George Freeman - Why so little information?

[Tasmaniac]

Loving this board. Particularly like the Australian Crime stuff.

I'm looking to find out more about George Freeman - A NSW colourful racing identity/illegal casino operator (allegedly) and much more.

He is mentioned in a couple of the Underbelly Series (Golden Mile, and, I think, the first one).

A significant character in the movie Blue Murder, about Neddy Smith & Grahman 'Abo' Henry, the shooting of Mick Drury, Christopher Dale Flannery aka Mr Rentokil, ties with series NSW crime bosses etc.

In all cases he appears as a background/big picture influence (in Golden Mile they infer he is partially involved in the Mr Asia drug syndicate).

But when I try to google, wiki or try my state library, there always seems to be next to nothing about him. Seriously, check his wiki page, for a big long time baddie, there's stuff all about him.

Why is there so little info about him, is it becuase he was a super successful colourful racing identity, with friends on all sides of politics/law/police/crime?

If you have any stories or info you can tell this board about him please contrbute. I'm fascinated that such a big fish has so little spoken/known about him.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Was he the one that sued the arse off anyone who dared to print or utter anything that in anyway connected him with criminal activities, or am I thinking of someone else?

 

[Troubadour]

He sounds a bit like Price Galese (Spelling?) from the Les Norton books.

Great reads, Robert barrett sadly passed last year.

 

[Tasmaniac]

Was he the one that sued the arse off anyone who dared to print or utter anything that in anyway connected him with criminal activities, or am I thinking of someone else?

Didn't know that, certainly fits in with the absence of information about the man.

Mr Big with a tiny profile.

 

[Tasmaniac]

He sounds a bit like Price Galese (Spelling?) from the Les Norton books.

Great reads, Robert barrett sadly passed last year.

A friend put me onto Les Norton very recently, as soon as I read about Price I thought he was a dead ringer for George Freeman.

 

[Daytripper]

He sounds a bit like Price Galese (Spelling?) from the Les Norton books.

Great reads, Robert barrett sadly passed last year.

Price Galese is based on real life 'colourful racing identity', Perce Galea.
Now there was an old school crim.

This is a ripping book by the way.

http://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_Prince_and_the_Premier.html?id=pIx9QgAACAAJ

 

[Troubadour]

People often think I’m Les Norton. I’m not, although I’d certainly like to be. Les Norton is based on these QLD blokes I met in the meatworks at Ross River with this dry, outback sense of humour. And a gangster in Sydney called Richard Gabriel (Dick) Riley. He was the original, hard man and the best streetfighter in Sydney. He ran Kings Cross with Perce Galea, who I based Price Galese on. George Brennan and Eddie Salita are based on dealers who worked at the casinos. Billy Dunn based on a champion fighter of that time. Warren Edwards is based on a bloke I shared a house with in Bondi Junction who worked in advertising. Grungle is based on a dog called Pete. Although I’m not Les Norton, some of the stories in my books did happen to me and a lot of the places and characters are real. Like the farm in The Godson and the restaurant in Between The Devlin and The Deep Blue Seas and Hank, the ratty American in And De Fun Don’t Done, and Mick the Aussie cop in Mele Kalikimaka Mr. Walker

From
http://www.robertgbarrett.com.au/about bob/bio.htm

 

[Illinois Nazi]

He made a good grill.

 

[Jane Doe]

I read his book a few years ago. From memory it came out in the late 1980's. It was not a bad read. Loved a punt thats for sure. Down played any criminal involvement, but he was up to it up to his eyeballs. Married a young very attractive woman. Died in his late 50's in 1990 with an asthma attack. I think his sons own a couple of nightclubs in kings cross.

 

[Flawed Genius]

Ahh bugger. Robert Barrett's dead? That is a shame. Great series of books, the Les Norton ones.

 

[rocker_oz33]

He had some pretty good helpers in Stan "the man" smith and Lenny "Mr big mcpherson.They allegedly helped in the disappearance of christopher "rent a kill" flannery and the murder of stewart john regan aka the magician.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

I think his sons own a couple of nightclubs in kings cross.

Good mates of John Ibrahim. The Underbelly book that went with The Golden Mile series had several photos of them hanging out together.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/john-ibrahims-motley-mates-20101204-18kqm.html

 

[CAS79]

Another murder often linked to the Freeman group is Horse Trainer George Brown. Freeman didn't quite control all the jockeys he thought he did by the early 80s and with Sydney racing attempting to be cleaning up it's act he started taking his game North.

