There are a hundred people to thank for this book. Their endless contributions make the final product that has just one name on the spine. They don’t get a curtain call, group bow or orchestra claps. For credit, but not for blame, are the following: my parents, my siblings, my friends, my teachers, my family, my colleagues, my contacts, my bosses, my publisher.
Thank you to those whose availability, honesty and candour were priceless. In many instances their sense for the story extended beyond answers to valuable tips, like pointing me in the direction of the serial Greek escapees who could be a book in themselves. Some strange bedfellows follow. But for helping me tell the story you’re all beautiful to me.
Bernie Edwards, reassuring proof in a world full of self-promoters that humble people can still get ahead. Jim Coghlan, Jim O’Brien and Jarrod Ragg for their availability, good humour and candour. The bad boys might have better cars but the good guys have better jokes. Thank you also for updating my police lingo. (‘Back in the eighties, mate, it might have been a wire.’) Thank you to Lora Mokbel for revealing her perspective on her family’s remarkable tale and to the Mokbel family and friends, here and abroad, including Kabalan and Gawy, who, while often reluctant, were never rude. Also: Mick Gatto, Judy Moran, Brian Murphy, Christine Nixon, Simon Overland, Roberta Williams and Bert Wrout. And for sources who it’s in nobody’s interest to name but who are the most important and for whom I will always remember the favour. You have to be recognised here like dead heroes in black ops but know who you are: * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For outright help or keeping a secret: Queenie, Laurie Nowell, Nick Richardson and the Meerkat. (Squareheads don’t usually get pseudonym, but I’m told it’s necessary in this case.) Thank you to the Meerkat for casting your eye, introducing me to the Ice Man, reminding me that the anecdote – like the chopper – is key, and that the punter not the purist is king. Hopefully unlike the chopper the anecdotes got the job done. Thanks to dawn-patrolling racing writer Rod Nicholson for checking my horse talk.
For blunt inspiration: Filthy, who fearlessly faced cancer and came out the other side unchanged, untempered and inappropriate. I never realised how much I liked you until you nearly kicked the bucket. You’re almost like a brother to me.
Also to two hardboiled paddies who gave me creepy inspirational advice during the hard grind of research and writing. One, after explaining why it is wise to do oral interviews with police instead of writing your own statement: ‘You will not know the answer if the question has not been asked.’ The other, on the sometimes sphincter-clenching nature of asking impolite, inappropriate and impertinent questions: ‘If you want to eat chops you’ve got to cut the throats of lambs.’ You both know who you are.
There is next to no attribution once the story starts because I did not want to break up what I hope is the potboiler flow of the story with constant references to newspaper mastheads or nods to friends and acquaintances. So thank you to the journalists and authors whose hard work I pillaged to try to tell the whole Tony story. In rough order of most pillaged in quasi-topical clusters: Ed O’Loughlin, Fiona Hudson, Bill Hayton, Peter Wilson, David Murray, James Button, Helena Smith and Charles Miranda (Lebanon and Greece), John Silvester (Howden and prison pizzas), Geoff Wilkinson, Adrian Dunn, Nick McKenzie, Rod Nicholson (the track), Sue Hewitt and Laurie Nowell (the Octopus). Thank you to others whose work I’ve drawn on: Kate Hagan, Milanda Rout, John Silvester and Andrew Rule, Lauren Wilson, Adam Shand, the various authors of Brunswick: One History Many Voices, Anthony Dowsley, Keith Moor, Paul Anderson, Chris Johnston, Natasha Robinson, Katie ‘Miami’ Bice, Daniel Breen, Padraic Murphy, Elissa Hunt, Peter Gregory, Ross Brundrett. I’m sure I’ve missed some.
Thank you to those whose help with information and arranging interviews was also vital: Anne Stanford, Christine Panayotou, Nicole McKechnie, Nat Webster, the State Library of Victoria, Marika Fengler, Adam West, John Ferguson, Ann Strunks. Again I’m sure I’ve forgotten some and apologise in advance. Thanks to Loreto Kelly for shorthand and Rosemary Smallwood for vitamin C tablets and coldsore cream.
For career help I’d like to thank in order of appearance: Simon Castles, Iain Shedden, Rosemary Neill, Peter Blunden, Simon Pristel, Damon Johnston, Chris Tinkler, Laurie Nowell, the refreshingly relaxed Mel Cain, and Julian Gray.
Sometimes the story is good enough to carry the words but for when it’s not and the roles have to be reversed thank you to my inspirational writing heroes Camus, Greene, Wolfe and Morrissey.
For general recognition of help, support or for just being stand-up people who don’t fit easily into a particular category I’d like to thank: Queenie, Fritzy and Gerry for allowing a dodgy lodger and providing random Melbourne and sports facts, Bry for French tips, Ned, Reezie, Nikita, Segolene, Prince, Robbo, Paddy, Moses, Red, Stevie, the McGraths, Toj and Mick, and Harry Zein.
The author can be contacted at tip.the.hack@gmail.com