The 1960 Crime That Shocked Then-Innocent Australia

Australian True Crime

Bravecasting

True Crime

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2022

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Best-selling biographer and history author Peter FitzSimons has turned his attention to detailing the history of the Sydney Opera House - drama, scandals and even crimes. For this episode of Australian True Crime, Emily speaks to Peter about a crime linked with the Opera House and how it shocked the nation - the kidnapping and killing of Bondi schoolboy Graeme Thorne in 1960.

Peter’s book The Opera House is published by Hachette Australia.

CREDITS:

Host: Meshel Laurie. You can find her on Instagram

Co-Host: Emily Webb. You can find her on Instagram here and listen to her podcast Killer Content here.

Guest: Peter FitzSimons

Producer/Editor: Matthew Tankard

Executive Producer: Jacqueline Tonks

Archival audio used in this episode is from https://www.nfsa.gov.au/

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)

Thanks for listening, we’ll be back next week.

GET IN TOUCH:

Follow the show on Instagram @australiantruecrimepodcast and Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/AustralianTrueCrimePod/

Email the show at team@smartfella.com.au

Australian True Crime is a podcast by Smart Fella Media. Your story matters and how you tell it matters even more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 recognize 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.
0:47.1	The following podcast contains content of a graphic violent nature and is not suitable for children.
0:54.0	Bondi and the home of eight years old Graham Thorne
0:57.0	whose kidnapping is the first the state has known.
1:00.0	And a big squad of uniform police and detectives make a house by house investigation asking
1:05.4	men, women and children if they've seen the missing boy. But no one saw Graham in those vital
1:11.2	few minutes when the kidnapper snatched him from the street.
1:14.4	The kidnapping of the 100,000-pound lottery winner's son was a carefully planned crime.
1:19.6	As police continue their search for information, the kidnapper phones Mrs. Thorne and demands 25,000 pounds ransom. If you're into history, there's a pretty good chance you've read some of Peter Fitzsimons books about significant Australian events and people.
1:41.0	He's one of this country's best-selling authors, so of course you probably have.
1:46.1	Now, Peter has turned to writing about an iconic structure, the Sydney Opera House, and its history is as dramatic as any opera that's been performed there.
1:57.0	This is Australian True Crime with Michelle Lorry and Emily Webb.
2:01.0	Come with us as we go beyond the news cycle to find out how people become killers, how people
2:05.8	become victims and what happens next.
2:09.0	Now you may be wondering why are we talking about a building on a true crime podcast?
	...

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