The original Underbelly

Murder, mayhem and corruption – author Camilla Nelson investigates the old-school Aussie crims who make the Carlton Crew look soft.

Sunday, June 26, 1967. The smell of cordite is heavy in the air of Sydney after infamous baccarat operator Dick Reilly is ambushed outside his mistress's flat in fashionable Double Bay.
Bleeding from multiple wounds to his shoulder, Reilly staggers to his silver Maserati and guns the engine as more shots blast through the windscreen, hitting him in the chest and neck.
Foot jammed to the accelerator, Reilly speeds out across the New South Head Road intersection, travelling 100m up the rise, before careering backwards through the plate-glass window of a gift shop. Crime in this country would never be the same again.

Big shots
Reilly was the latest victim in a vicious gangland war that had engulfed the Sydney underworld for more than two years. But he was more than just another racketeer. He was the most feared gambling boss around, with over half a dozen murders committed at his instigation.
His death marked the passing of the old-school. He was a teetotaller and a non-smoker, a former middleweight who, at 59, still worked out at Storey’s gymnasium every week.

Copycat crims
Dick Reilly
Gambling boss and crime kingpin
Underbelly equal: Mick Gatto

Lennie McPherson
Aka Mr Big
Underbelly equal: Carl Williams

Ray "Ducky" O’Connor
Dope fiend and out of control killer
Underbelly equal: Alphonse Gagitano

Glory McGlinn
Her man was keen to get to the top of the underworld.
Underbelly equal: Roberta Williams (except Roberta wasn't involved in any murders)

Johnny Warren Hitman with big plans
Underbelly equal: Andrew "Benji" Veniamin

Who was your favourite Underbelly character? Leave your comment below