May 26, 2026 · 38 min · 11 segments
One of the underworld's old guard passed away quietly this year. Charlie Wootton didn’t need to be well known to be well respected in shadows occupied by hard men, controlling Melbourne’s illegal…
Robert WoottonGuest
John SilvesterHostNo entities detected.
[jazz music] In a time when even two-bit gangsters have social media profiles, one of the oldest of the old-school underworld figures passed away quietly in April this year, aged 84.
Charlie Wootton didn't need to be well-known to be well-respected in the shadows occupied by hard men.
Who murdered the notorious gunman, Freddy "The Frog" Harrison? On February 6, 1958, Harrison pulled up at South Wharf in his 1953 Ford Customline to pick up his pay he hadn't earned and return a trailer he didn't own.
As he was uncoupling the trailer, in the shadows of the ship, the River Murchison, a gunman pulled out a shotgun and said, "This is yours, Fred," shooting his target in the head.
The frustrated coroner threatened to have the toilet reconstructed in the court and invite all the reluctant witnesses to show how they fitted into the ablutions block.
One witness who was with Fred said that when he heard the shot, he immediately turned his head left.
Twist was present when Wootton's stepfather, Harold Nugent, had been shot and wounded by Harrison, and this was payback.
The teenager's mother ran the dockside tea stall where the River Murchison was docked.
Wootton became a major figure in the Painters' and Dockers' before controlling illegal gambling south of the Yarra.
He controlled multiple illegal clubs and set up a plush illegal casino, which was raided within a week of it opening.
You would go to Charlie's place when you wanted to bet, but there was no advertising, push marketing, and if you were over your head, Charlie would tell you just to go and have a spell.
Wootton was determined to keep a low profile, but his name would appear on death notices over leading underworld murders, such as the death of Alphonse Gangitano and later Jason Moran.
He was always discreet and would never mention the names of celebrities and politicians who would attend his illegal gambling dens.
[jazz music] In a time when even two-bit gangsters have social media profiles, one of the oldest of the old-school underworld figures passed away quietly in April this year, aged 84.
Charlie Wootton didn't need to be well-known to be well-respected in the shadows occupied by hard men.
Who murdered the notorious gunman, Freddy "The Frog" Harrison? On February 6, 1958, Harrison pulled up at South Wharf in his 1953 Ford Customline to pick up his pay he hadn't earned and return a trailer he didn't own.
As he was uncoupling the trailer, in the shadows of the ship, the River Murchison, a gunman pulled out a shotgun and said, "This is yours, Fred," shooting his target in the head.
The frustrated coroner threatened to have the toilet reconstructed in the court and invite all the reluctant witnesses to show how they fitted into the ablutions block.
One witness who was with Fred said that when he heard the shot, he immediately turned his head left.
Twist was present when Wootton's stepfather, Harold Nugent, had been shot and wounded by Harrison, and this was payback.
The teenager's mother ran the dockside tea stall where the River Murchison was docked.
Wootton became a major figure in the Painters' and Dockers' before controlling illegal gambling south of the Yarra.
He controlled multiple illegal clubs and set up a plush illegal casino, which was raided within a week of it opening.
You would go to Charlie's place when you wanted to bet, but there was no advertising, push marketing, and if you were over your head, Charlie would tell you just to go and have a spell.
Wootton was determined to keep a low profile, but his name would appear on death notices over leading underworld murders, such as the death of Alphonse Gangitano and later Jason Moran.
He was always discreet and would never mention the names of celebrities and politicians who would attend his illegal gambling dens.
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