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Keats ◊ 2019-02-17 12:27	Ep. 1: Ep. 2: Ep. 3:
jpts ◊ 2024-11-02 17:21	Based on the real-life Great Bookie Robbery that took place at the Victoria Racing Club in Melbourne on the morning of the 21st April 1976. The characters in the miniseries were based on those who were either involved in the robbery, their associates and families, the investigators or members of the Melbourne Criminal Underworld: Mike Power (portrayed by John Bach) - Based on Raymond Bennett, known as Ray Chuck and "The General", armed robber, thief and murderer, had travelled to the United Kingdom and become a member of the UK-based Australian shoplifting and robbery gang, the Kangaroo Gang and armed robbery gang, the Wembley Gang for which he served time in HMP Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight, was the planner and mastermind behind the robbery, later became embroiled in a feud with Underworld figures and brothers Brian and Leslie "Les" Kane, later became suspected in the murder of Les Kane who was shot allegedly by Bennett and his associates, Vincent "Vinnie" Mikkelsen and Laurence "Laurie" Prendergast at Kane's family home in Wantirna, Victoria on the night of the 19th October 1978, acquitted of murder but held on unrelated robbery charges, shot and killed in the lobby of the Melbourne Magistrate Court on the morning of the 12th November 1979. It was suspected the gunman was Les Kane's brother, Brian Kane who was disguised as a lawyer with a false beard, wig and gold-rimmed glasses who then fled the courthouse through a hole cut into a metal fence in the courthouse's police garage. It was also suspected that Brian Kane was aided by unknown accomplice who had being employed as a caretaker of the courthouse who also gotten the layout of the garage and cut the hole in the fence. Col Reynolds (portrayed by Gary Day) - Based on Ian Carroll, known as Fingers, armed robber and thief, was Bennett's "second-in-command" who took part in the robbery, shot and killed in a shootout by former associate and armed robber, Russell "Mad Dog" Cox in the backyard of Carroll's home in Mount Martha, Victoria on the 3rd January 1983. *Les "Robbo" Robbins (portrayed by Scott Burgess) -* Based on Vincent Mikkelsen, known as Vinnie, armed robber, thief and murderer, was one of the robbers who took part in robbery, later got involved with the feud between Bennett and the Kane Brothers and took part in the murder of Les Kane, acquitted of Les Kane's murder, later went into hiding following the acquittal and the murder of Bennett. Before going into hiding, Mikkelsen sold his car (a Mazda sedan with Victorian registration number ML 737) to his brother-in-law, Norman McCleod who was later shot dead by two gunmen on a motorcycle as he was sitting in the vehicle outside his family home in Coolaroo, Victoria in the early hours of the 15th July 1981. Jaffa Davis (portrayed by George Spartels) - Based on Laurence Prendergast, known as Laurie, armed robber, thief and murderer, was one of the robbers who took part in the robbery and the later murder of Les Kane, acquitted of murder and later went in hiding following Bennett's murder, disappeared after from his home in West Heidelberg, Victoria on the 23rd August 1985. It was believed that Prendergast had faked his disappearance and fled to Sydney where it was suspected that he was going to kill the "Old Guard" of the Sydney Criminal Underworld, SP bookmaker and illegal casino owner George Freeman in retaliation for his suspected involvement in the disappearance and suspected murder of Prendergast's friend, Melbourne hitman Christopher Dale "Rent-a-kill" Flannery but those suspected in Flannery's suspected murder became aware and killed Prendergast in a pre-emptive strike. *Edward "Cracka" Park (portrayed by Bruno Lawrence) -* Based on Melville Schnitzerling, known as Russell Cox, "Mad Dog" and "The Fox", armed robber, thief, escapee and suspected murderer, was suspected in taking part in the robbery, later suspected in several armed robberies in Melbourne and Sydney, escaped from the "escape-proof" Katingal Unit of Long Bay Gaol in 1977 and went on the run, later suspected of taking part in the murders of Brian Kane who was shot in the Quarry Hotel on the 26th November 1982 and Ian Carroll who was shot in a shootout at Carroll's home in Mount Martha, Victoria on the 3rd January 1983, arrested by detectives after crashing his Ford Fairmont in an attempt to escape in the car park of the Coles Supermarket in Doncaster, Victoria on the afternoon of the 23rd July 1988. Merv Temple (portrayed by Paul Sonkkila) - Based on Brian Kane, One of the leaders of the Painters and Dockers sub gang, Richmond Mob, standover men and one of Ray Bennett's rivals, was embroiled in the feud with Bennett and his gang before and after the Great Bookie Robbery, resulting in his ear being bitten by Vinnie Mikkelsen, later suspected in the murder of Bennett in 1979, left Melbourne for a brief time before coming back, shot and killed by two masked gunmen in the Quarry Hotel on Lygon Street in Brunswick on the night of the 26th November 1982. It was suspected that one of the shooters was Russell Cox. Bob Temple (portrayed by Ray Meagher) - Based on Leslie Kane, known as Les, Brian Kane's brother and one of the leaders of the Richmond Mob, was embroiled in the feud with Bennett and his gang before and after the Great Bookie Robbery, shot and killed by Bennett, Mikkelsen and Prendergast in the presence of Kane's wife and children at their home in Wantirna, Victoria on the night of the 19th October 1978. After killing Les Kane, it was suspected that Bennett, Mikkelsen and Prendergast along with a fourth man and later hitman in the Melbourne Gangland War, Rodney "The Duke" Collins had loaded Kane's body in the boot of Kane's pink Ford Falcon Futura and drove the body to a meat processing plant in Mernda, Victoria where the body was put through a meat mincer. As a result, neither Les Kane's body nor the Ford has ever been found. Detective Mal Edwards (portrayed by Dennis Miller) - Based on Brian Murphy, known as "The Skull", Victoria Police detective sergeant, had a long-standing feud with Ray Bennett and had ties to the Melbourne Criminal Underworld, was suspected of being involved of the murder of Bennett in 1979 and later of corruption, retired from the Victoria Police in 1987. Carol Powers (portrayed by Catherine Wilkin) - Based on Gail Bennett, Bennett's wife. Anne Marks (portrayed by Madeleine Blackwell) - Based on Helen Deane, Gail Bennett's sister and Russell Cox's common-in-law wife, had aided Cox in his escape from Katingal Unit and went on the run with Cox, arrested and charged in 1989 with Cox for her involvement in Ian Carroll's murder, later acquitted. -- Last edit: 2026-04-05 05:05:15

