Australia’s Most Infamous Criminals

 Australia’s Most Infamous Criminals

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       November 9, 2023

 

Author  Graham Seal

Distributor:      Allen and Unwin
ISBN:                 9781761069031
Publisher:         Allen and Unwin
Release Date:   October 2023  

   Website:   https://www.allenandunwin.com

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Graham Seal has written many stories about Australian History. He has written “Bush Yarns, Convict Stories, Australian Mysteries, Great Australian Journeys, and Great Anzac Stories”, to name a few. He has done an enormous amount of research over the years and has a deep knowledge of our early settlement days. He also delightfully adds to his works, slang phrases which are uniquely Australian. In the introduction he explains the word “nick” and gives its many meanings.

To begin, we meet John Hudson who was in Court in England for stealing. He was aged 9 years. He had no family and was sentenced to be transported to Australia. He arrived on the First Ships and records show his history. He was one of the first convicts in Sydney Cove.

In 1826 the Bank of Australia was opened in Sydney. The mason who completed the safety basement for the money also completed a sewer drain nearby. What a temptation! This was the first bank robbery which also passed into folklore as only some of the haul was ever discovered. To this day people still believe the money is buried somewhere.

One convict, James Vaux was transported to Australia three times. He was a gambler, and a swindler, but managed to produce a Dictionary of criminal slang while in prison. His story is amazing, he won favour with officials and lost it as quickly. His colourful life story was eventually published. Words such as “Cove,” for the boss, “Mug,” meaning face, and “Spin a Yarn,” are some of the phrases he noted.

The stories chosen by Graham in Australia’s Most Infamous Criminals span many years and include a plane hi jacking in the 1900’s. The range and scope of stories is encompassing and ensures everyone will find satisfaction in another aspect of Australian History.

Crime, Fiction