My brother, the Great Bookie robber

My brother, the Great Bookie robber

From Naked City by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald

May 19, 2026 · 22 min · Season 7 · Episode 18

About this episode

Greg Carroll recounts the shocking revelation that his brother was involved in one of Australia's most infamous robberies.

On April 21, 1976, six bandits raided the Victoria Club where Melbourne’s biggest bookies were settling their accounts with cash. No one knows the exact figure, but the take was supposed to be in the vicinity of $15 million. Just after the armed robbery, and a few kilometres away at a pub in the suburb of Windsor, Greg Carroll was meeting his brother, Ian Revell Carroll. Greg remembers the smirk on his brother’s face when news of the robbery broke while they tucked into lunch. What he didn’t know was that his brother was one of the six bandits behind one of Australia’s most notorious, and successful, heists. Today, Greg speaks to John Silvester about the genius of the stick-up and then, the curse of the Great Bookie Robbery. For more: Gregory M Carroll's book '11 Minutes'  A tour of the Naked City: Melbourne's crime secrets revealed by John Silvester. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: John Silvester

Guest: Greg Carroll

Topics covered

  • armed robbery
  • true crime
  • family dynamics
  • heists
  • Melbourne history

Keywords

  • Great Bookie Robbery
  • armed robbery
  • Melbourne
  • Greg Carroll
  • Ian Revell Carroll

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Victoria Club, Naked City

Books & works: 11 Minutes

Places: Melbourne

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