Herbert Brynmor TALARICO

Is there something to hide?

VERY senior NSW and federal police have something to hide from an impartial inquiry into police involvement in cannabis plantations in the Bungendore area and the Federal Government knows this, according to NSW Independent MP John Hatton.

For several years, Mr Hatton has been quizzing the NSW Government about the plantations, and recently called for the establishment of a Royal commission.

He has also suggested that “untainted” Victorian police be invited to investigate NSW and Federal Police involvement in up to 14 separate cannabis plantations in southern NSW.

The AFP is not impressed with Mr Hatton’s suggestions that it has some thing to hide. While senior officers might privately admit their embarrassment over the Bungendore affair, they deny strongly any suggestion of illegality on their part. They point out, correctly, that their role was investigated by former National Crime Authority Chief Justice Donald Stewart and that their members were cleared of any criminality.

Again privately, senior AFP officers suggest they were duped by their NSW colleagues. They say they got involved in Operation Seville — the code name for the Bungendore plantations exercise — with the best of honourable intentions: to catch some of the Mr Bigs. They say they were entitled to accept that their interstate colleagues were on the level. If anyone had something to hide, it was the NSW Police.

The Bungendore plantations were established on private and Crown land between 1980 and 1983. Their existence and operation were sanctioned by senior members of the AFP and the NSW Police. The operation was dubbed Operation Seville.

Activities on the plantations — which saw millions of dollars of cannabis harvested and sold — ultimately led to several men being charged last year with conspiracy to supply cannabis. Four of the men were committed for trial, but the NSW authorities have since decided not to proceed with the charges because of the unreliability of the chief prosecution witness, Giuseppe Verducci. One of two Bungendore

crops was grown on Verducci’s property, Montebello. The other was on Crown land nearby.

Operation Seville turned into a monumental embarrassment for both police forces because cannabis worth millions of dollars came to be harvested and sold, despite the close watch police were meant to be keeping on activities. Some have since suggested that this occurred in spite of police involvement.

The whole purpose of the exercise was to catch the major players in the financing, distribution and selling side of organised cannabis growing. However, not one person of this type was arrested at the time. As mentioned above, several of those involved — including three men said to be important organisers — were charged last year by the NCA, but the charges against them have either been dismissed or dropped.

The AFP is quick to point out that Operation Seville had one very important outcome: the arrest of Gianfranco Tizzoni.

Police informer

Tizzoni was arrested with two other men in 1982 by Victorian police. One of the vehicles the men were travelling in to Melbourne was found to contain a large quantity of Bungendore cannabis. Tizzoni subsequently became a police informer. This led to the jailing of himself, James Bazley and George Joseph over the murder of Donald Mackay and of Bazley and Joseph over the murder of Mr Asia syndicate members Douglas and Isobel Wilson.

While the arrest of Tizzoni was a major breakthrough, the NSW and Federal police can take little credit for it. An AFP tip-off enabled the Victorians to arrest Tizzoni, but everything which followed was due to the efforts of the Victorian police. No one knew at the time what Tizzoni’s arrest would lead to.

According to Mr Hatton, police were also “associated” with several other cannabis crops during the late 1970s and early 1980s. These included: one in the Brindabellas ( in the ACT, west of Canberra ); another two

in the Bungendore area; three at Dalton ( near Gunning ); one at East Lynne ( west of Durras, on the South Coast ); one west of Eden ( on the far South Coast ); one at Michelago ( south of Canberra ); two in the Monga State Forest ( near Braidwood ); and one at Hoskinstown ( between Queanbeyan and Captains Flat ). Mr Hatton referred to only one plantation in the Brindabellas, but there were two.

Mr Hatton said he had given the National Crime Authority information about police involvement in southern NSW cannabis plantations two years ago but the NCA had not acted on it. He had also referred potential witnesses to the NCA.

Neither the NCA, because of its past record, nor the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption, which was limited by state borders, could properly investigate the matter.

Both the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, and the Minister for Justice, Senator Michael Tate, had rejected calls for a Royal commission. Mr Hatton wondered if the Government simply wanted to save the AFP from embarrassment or had some other reason for not wishing to pursue the matter.

Mr Hatton thought the involvement of corrupt police in cannabis growing could be proved, but nothing had been really done to investigate this. This was because too many senior police would be seriously embarrassed by the outcome.

On May 11, Mr Hatton placed a long list of questions on the notice paper of the NSW Parliament about cannabis plantations in southern NSW. Among other things, he has asked the Attorney-General, John Dowd, to detail the number of plantations observed by NSW police during Operation Seville and the duration of the operation. He wants to know the names of all police involved in the operation and whether any have been “charged” with incompetence because of their involvement.

