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:07,840 Speaker 2: com dot au forward slash Andrew rule one word. For 612 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:13,560 Speaker 2: advertising inquiries, go to news Podcasts sold at news dot 613 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 2: com dot au. That is all one word news podcasts 614 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:23,120 Speaker 2: sold And if you want further information about this episode, 615 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:25,520 Speaker 2: links are in the description