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Keats

◊ 2019-02-17 12:27

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jpts

◊ 2024-11-02 17:21

Based on the real-life Great Bookie Robbery that took place at the Victoria Racing Club in Melbourne on the morning of the 21st April 1976.

The characters in the miniseries were based on those who were either involved in the robbery, their associates and families, the investigators or members of the Melbourne Criminal Underworld:

Mike Power (portrayed by John Bach) - Based on Raymond Bennett, known as Ray Chuck and "The General", armed robber, thief and murderer, had travelled to the United Kingdom and become a member of the UK-based Australian shoplifting and robbery gang, the Kangaroo Gang and armed robbery gang, the Wembley Gang for which he served time in HMP Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight, was the planner and mastermind behind the robbery, later became embroiled in a feud with Underworld figures and brothers Brian and Leslie "Les" Kane, later became suspected in the murder of Les Kane who was shot allegedly by Bennett and his associates, Vincent "Vinnie" Mikkelsen and Laurence "Laurie" Prendergast at Kane's family home in Wantirna, Victoria on the night of the 19th October 1978, acquitted of murder but held on unrelated robbery charges, shot and killed in the lobby of the Melbourne Magistrate Court on the morning of the 12th November 1979.

It was suspected the gunman was Les Kane's brother, Brian Kane who was disguised as a lawyer with a false beard, wig and gold-rimmed glasses who then fled the courthouse through a hole cut into a metal fence in the courthouse's police garage.

It was also suspected that Brian Kane was aided by unknown accomplice who had being employed as a caretaker of the courthouse who also gotten the layout of the garage and cut the hole in the fence.

Col Reynolds (portrayed by Gary Day) - Based on Ian Carroll, known as Fingers, armed robber and thief, was Bennett's "second-in-command" who took part in the robbery, shot and killed in a shootout by former associate and armed robber, Russell "Mad Dog" Cox in the backyard of Carroll's home in Mount Martha, Victoria on the 3rd January 1983.

Les "Robbo" Robbins (portrayed by Scott Burgess) - Based on Vincent Mikkelsen, known as Vinnie, armed robber, thief and murderer, was one of the robbers who took part in robbery, later got involved with the feud between Bennett and the Kane Brothers and took part in the murder of Les Kane, acquitted of Les Kane's murder, later went into hiding following the acquittal and the murder of Bennett.