Mr Hatton has also asked for details of all crops grown on the Southern Tablelands and South Coast between 1980 and 1985, including the size and value of crops, the amounts harvested

or “ripped of” during police surveillance, and whether any arrests were made. He wants to know who authorised the growing of the crops, what legal advice was obtained beforehand and who within the AFP and NCA knew about them.

None of the questions has so far been answered.

On May 14, Mr Hatton moved in State Parliament that a Royal Commission be established to investigate the growing of cannabis in the Monga State Forest and at Michelago and Bungendore. Among other things, he said the commission should investigate whether cannabis had been harvested and marketed from crops in the Bungendore area while these had been under surveillance.

Long report

Mr Hatton said the Royal Commission should investigate the roles played in these matters by the late Detective Inspector Bill Cullen ( formerly of Queanbeyan and Goulburn ), Detective-Sergeant George Slade, of the NSW Bureau of Criminal Intelligence, Superintendent Reg Martin, Superintendent Herbert Talarico, Executive Chief Superintendent Gallagher, Assistant Commissioner Bob Shepherd and former Commissioner Cec Abbott.

Messrs Cullen, Slade, Shepherd and Abbott were mentioned in evidence during the Bungendore committal hearing in February and March. Cullen — who died in Gosford last month — was the senior detective at Queanbeyan at the time of Operation Seville. He was closely involved with NSW Bureau of Criminal Intelligence officers taking part in the operation.

An NCA officer, Detective-Sergeant Robin Small, told the Queanbeyan Local Court that Commissioner Abbott, Assistant Commissioner Shepherd, and Detective Sergeant Slade were aware of the operation. Sergeant Slade, in fact, prepared a lengthy report on Operation Seville and this was tendered during the hearing. He is currently facing criminal charges unrelated to Operation Seville:

ROD CAMPBELL

CANBERRA COURTS

Defence calls for Crown evidence

An application was made by defence counsel before Mr Justice Kerr and an ACT Supreme Court jury yesterday for the transcript of evidence of a Crown witness who could not be found to be tendered to the court.

The application was made in the case in which Nikola Talanga, 41, diamond driller, of Gibbes Street, Newtown, NSW, is standing trial on a charge of having feloniously and maliciously murdered Sofia Malovic in Canberra on September 28, 1968.

Mr K. Enderby, instructed by Mr M. Somes, of Gallen, Kelly and Dainer, for Talanga, said he consented to the transcript of evidence given before Canberra Petty Sessions by Antoni Eres being tendered. The transcript should be tendered by the Crown, as the evidence of Eres was not unimportant to the defence.

The Senior Crown Prosecutor, Mr A. R. Watson, said he declined to tender the transcript. Before February 24 the defence had been told that the Crown would not be calling Eres at the trial because he could not be found.

Even if Eres were present the Crown would not call him because his evidence did not advance the case any further.

Mr Justice Kerr said he would not make any observations at that stage, but suggested that if Mr Enderby wished to take the request further he could do so when the Crown case ended.

Earlier, Mr Watson tendered a transcript of evidence given before Canberra Petty Sessions by George Mestitz, who was absent from the Commonwealth.

Mr Enderby consented to the tender of this transcript, which was read out in court.

Rama Hadzic, of Minerva Road, Wedderburn, NSW, said that on the night of September 29 Talanga had come to his house.

When asked by Talanga if he had heard about what had happened in Canberra, he had said he had heard about it over the radio.

When he asked Talanga why he had done it, he had replied that he did not know. Talanga had said he had found Sofia after eight months.

Talanga had said that when he asked her to come out of the shop and talk things over she had refused.

Talanga alleged that Sofia had insulted him, so he had shot her.

Hadzic said that while Talanga was staying with him he (Talanga) could not sleep. He would wake up and jump out of bed and cry. He had threatened to kill himself.

Two wounds in head

Detective Constable John Radalj ( 09566 ), of the NSW Police, said that on October 6 he was with a group of ACT and NSW police who surrounded a house at Wedderburn.

After a gunshot had been heard from the house Detective Sergeant Herbert Talarico had rushed inside.

Constable Radalj said he also had entered the house and had seen Talanga lying on the floor, with two wounds in the head.

Constable Radalj said he had asked Talanga in the Yugoslav language if he had shot and killed Sofia Malovie in Canberra on September 28.

Talanga had replied, “Yes”.

When asked why, Talanga had said, “Because she did not want me”.

Detective Sergeant M. J. Robinson, of the Canberra CIB, said that Talanga had been extradited to Canberra from Sydney on November 7, 1968.

When being brought back to Canberra by car, after being warned by Detective Constable H. G. Harrison, of the Canberra CIB, Talanga had said that he had shot the woman a couple of times inside the shop and shot her again outside.

He had wanted her to come back and live with him. When she spat on him he had become angry and shot her.

