Music industry legend Stuart Coupe shows how showbusiness and the underworld are intrinsically linked -nightclubs, corrupt cops, drugs, vice, rock’n’roll promoters, dodgy accountants and gangland shootings – and it was Abe Saffron, the original King of the Cross, who laid the foundations for more than fifty years of intrigue, murder and mayhem.
Let’s get the story of Abraham Gilbert Saffron down. Just the facts, Your Honour.
Wherever you find entertainers performing in neon-lit pubs and clubs, chances are you will find a wannabe gangster or two hanging around. Selling sex and drugs has always been a way to make a fast buck – and potential customers are more open to temptation in pubs, bars, dance halls and nightclubs.
Abe Saffron figured all this out very quickly. He was a chancer who kickstarted his criminal career SP bookmaking and receiving stolen goods. While he earned himself a quid or two, he wanted much more, and he was ruthless enough to seize any moment to get it … no matter what he had to do.
Running pubs opened up opportunities for young Abe. By the 1940s, American servicemen on leave from the war were flooding Sydney looking for booze, food, girls, sex and entertainment – and a lot of all of it. And they had cash. Lots of cash.
Saffron was ready to take their money. A wily operator, his rise coincided with the arrival of the nightclub era. He was not the first crime figure to tap into the world of entertainment, and others would emulate him, but he would become one of the most feared and most powerful in Australia. His tentacles stretched around the country and his name dominated news headlines and police briefs for decades. Even after his death, his shadow still hovers over the industry.
To enter, tell us Abe Saffron's middle name. ANSWER: Gilberthttps://goodreadingmagazine.com.au/competitions/win-saffron-incorporated/Terms And Conditions:
1. Entry is open to all residents of Australia and New Zealand from 1 September 2025 to 30 September 2025.
2. Employees and the immediate families of the promoter and agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible.
3. The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
4. The first correct entries drawn from the competition in September 2025 will win the book.
5. The promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail.
6. The winners of the prize will be notified by email in October 2025.
Australian Competitions Club
