A Skins ‘n’ Sharps Exhibition will be held from Sunday 4th of July 2010 @ The Kustom Lane Gallery, 8 Luton Lane, Hawthorn.
Googled “Blackburn South Sharps” and found this grouse site!
Larry Jenkins, aka ESOTERIC, is the photographer responsible for the now infamous “Sharpie” photos recently [sic] exhibited at ACMI / Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia.
Larry was the leader of the notorious street gang the “BLACKBURN SOUTH SHARPS” from 1972-1977 when the Sharpie sub-culture was at its peak and the working class suburbs of Melbourne were a tough and violent place to grow up. These photographs represent a period from 1975-1976 in Australian sub-cultural history and are one of the few photographic records of that time. Larry began taking photos at the age of 16 using a pocket camera, when he started working as an apprentice motor mechanic and spent his weekly wage developing his shots…
See also :
::: Sharpies – A Unique Australian Subculture
“The recent fascination with Sharpies leaves you wondering – when did a spotted past in suburban Australia become an object of fascination rather than derision?”
::: The Sharpies – Cult Gangs of the Sixties and Seventies
In the 60’s and 70’s the streets of Melbourne were full of gangs but it was the Sharpies, enemies of the Hippies and Mods that held the power on the street. For a mean bunch of kids they were extremely fashion conscious with their crest-knit black shirts and personally designed cardigans. But as Saturday night fever exploded the Sharpies started to conform until the gang slowly faded away.
::: Blackburn South Sharps on Wikipedia :
The Blackburn South Sharps were the most prominent of the 1972-1977 Melbourne ‘sharpie’ gangs. The Sharpies were unique [?] to Melbourne and are an important element of Melbourne’s history in that their clothes were not a copy of US or UK fashion and they listened to Melbourne rock bands. Sharpies were an early precursor to the Australian phenomenon of bogans.
[On ‘bogans’, see also Michelle Griffin, ‘Bogansville: meet the new in-crowd’, The Age, July 16, 2002. NB. The lexicographers at the ANU claim that the earliest trace they can find for the term is 1985, but I can recall its use in 1983.]
NOW , NOW BOYS , CALM DOWN ! THERE’S ENOUGH VIOLENCE ON THE STREETS THESE DAYS WITHOUT YOU LOT ADDING TO IT, HAA , HAA , HAA .
haha true O’HOOLIGAN
1 COPY OF ”TOP FELLAS” FOR SALE ,,, MINT,,, $100
WHERE 😐
ill pay 150$ hahaha
Hey Rob, yeah I knew Mad Lou, he is still around apparently I haven’t seen him for over 20 years though. In regards to hang outs, some that lived over Edgars road side hung out there at times, I lived on the other side and hung out at the Alexander Ave milk bar. Mick
yes he is around haha
i always see him at thomastown station. with his bike, very scary looking guy. haha
apparently he was one of the toughest guys back in the times?
yeah i know where alexander ave milk bar is haha my mates hang out there lol.
also do u know george sharpie? well thats what they called him?
& was mad lou the leader of the thomastown sharps at its peak?
just new i hear, im really interested 🙂
thanks mick.
LIKE I SAID ROB,,,,,,1 COPY OF ”TOP FELLAS” MINT,,,,,,,,,,,,$100. ITS NOT A JOKE!
where could i get it from?
cos i really want it..
tell me asap!
HI ROB, THANKS FOR GETTING BACK TO ME ,,, THIS COPY IS THE LAST ONE THAT I RECKON WILL EVER COME UP FOR SALE ! THEY ARE REALLY HARD TO GET AS YOU KNOW. SEND $100 VIA POSTAL NOTE (FROM THE POST OFFICE) TO 57 BLAZEY RD. CROYDON SOUTH. 3136 WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS AND I WILL SEND IT STRAIGHT OFF TO YOU. THANKS ROB. CHRIS O’HALLORAN.
okay, now i gotta convince my parents to give me money
but i will asap
thanks chris:)
JUST DO WHAT ANY NORMAL ”’THOMASTOWN BOY”’ WOULD DO … ROB A BANK !!!!!!!! HA HA
Hey Rob, I don’t know where you got that info from about Louie being the leader. There was only one leader of the Thomastown Sharps and that was Bowie (John). Ask Louie next time you see him. Mick
the ”’LEGENDARY”’ John Bowe !!!!!!!!!!!!
oh just like.. stories i don’t know apparently. haha
bowie was he a big massive aussie bloke?
lol louie is a big bloke these days:)
was he part of the thomo sharps too.
thanks mick!
SORRY BOYS… ”’TOP FELLAS”’ IS SOLD…
DAMN=[=[..
SEE YOU AROUND BOYS,,,,,,O’HOOLIGAN HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!
where you goin 😛 ?
THOMOOO 3074:) ROFL!
mick,
i have some fotos of the
Thomastown sharps do u mind telling me their names?
hit back mate 🙂
thanks!