Detective Sergeant Colin Victor Letherbarrow ( # 6383 ), of the scientific investigation bureau, Sydney, said that an examination of six fired cartridges revealed that they had been discharged from the rifle produced in court. A cartridge case recovered from a house at Wedderburn had been discharged from the same rifle.

The hearing will be continue today.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107085250

£100 Fine, 10 Years’ Ban On Car Licence

SYDNEY, Friday. A man was fined £100 and had his licence suspended for 10 years by Mr. Meagher, S.M., in North Sydney Court to-day for driving a car while under the influence of liquor.

The man, Alfred de Visne Cornwell, 48, insurance broker, of Pacific Highway, Pymble, had prior driving convictions.

He pleaded “Not guilty” to driving under the influence at Gordon on July 1.

Constable Herbert Talarico said he followed Cornwell along the Pacific Highway at Killara. His car was swaying from side to side. Cornwell’s speech was thick and he smelt strongly of liquor.

Frederick Harold Morris, building contractor, of Kippax-street, Sydney, who was in the car with Cornwell, said Cornwell was not in a condition to drive.

Morris said he (Morris) drove the car until stopped near Gordon Council Chambers by Constable Talarico.

Mr. Meagher said he was satisfied that Constable Talarico was an honest witness.

“Cornwell, according to his own story, was badly under the influence of liquor,” the magistrate added.

KNOCKED OUT WITH GUN

SYDNEY, Thurs — A 20-year-old probationary constable, with only two months’ service, knocked out with the butt of his revolver a man who allegedly threatened him with an iron bar.

The constable, Herbert Talarico, saw a man acting suspiciously near the Eastwood post office about 2 a.m. yesterday.

Realising he had been seen, the man allegedly threw a stone on the roof of the post office to warn his mate inside and made off.

When Constable Talarico over took the man, he turned and brandished a piece of iron.

But Constable Talarico knocked him out with the butt of his revolver.

Police searched the Eastwood post office, and found a charge of gelignite plugged in the safe key hole, ready to be blown.

Then followed dashes to suburbs by the wireless patrol, culminating at 8 a.m. with a visit to a shop in Prince’s Highway, Tempe.

Police alleged that as they entered the shop a man thrust his hand, in his pocket, but was over powered and handcuffed. A fully-loaded revolver, was allegedly found in his pocket.

As a result of the night’s work, detectives believe they have put an end to a cycle of safe-blowing in the northern suburbs.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/83742310

“LOOKING GLASS”

By ROLAND PULLEN -———

Mr. Barry Gulliver says he finds singing in Grand Opera uplifting after his rather sordid work.

In the daytime Mr. Gulliver works for the Taxation Department, investigating charges of dishonesty made in anonymous letters.

At night Mr. Gulliver is one of the chorus of demons in “Faust,” at the Conservatorium.

The demons sing hideous songs which drive Marguerita to madness and to killing her child.

We met Mr. Gulliver back stage at the Conservatorium this week during the opening scene of “Faust,” in which Mephistopheles tempts Faust.

Mr. Gulliver told us about his work as an investigator of anonymous letters, which the Federal Treasurer (Mr. Chifley) considers desirable.

He said that a lot of the people he had to interview in the course of his duties were rude. Some made use of the word “pimp.” Others used stronger language than this.

At this point there was a blinding flash as Mephistopheles leaped on to the stage. As Faust, the aged philosopher, was selling his immortal soul to Mephistopheles, Mr. Gulliver continued his narrative.

MR- GULLIVER said you would be surprised at the amount of deception and dishonesty that goes on in New South Wales.

Just then Mr. Curt Prerauer, the chorus-master, walked past to conduct the chorus of angels In his inner pocket Mr. Prerauer carries during the performance numerous watches and much jewellery and money which members of the chorus of angels leave with him so they won’t be stolen.

Mr. Gulliver says that when he was investigating some anonymous taxation letters at Wingham, near Taree, in 1938, a young woman was impressed with his voice and advised him to take up singing. He did so, and soon he was singing at church concerts at Wingham. “Opera is a wholesome change from investigating dishonesty,” he said.

At this stage Mephistopheles drew from a stage barrel water which the audience was led to believe was wine. Mr. Gulliver says that you meet interesting and ambitious people in opera companies.

ONE of the people Mr. Gulliver has met in the chorus is Mr. Herbert Talarico, Wahroonga barber.

Mr. Talarico‘s singing name is Lawrence Morrell.

Mr. Talarico is interested in the career of Mr. Joseph Schepsi, Melbourne’s singing barber, who charges £4/4/ for the Schepsi permanent wave and £4/4/ for a seat at his concerts.

Mr. Talarico charges only 1/6 for haircuts and receives the award rate of £5/7/ a week for his work in the opera chorus.

He says Schepsi must be a very interesting man. He would like to have a talk with him.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/247864487