Composed By:
Writer: Andrew Moore, Publisher: UWA Publishing, First Published: 2011, Pages: 216.
Story:
A businessman, Raymond Fitzpatrick, and a journalist, Frank Browne attempt to railroad the career of an MP, Charles Morgan, but end up in gaol after being sentenced by Parliament. Debated since the sentence was passed down in 1955, this book details the historic story that divided Australians, seeing two men sent to gaol without trial, which has and was seen as an infringement on freedom of speech and human rights.
Review:
Constructing the world around notorious figure Raymond Fitzpatrick, the book, Mr. Big of Bankstown, takes the reader down often polarising paths of the Bankstown man, as we see a man that was both praised and condemned for the things that he did. Ultimately, he forged the way for a town to prosper, and we see this revisited throughout, but does it justify all his actions, even those that were highly questionable.
Author Andrew Moore takes us through the ins and outs of this mans life, his life as a contractor and then as newspaper owner and runner, his life as a trustworthy friend of most but then a feared enemy to others, paving his path in life that was not without corruption at times, leading to his fateful day in gaol. Moore leaves us feeling a tad ambivalent about their fates, but what is made sure is that on June 10 1955, these two men were gaoled without trial and conviction, and in this, a great injustice was done, where Parliament took law into their own hands and punished these two men unjustly.
Moore takes a balanced approach to the lives of both Fitzpatrick and Browne, more critical of the life of Browne more than anything. It is made to make us think about what happened that day and how it changed Australia, marking what many see as a travesty. Never taking a side, always keeping an even keel about it all, Mr. Big of Bankstown tells a story about a business man who was unfairly treated and improperly sentenced. A life that was tainted by corrupt actions and dirty tactics, Mr. Big, Raymond Fitzpatrick, was a man portrayed as good to all that took care of his town and people. Lost in mounting political slander from MP Charles Morgan, his actions took him down a dark path that eventually got him gaoled in 1955.
Verdict:
A vital read for any Australian, detailing a pivotal moment in our history that is still spoken about today. Marking a precedent for all parliamentary decisions on contempt of parliament and parliamentary privilege that is still in use today.
SERPENTS LAIR 