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.]
paul,
did you live in thomastown?
i think i’ve heard stories about you.
mate i lived in thornbury the hamburger shop i hung out at 811 was 2 shops away from connies i went 2 school at preston teck and did live in most suburbs. john bowwi knows pepsi he can tell u a few stories. like the time we fronted a certain bikie crew ; and if we r going 4 history best we get it right? i can tell u pepsi & george sharpie real names r ‘ball like king kong but if u r looking 4 history thats were 2 look’ me, a sharpie moved 2 rockingham w.a. united sharpies hahahahahaha. thornbury paul
haha quite a interesting story,
what other fights did use get up to?
who was the biggest brawler back then?
thanks hitback
rob ; we all were good brawlers back then, and still r and back then u had 2 be good as a fighters, all so we carnt forget the fizroy boys sammy D, few others from fizroy. ur best bet would be talk 2 johnbow he knows the people im talking about and john was a good brawler like i say we all were good back then, u c mate it was united sharps back then.so i will leave u with it rob . paul left the building,
yeah i know,
i don’t understand why this day & age people fight with weapons.
i don’t see bowwi. but as i was saying people fight with weapons. like i’m from Thomastown. grew here raised here.
i was talking to some old bloke on the bus that was in the sharps, forgot his name though! he was macedonian.
paul, did use ever brawl with the leb tigers or?
laters.
mate there is so much one can say on line , i just hope the old bloke was not pepsi ; i will say this when im back in vic i will try 2 get all the heads together 4 a talk and no mater where u r just remember were your from; when i moved 2 w.a. well thats other story . i will be back ill let u know . im proud 2 have been part of the sharpie revolution i can say this it saved my life. pack of hard mother fuckers.
where you off to?
i dono but this old bloke as i was saying, he just finished a fight hahaha he had blood stains on his top nd nuckles all punctured.
Hi Steven, I know your old man, mum, your dads brother (name escapes me) he was a nice guy, I have even been to your Bubo and Dedo’s (grandmother & grandfather in Macedonian) house in Thomo. I even remember when you were born my how time flys. I caught up with some ex Thomo Sharps recently: Harry, Tom T, Bowie, Marco, Tiger, Bobby etc some of them I haven’t seen for almost 30 years it was nice to catch up. I remember your mums brother a towie at the time demanding I tell him where Pee Wee was, apparently Pee Wee stole a pair of Margo’s (your mums) jeans. Your old mad was mad but a nice bloke, I always got along with him. Give him and your uncle (Lou’s brother) my regards.
Cheers Mick.
hey which guy’s pee wee anyone got a pic of him?
i wanna ask some of the blokes around thomo station that were in the sharps to tell me stories. but they’ll just crack me.
god bless THOMASTOWN!
Are you still interested in CONTE CARDIGANS? I have three. My phone number is (03)94646453 in Melbourne.
YEAH I’M INTERESTED IN THE CARDIGANS LEN … TADHG TAYLOR TOLD YOU TO RING ME! THANKS FOR THAT !!!!! O’HOOLIGAN.
if i hear anymore about the notorious blackburn south sharps i’ll be sick……a few shit photos dont make ya tough……they need a good beating !!!! ha ha
BREN ; GOOD ONE HAHAHAHARR? LEN GIVE ME A CALL . PAUL .
THE CARDIGANS ARE GONE…… THEY ARE NOW RESIDING IN CAMBERWELL…… HA HA!
your right @ndy if i hear anymore from rob about the thomastown sharps i’ll be sick……get over it………… richmond boys rule!!!
MY OLDER SISTER WENT OUT WITH ONE OF THE BLACKY SOUTH SHARPS AND SHE SAYS THEY WERE ONE OF THE MOST FEARED GANGS IN MELBOURNE. YOUS ARE JUST JEALOUS.
Great to find this site on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I was speaking with my wife only last night about the good ol’ days as a Sharpie in 1966 in beautiful Box Hill! (She said she would have never married me had she known what I was like in those days.) The dances — Blue Stone was also called ‘blood stone’ as it went off every Sat night. (Fists, bottles and even a shotie some nights.) Glue Pot Sunday night, St Peter’s Friday nights. Town Hall some times. Ah, the visits or the phantom threats of proposed visits by other sharpie groups that rarely took place. Chisel toe shoes, Flags boys… not Flairs. I had the most wonderful pair of Flags woolen check pants purchased from Bachelors Menswear, top end of Bourke St Melb. Also used to buy our pin striped Flags from Fairways cnr Elizabeth St and Little Collins. (They had a closing down sale for years and years.) With T Shirts only pale Blue or Maroon three buttons always done up to the top. Maroon Jumper and in winter the famous gabardine Trench Coat with the belt always looped to the back. Yes chisel toe shoes the wider the better just in case you need to kick with them.
