The Sun-Herald

That one about the actress is 100% true, although the use of the word hermaphrodite and the bit about the surgeon deciding whether she would be a boy or a girl lends the thing a National Enquirer air. The case is not as sideshow-alley as all that.

DD asks And you know the cousin of the best friend of a nurse who knows one of the doctors connected to the case?

• by Ronny Embers on August 03, 2008 at 09:50 AM

Yeah, its funny, but with all the corruption scandals you get in other Australian cities it only seems to be Sydney where the corrruption seems to permeate everything - from property developers, to police and politicians with odd dealings with wealthy businessmen right down to morgue workers "ratting" the dead. This is only a theory but I think the culture of Sydney is markedly different to anywhere else in Oz because of its convict past and its history of army/wealthy nobs vs the rest. Corruption is so mucg part of the way of life here its effects are not even noticed or cared about by the bulk of sydney people. As someone from WA who saw the WA Inc Royal commission up close sydney is remarkable more for the fact that no serious effort has ever been made to root out corruption lock stock and barrel like it was in Queensland and WA.

• by darren on August 03, 2008 at 01:04 PM

Re the Book written by Alan Saffron,I knew Abe for about four years prior to his Death, I am not Jewish and have no cultural or previous association with him, I was never involved in his nightclubs neither did I have any so called criminal association with him.
I met Abe while raising funds for my electronic imports company in 2001, a friend whom I have often sought advice from recommended that I meet Abe, I pondered long and hard , I asked myself do I need to be associated with such a man, I then thought well it will at worst be a life experience and decided to call Abe ,I did so and arranged a time to meet, I attended his premises, I was introduced to Abe by his long standing companion and her sister, my impression was of a very diminutive man as I stand 6 ft 6 inches and Abe would have struggled to make 5 ft, he showed no discomfort as diminutive people often do in my company, I outlined what I was importing and that I was in need of a backer, I also expressed that I had real concerns about his reputation however I found him to be very straight forward and although advanced in years a man taking pride in himself his appearance and his mind.
Abe said to me well let?s see what we can do, I will back you and we will split the profits on the sale of goods. Sadly owing to a variety of issues there were 6 figure losses incurred on the importation, while I explained the circumstances not a raised voice not a letter of demand, only a resigned well these things happen, I was not surprised by this as I always found Abe a gentleman. I put a lot of effort into finding anybody saying they were harmed let down by or abused by Abe and found none, his unauthorised Biographer had the same experience.
I grew fond of Abe and we would often go out for a Chinese meal, spend the odd Melbourne Cup day together, I believe we enjoyed each other?s Company, I certainly did his. I was always invited to his gatherings and met those closest to him. I had nothing to offer him apart from friendship
I discussed with Abe his past, he was raised during the Depression, my understanding was that his establishments traded out of Hours with the consent of NSW Police how that consent was gained seems obvious, He had nightclubs and also red light business?s, all Illegal then ,all Legal today. Not a mention of Drugs of any kind, I would be unafraid to say so if I had found such evidence. I had a close entree with Abe over this time and met some very interesting people but nothing to match the reputation
I think you will find a story in Alan as the Dubious Saffron. One of lifes less appealing human beings

• by Tom O'Donnell on August 03, 2008 at 03:11 PM

Ahhh, poor Tim, how little you can see when you so close up to the action.... PPL like Perce Galea and Holleywood George Edser were on the 2nd rung of the ladder, sure they liked the SP and the llike, but hey it was always Abe who ran the show, it was Abe who used to meet Askin and one Norm Allen in a black car in Victoria st outside my home on a regualr basis, take a guess ??
Ever wondered what happened to Juanita Neilson who decided to protest too loufly and name names ?? Most ppl know, just ask the Cops from up the Darlo bar, they would rememeber if they are old enough.
Move onto George Freeman, now there was a Dangerous bloke, he had close to 600 phones going at any on time and if place got turned over then the nexr picked it , such was the lure of the punt, Just ask Ol Dr Nick Paltos and Ol' Murray Farquhar ....... you never come out a winner and then move onto other things to shore up declining finances ......... I think the work this ig the good old roger the doger was a decent cop, yeah he was hard ....... but he kept the grubs in line until one Chistopher Dale Flannery arrived in sydney with a big mouth and a large cannon, he used to like the noise and he didnt have to clean up the mess, well thats what he said late one night at persons house and perhaps what size tree shredder Ol Mr Rent 'o Kill whent thru and in the end he did something decent, he vanished of the face of the earth for good forver to fertilize a quiet part of NSW for 10 years or so .......... How do i know this you ask ?? I was Abes cellmate in Wing 13 in the CIP, plus i used to do odd jobs for him once upon a time ............
Sydney hasnt changed since the days of the Rum Corps. there's still a floating baccarat game that moves around Double Bay to this day ......... the more things change, the more they same the same...... well except for poor Juanita Wilson and maybe Salli Ann Huckstep and thats only a maybe .............

• by Mick the mask on August 03, 2008 at 10:16 PM

Re . Urban myths. There used to be a story about the radio host (back in the pre.TV. days) who used to run a kids show. One day he signed off with the usual., "Good-bye boys and girls", then, not realising that his mike. was still on, he said, "now p*** off you little b********"

• by Paul Wincen on August 05, 2008 at 06:11 PM