Hey
Do you guys remember that short film called “Deep” about three sharpies (two chicks and a guy) trying to join a gang of bayside sharpies. And one of the chicks who wanted to join had to give the leader of the bayside sharpies, Wombat, a blow job. But Wombat was hesitant because he had a cucumber shoved down his trousers.
It’s only about 5 minutes or so but it was a cracker. It came out in 2000 and they used to show it on the same bill as “Chopper” at the George Cinema, when it first came out at the flicks.
Does anyone know if you can get in on DVD or download if from somewhere?
Cheers
Sorry Sam, I have also heard of it but haven’t been able to track one down, I will let you know if I do. Mick
Rob which photo of the Thomastown sharps have you got, and yes I should be able to identify the heads in the photo. How can I view them? Mick
umm..
the ones on the skinsnsharps.com website.
go to stephen egan album nd scroll down abit.. then ul see john bowie nd another 2 pics with the thomastown sharps?
[email protected] send me the foto with their names if u dont mind mick thanks. Rob!
Hey Jimmy J – bout time the Chelsea Boys got a mention!
hey is there goin to be another edition of top fellas?
thanks rob
mick
do you still have your thomastown tshirt?
& i want to tell you another bloke that was in the thomo sharps but i dont wanna say his name here!
so yeah..
tc
Sharps were a bunch of bitches all of them, ill wipe my ass with u fags
Mate, you’re weird.
andy whos this st albans bloke
haha hes got a big mouth behind the screen
only if ur mouth was as big as ur heart 🙂
HA HA HA HA
dunno rob. whoever he is, sounds to me like he’s cruisin’ for a bruisin’.
HAHA yeh i know!
Hey guys, I just came across your site while searching for info on the original Hard Rock Cafe on the corner of Flinders & Spring Streets. I was never a part of the Sharpie scene but was around at that time and still wore a connie cardigan at the time. I came across this song on youtube while searching for some 70’s music. It might be of interest to you.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=XDZ41ruuUfs
hearing you boys talking about the old times of the thomo sharps is making me look at gangs these days around thomo and rezza and laugh.
there are some big boys but nothing like the sharps were.
north side sharps and melbourne sharps for ever my old man was in both gangs the storys he tells me are cool your all hard cunts bring back the 70s does any one no anything about ever gang [?]
paul where you from? what area?
northern suburbs?
You are all a bunch of wankers. The past is the past leave it alone.
god bless the thomastown sharps!
Who remembers a gang from Cheltenham 1972 to 1979? I can’t quite remember their name it was Chelt (something) it could of been Chelt Fakens. They would graffti everywhere these two letters AL.
Paul from Thornbury 811 High St Thornbury WOG SHOP. I was around 69 79 and will die a SHARP. IT’S IN MY BLOOD. I LEFT ON THE RUN FROM THE LAW IN 81. THAT’S BEEN SORTED. The Heidelberg Sharps r the true 4fathers. I moved from Thornbury 2 Doncaster in 73. Blackburn Sharps were around.
hey all u people im mad lou’s son steven
this is my dad lou and this is my mum margo she was in the west side sharps they have been together 35 years
[…sorry steven but the spaminator blocks commenters from uploading imgs to the blog. if you send a url i can do it for you…]
can u help
I’m not sure steven… if you’d like me to publish the photo, you’ll need to send me a link.
HI CREW ROB GEORGE SHARPIE FROM NORTHCOTE HUNG OUT AT 811 SOMETIMES. NOW YOUNG STEVEN CAN U ASK LOU IF HES SEEN PEPSI AROUND OR WAS HE BEFORE UR TIME BRO. IM 52.
STEVE
hahahaha
cya at school lil man:P
SHARPIESSSSSS!
There was a number of skins from Springvale Nth always being hassled by those Vegemite drillers from Dandenong. Always remember meeting up with other skins and sharps at Cup Day rock Festival Hall. Might have even been a Show Day rock at the Showgrounds with Thorpie and Lobby Lloyde playing. What was the name of the old tattooist in Bridge Rd near Venus shoes?
mad lou and tonny hikkie were the original leaders of thomo sharps and u no john bowwi was and is half my dads size. and my dad is still crazy like my cycopath mum lol
HI STEVEN IV MET JOHN AND MAYBE MET LOU PEPSI FROM REZZA ANY OF OLD SCHOOL SEEN HIM AROUND? AND STEVE DONT WORRY ABOUT THE CYCOPATH THING IT GOS WITH BEING SHARPS AND THATS WOT MADE A SHARPIE MATE I LIVE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ JUST ASK PEOPLE I KNOW THEY WILL TELL U PAUL IS A CRAZY CYCO. IM ONE IN THIS RED NECK TOWN AND FUCK IV HAD A HARD TIME BECAUSE OF MY WAY OF LIFE. IM 52 AND KICK ASS EVERYDAY.
SHARPIES UNITED CAN NOT BE BEATEN. PAUL.
steven, aint you from thommo son?
i saw your old man, he was going to bash mikey
hahahaha!