Jade Chronicles

  • Home
  • Art and Culture
  • Food and Travel
  • Love and Likes

Friday, April 8, 2011

Sin City: Crime and Corruption in 20th-Century Sydney

| No comment
Go-go dancer, Kings Cross, c1965,
© Robert McFarlane
“Sydney is a city with no memory.” So said Gary Sturgess, the man responsible for establishing the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). Have we really forgotten the systemic corruption that engulfed Sydney not so long ago, or is it just easier for our collective consciousness to simply push away those memories?

A revealing and confronting exhibition titled Sin City: Crime and Corruption in 20th-Century Sydney, being held at the Justice and Police Museum in Sydney, brings this colourful history into clearer focus. It takes you through the causes, the laws, the vices, the criminals, the cops and the politicians, who all played a part in the making of this sin city.

Organised crime in Sydney had at its core networks of criminals with links to those who manned the justice system. Alcohol, gambling, prostitution, drugs, bribery and blackmail proliferated within the criminal world, and took an even more sinister turn, with the birth of criminal syndicates. Tracing this history from 1900 onwards, the exhibition takes you through the World Wars, the links between organised crime and corrupt police, the use of legitimate business as fronts for unsavoury activities, the adoption of new policing methods (such as phone tapping), and the investigations that finally brought it all to the grim light of day.  

Sin City: Crime and Corruption in 20th-Century Sydney is presented in a most engaging way through the use of audio-visual aspects. There are plenty of photographs from days past, as well as several interesting exhibits and wall graphics. The Ballyhoo and Bobby Dazzler poker machines, the pre-1914 crown and anchor chocolate wheel, as well as the striptease outfits provide a nostalgic note to the exhibition.
A gaming club at 5155 Goulburn Street, Sydney, 16 April 1985 (detail)
© Fairfax Photos
The 40-minute DVD presentation is informative, and contains interviews, taped conversations, clips and footage of key figures, who appear and disappear through the narrative. Their swagger, power and murderous intents make a mockery of the justice system, made even more useless because of corrupt police officers and power hungry politicians.

Abe Saffron (a.k.a. Mr Sin), Lennie MacPherson (a.k.a. Mr Big), George Freeman and Stan Smith feature prominently in the exhibition, while victims such as Sallie-Anne Huckstepp, Juanita Nielsen and Shirley Brifman are also given a place and a voice. Then there are the allegations against Fred Krahe, Ray Kelly, Roger Rogerson, Don Fergusson, Fred Hanson, Norman Allan, Sir Robert Askin and a host of other policemen. The establishment of the ICAC, the National Crime Authority, the Woodward Royal Commission, and even the opening of Star City (the first legal casino) feature as important hallmarks on the path to fighting organised crime.
Abe Saffron at his Roosevelt Club in Sydney, January 1951
© Fairfax Photos
I especially liked the life size figures that adorn the walls of the last part of the exhibition. The quotes that accompany them show how assured they were of their positions within the system. They knew the rules, the players, the weak links and how to take advantage of all combined. It’s indeed a relief to know that Sydney has survived these notorious figures, and that the wounds are healing. It’s also fully worth your time to sit at the computers made available and have a read through the more detailed histories of the figures that surround you.

The exhibition raises some interesting questions about the effectiveness of bans and restrictions, the conditions that must come together to enable organised crime to flourish, and the importance of good policing made credible through sound policies. It’s an arresting collection that brings out an important part of Sydney’s historical narrative. When you love a city, it’s always good to know something about the people and events that made it what it is today.

Sin City: Crime and Corruption in 20th-Century Sydney goes on till 22 May 2011. For more information, log on to (and explore) www.hht.net.au/sincity
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook
Labels: Art and culture, Exhibitions
Tags : Art and culture , Exhibitions
Anushika

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Error 404 - Not Found
Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn't here.

Popular Posts

  • Wolf Hall (2009) Bring Up the Bodies (2012)
    I generally don’t like to read books where I already know the storyline, but these two books were the exception to that rule. Written by H...
  • The Poetry of Drawing: Pre-Raphaelite Designs, Studies and Watercolours
    Study of Jane Morris for Mnemosyne (1876) by Rossetti Did you know that the Pre-Raphaelites considered their drawings to be works of ...
  • Sigiriya: A Journey of Discovery
    Sigiriya is one of those historic places, where the journey is as fabulous as the destination. The long drive into the heart of Sri Lanka, t...
  • Reflections on Watteau
    Playful, elegant, romantic; idyllic outdoor scenes in pastel shades; a theatrical feast for the eyes that revealed the sensuousness of indul...
  • Daughter of Fortune (1999)
    Daughter of Fortune is a novel by Isabel Allende, translated from Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden. In Spanish it reads La Hija de la For...
  • The Inheritance of Loss (2006)
    In ‘The Inheritance of Loss’ two things unravel: as one generation is physically displaced and emotionally dispossessed from their colonial ...
  • The Hungry Ghosts (2013)
    Reading Shyam Selvadurai's novel The Hungry Ghosts made me feel that here is a writer who has that rare ability to put our thoughts i...
  • A short escape to Millthorpe
    I stumbled across Millthorpe almost by accident. M and I were looking for a short getaway that was within driving distance, was picturesque ...
  • Honour (2012)
    There are several great things I love about Turkish writer Elif Shafek’s book Honour – the fascinating locations, the warm and passionate ...
  • The Elegance of the Hedgehog (2006)
    What a charming work! I’m yet to read a better book with such a carefully-worded satire for anyone nursing high-handed notions of class and ...

Category

  • Art and culture
  • Food and travel
  • Love and likes
© 2014 Jade Chronicles. All rights reserved