George Brown, a Sydney Trainer, was instructed to enter a good horse in Brisbane, but run a slow one instead, the opposite of the Fine Cotton affair. On the day of the race the betting on Browns favorite started to drift out suggesting the plan to switch had gone well, Suddenly not long before the race a couple of big bets back in and the price dropped again and Browns horse won. This wasn't the plan of the people behind the order and supposedly they lost heaps.

Not long after George Brown was found dead in a burned out car, but the evidence showed he had been severely beaten and probably killed long before the fire hit the car.




This may also explain why the fine cotton affair, which was such a shambles and handled by rank amateurs at the ring in game went ahead.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/thetrack/ep5trans.htm

Brown's murder may explain why some of the conspirators in the next major racing disaster, The Fine Cotton Affair, persisted with the scam, even when it started to go so wrong. It was certainly trainer Hayden Haitana's justification.
"Oh they just told me I'd end up like George Brown you know. Um, there's always those threats involved there's guys walking around the stables carrying guns and stuff, pistols." - Hayden Haitana

For those who have never seen Hayden Haitana by the way, he's missing a couple of fingers on his hand, they might have been removed by a horse bite.... but they may have been removed by someone too.


I was going to bring that one up possibly later in the year in an intended thread about crimes on the track but it can go hear as well.

As for Flannery, A lot of the hearsay evidence points to Freeman but there was a trail of people who wanted him, including the P@D crew back in Melbourne. They remain a feasible alternative for the Flannery hit.

 

[rocker_oz33]

Another key player in crime around the freeman years and before was Frederick "paddles" Anderson.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=66044397

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

Good read from the author that penned, "Mr Big" on Lenny McPherson and "Mr Sin" on Abe Saffran

 

[Tasmaniac]

Good read from the author that penned, "Mr Big" on Lenny McPherson and "Mr Sin" on Abe Saffran

Thanks for that. Just been down the local library and reserved it.

The wiki page on Lenny McPherson shows he was a real piece of work too.

I think its interesting that Freeman, McPherson, Saffran & Stan The Man Smith all died of natural causes outside of the legal/prison system (apart from McPherson who was being investigated at the time).

Very different outcome to what usually happened to the Melbourne crims.

 

[rocker_oz33]

Alot of guys like lenny McPherson are a product of gosford boys home,

 

[Tasmaniac]

Good read from the author that penned, "Mr Big" on Lenny McPherson and "Mr Sin" on Abe Saffran

Read the book now, crikey, I'm from Tassie, so never followed NSW politics, I never realised the corruption was so incredibly widespread.

I've watched Blue Murder, so i assumed Roger Rogerson & friends were the pinnacle of corruption in NSW.

Never realised it was so much more widespread than that, and involving the premier of NSW too (Robert Askin).

The level of corruption was stunning.

Seems like George was a Mr Big, who did get away with it.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Was he the one that sued the arse off anyone who dared to print or utter anything that in anyway connected him with criminal activities, or am I thinking of someone else?

"Mr Sin" on Abe Saffran

I believe Saffron is the man you're thinking of Herne Hill Hammer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Saffron

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

I believe Saffron is the man you're thinking of Herne Hill Hammer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Saffron

Thought so when I saw Saffron's name pop up somewhere else, thanks.

 

[CAS79]

I believe Saffron is the man you're thinking of Herne Hill Hammer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Saffron

Now there's some irony in that name apparing yesterday, I got some mail that Eddy Trigg died a few days ago, one of his saffron's rising stars in the 70s before getting himself caught up in the Junnita Nielsen affair.

Trigg died an alcoholic down and out loner on a bender I believe.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

Was he the one that sued the arse off anyone who dared to print or utter anything that in anyway connected him with criminal activities, or am I thinking of someone else?

Yes, this is my recollection.

 

[GreyCrow]

He had some pretty good helpers in Stan "the man" smith and Lenny "Mr big mcpherson.They allegedly helped in the disappearance of christopher "rent a kill" flannery and the murder of stewart john regan aka the magician.

Bones found in Bondi

They may not even be human but you always hear of Flannery getting poured into a concrete mix for construction. Though these may also ( if human) be of Juanita Nielsen

Police are investigating whether bones found at a block of units at North Bondi this morning belong to a human.

A construction worker was clearing out rubbish from a cavity at the back of a garage when he made the discovery.

 

[Catoggio76]

Fine Cotton matter, Nugan Hand Bank, Fred Krahe....