Shortcut: From Pentridge to Playwright, Ray Mooney proves rehabilitation is possible

Australian True Crime

Meshel Laurie

True Crime

4.6 • 979 Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2023

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This is a "Shortcut" episode. It’s a shortened version of this week’s more detailed full episode, which is also available on our feed.

Our guest today is Ray Mooney. He's in his seventies now, and for most of his life, he's been a celebrated writer of novels, plays, films, non-fiction books, and a university lecturer.

At a different time in his life, though, the only institution he was allowed inside of was the Bluestone College: The College of Knowledge, also known as Pentridge Prison.

Ray Mooney was convicted of rape when he was 19, and today we hear Ray's story, which is extraordinary in its own right, not least because of the honesty and openness he's prepared to bring to it.

All of Ray's books and more can be found on his website here: https://raymooney.com/my-books/

If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode you can contact:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

13 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support phone line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people)

For ad-free listening, early access and exclusive content, join Australian True Crime Plus on Apple Podcasts here: http://apple.co/australiantruecrime

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here a

Guests: Ray Mooney

Editor: Meshel Laurie

Executive Producer: Matthew Tankard

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Transcript

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0:00.0	We're bringing Australian True Crime live to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne this July,
0:04.3	and I have to tell you that Brisbane sold out already.
0:07.4	Good for you, Brisbane, so we've quickly added a second show.
0:10.3	Now we can't keep adding more shows, so please make sure you get your tickets. Our special guests,
0:15.2	our forensic criminologist Santee Mallet in Brisbane and Sydney and the one and only Charlie Bazzina in
0:19.9	Melbourne. There'll be a Q&A of course so you can ask your own burning questions on the night but you have to book quickly.
0:25.9	The producers of this podcast recognised the traditional owners of the land on which it's recorded.
0:37.0	They pay respect to the Aboriginal elders past, present and those emerging.
0:47.0	The following podcast contains content of a graphic violent nature and is not suitable for children.
0:53.0	I met Chris first in prison, around about 1968,
1:00.0	and it was through his experiences in prison,
1:02.0	I got to know about his experiences in Morning Star.
1:06.0	He sent the Morning Star, I think when he was about 14.
1:09.0	And what he told me was that it was one of those institutions where it was a pretty tough place,
1:15.0	run by Franciscan friars in a beautiful old building,
1:19.0	but they were as tough as nuts in terms of their attitude to reforming the kids who are under their care.
1:26.0	And they were quite ferocious in the way they went about that.
1:29.7	And Chris was one of those kids who was a cheeky kid. He was a charismatic kid. He was a tough kid.
1:36.8	He was an in your face kid. But he was also a very good looking kid, which made him quite vulnerable
1:42.0	at the age of 14.
1:44.0	That's our guest today, Ray Mooney.
1:50.0	He's in his 70s now and for most of his life he's been a
	...

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