Before going into hiding, Mikkelsen sold his car (a Mazda sedan with Victorian registration number ML 737) to his brother-in-law, Norman McCleod who was later shot dead by two gunmen on a motorcycle as he was sitting in the vehicle outside his family home in Coolaroo, Victoria in the early hours of the 15th July 1981.

Jaffa Davis (portrayed by George Spartels) - Based on Laurence Prendergast, known as Laurie, armed robber, thief and murderer, was one of the robbers who took part in the robbery and the later murder of Les Kane, acquitted of murder and later went in hiding following Bennett's murder, disappeared after from his home in West Heidelberg, Victoria on the 23rd August 1985.

It was believed that Prendergast had faked his disappearance and fled to Sydney where it was suspected that he was going to kill the "Old Guard" of the Sydney Criminal Underworld, SP bookmaker and illegal casino owner George Freeman in retaliation for his suspected involvement in the disappearance and suspected murder of Prendergast's friend, Melbourne hitman Christopher Dale "Rent-a-kill" Flannery but those suspected in Flannery's suspected murder became aware and killed Prendergast in a pre-emptive strike.

Edward "Cracka" Park (portrayed by Bruno Lawrence) - Based on Melville Schnitzerling, known as Russell Cox, "Mad Dog" and "The Fox", armed robber, thief, escapee and suspected murderer, was suspected in taking part in the robbery, later suspected in several armed robberies in Melbourne and Sydney, escaped from the "escape-proof" Katingal Unit of Long Bay Gaol in 1977 and went on the run, later suspected of taking part in the murders of Brian Kane who was shot in the Quarry Hotel on the 26th November 1982 and Ian Carroll who was shot in a shootout at Carroll's home in Mount Martha, Victoria on the 3rd January 1983, arrested by detectives after crashing his Ford Fairmont in an attempt to escape in the car park of the Coles Supermarket in Doncaster, Victoria on the afternoon of the 23rd July 1988.

Merv Temple (portrayed by Paul Sonkkila) - Based on Brian Kane, One of the leaders of the Painters and Dockers sub gang, Richmond Mob, standover men and one of Ray Bennett's rivals, was embroiled in the feud with Bennett and his gang before and after the Great Bookie Robbery, resulting in his ear being bitten by Vinnie Mikkelsen, later suspected in the murder of Bennett in 1979, left Melbourne for a brief time before coming back, shot and killed by two masked gunmen in the Quarry Hotel on Lygon Street in Brunswick on the night of the 26th November 1982.

It was suspected that one of the shooters was Russell Cox.

Bob Temple (portrayed by Ray Meagher) - Based on Leslie Kane, known as Les, Brian Kane's brother and one of the leaders of the Richmond Mob, was embroiled in the feud with Bennett and his gang before and after the Great Bookie Robbery, shot and killed by Bennett, Mikkelsen and Prendergast in the presence of Kane's wife and children at their home in Wantirna, Victoria on the night of the 19th October 1978.

After killing Les Kane, it was suspected that Bennett, Mikkelsen and Prendergast along with a fourth man and later hitman in the Melbourne Gangland War, Rodney "The Duke" Collins had loaded Kane's body in the boot of Kane's pink Ford Falcon Futura and drove the body to a meat processing plant in Mernda, Victoria where the body was put through a meat mincer.

As a result, neither Les Kane's body nor the Ford has ever been found.

Detective Mal Edwards (portrayed by Dennis Miller) - Based on Brian Murphy, known as "The Skull", Victoria Police detective sergeant, had a long-standing feud with Ray Bennett and had ties to the Melbourne Criminal Underworld, was suspected of being involved of the murder of Bennett in 1979 and later of corruption, retired from the Victoria Police in 1987.

Carol Powers (portrayed by Catherine Wilkin) - Based on Gail Bennett, Bennett's wife.

Anne Marks (portrayed by Madeleine Blackwell) - Based on Helen Deane, Gail Bennett's sister and Russell Cox's common-in-law wife, had aided Cox in his escape from Katingal Unit and went on the run with Cox, arrested and charged in 1989 with Cox for her involvement in Ian Carroll's murder, later acquitted.

-- Last edit: 2026-04-05 05:05:15

	The vehicle is part of the movie
	Vehicle used a lot by a main character or for a long time
	Vehicle used by a character or in a car chase
	Minor action vehicle or used in only a short scene
	Background vehicle
	Unknown vehicle role
	Seen only in preview/trailer
	Seen only in deleted scenes
	Seen only in an alternative ending
	Seen only in an extra DVD contents

The Great Bookie Robbery, Mini-Series, 1986

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