Hanging around the station or the bowl or the local milk bar every night 10 to 30 of us. The walks home as our numbers dwindled some nights to one or two could lead to a car full of sharpies stopping next to us asking “Where are you from?” Out numbered the easy answer was Chatham, it was 3 stations on from Box Hill towards the city, not one dumb ass had ever heard of that place. If you had said Box Hill, six in the car would have beaten the living crap out of you, you may have even got a few blows with the trusty metal pipe around the head…
Ah the good ol’ days ’66 to ’70 in Box Hill, and ya know, I would not have changed one thing had I had my time over again. It was a time of growing up and hanging around with the most eclectic group of individuals one would ever desire to meet and providing you were in the group/gang most times you were untouchable. And today all those years on, most of those kids are fine outstanding citizens. I saw an outsider all those years ago one night have the living crap beaten out of himself at Blue Stone (Blood Stone) dance — never forgotten him and it was 43 years ago about, he cleaned himself up after the beating and came back again for a fight with the same Box Hill kid again and again, this happened 4 times. The outsider kid’s face was mince meat in the end, but as I said I have never forgotten his guts or his stupidity maybe, so if you are out there mate and around 60 years of age, you did have guts I must say. I got my worst beating ever in a fenced paddock around the corner from Odd Mod (Kew Club’s prior name). The Mod girls mostly were all stunners (why the hell didn’t I become a Mod?) but we were never allowed in that dance due to our clothing. Even used to try and pin our flags so they looked like drain pipes, but ah no, the second job cops (bouncers) would tell us to go. They were actually smart, although we never thought it in the ’60s, they knew our faces and our very short hair never helped either.
One Saturday night even prior to trying to get in to Odd Mod 4 wonderful uniformed policemen and the sarge stopped myself and my mate in Glenferrie Rd, took us across the road into this fenced paddock and beat the living hell out of us, saddest thing he would knock me down and stand on my lovely trench coat and tell me to get up, it was a little difficult sarge, especially when you were intentionally standing on it with your size 80 plod hoppers. Wish you hadn’t torn my treasured trench coat sarge!
It was a lesson in life and thanks sarge, it took the two of us to legendary status to be beaten up by 4 plods with number 5 watching the gate. But if you gave it you had to be prepared to take it and although I will now sound like an old fart by saying: “The streets today may be a little safer if this swift police justice was still allowed.”
Thanks for reading chaps, I will now do the Sharpie Shuffle as I ponder what’s for dinner!
Great story Noel — cheers!
ah ! fairways…i remember it well…closing down sale went for eight years !! did you ever get to the mutual or southern cross bowling alleys in the city noel…always something happening…and of course the melbourne show…sharpies starting trouble every year of course…you made me laugh mate…i was brought up in chatham where nothing much ever happened but it sounds like you made good use of it as a decoy !!!! i had a pair of woolen checked flags as well…flap back pockets, but mine were made by maurice the tailor at camberwell junction…we used to cruise up to box hill some sundays looking for trouble in a clapped out fx or a lowered fe or fc or whatever we had at the time and if we saw any sharps hanging around the station…the usual abuse from the safety of the car before we took off…i remember one week we went went there with a couple of air rifles and fired a couple of volleys into the mob.they weren’t too impressed, i can tell you !!!! possibly the first drive by ever…ha…did you ever get to the dance in mailing road canterbury…it was called the scene from memory…it was a mod dance that the sharpies used to terrorize regularly and another one was st. silas in balwyn…your right noel…great days that i wouldn’t want to change for quids !!!! cheers.
nice stories we have here..
BREN! good old thomastown sharps were notorious, i still see & talk to some myself..
they’re still kicking arse on the street! i also saw one wearing his thomastown t-shirt.
old sharpies never die.
Cheers Andy and Rob,
O’Hooligan, were you the one that shot me?????? Thank god I was not outside the old station that arvo mate! I had a good ol’ FX it used more oil than petrol. It was so damn original, if only I had it now mate and all it needed was a new main seal but the trouble was the engine needed to be removed to get to the seal. I then upgraded to a 59 FC. Most of us had FEs or FCs and those damn rich Sharpies we hung with had the occasional EH, did I love them, good ol’ 178 motor. I shared an old Vanguard with some mates we bought for 5 quid and cruised the streets late at night to get a hamburger from Whitehorse Rd burger joint. I remember one night a mate showed up while we were there and screamed to the poor little Greek fella behind the counter “6 potato cakes and make em BIG ONES”, I think I was even scared of that bloke that night as well.
Yes, I remember Southern Cross Bowls very well and it was a hang out. We also used to walk to Yarrabat Ave squash/tennis centre Balwyn to play pinball and pool. I was banned for life from Dunloe Ave squash bowl for swimming in my clothes one Sunday, why so stupid I will never know. We walked to another place in Union Rd cnr Croydon Rd Surrey Hills which used to be a squash centre but also had pinball machines, the little bloke that ran that was always nice to us folk. St Silas Balwyn yes yes yes.
Again mate, Maling Rd I occasionally got into Canterbury Rock dance on the left hand side of rd going sth and on the right there was a Mod dance but I don’t remember it being called The Scene, I thought it was called Bastille? I know there was some beautiful little Mod girls always there and I fell in love with one one night in Canterbury Gardens! Mate funny times…and how ironic, I live all those years on, spitting distance away from Chatham station…well almost.
Take care folks!
I REMEMBER YARBAT AVE. WAS A HANGOUT NOEL, AND WE USED TO HANG OUT AT THE UNION RD JOINT WHEN WE WERE A BIT YOUNGER AND SLOT CARS WERE THE BIG THING!!! AND OPPOSITE DUNLOE AVE SQUASH THERE WAS A SLOT CAR TRACK AS WELL WE’D BE UP THERE EVERY WEEKEND OR AT TOM THUMB IN BOX HILL… I THINK CANTERBURY ROCK TURNED INTO BASTILLE THEN THE SCENE AND THEN WHEN THE HIPPY THING STARTED IT WENT TO LORD JOHNS… PSYCHEDELIA ETC… BASH THE LONG HAIR HA HA!… IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE MALING RD DANCES WE’D RIDE OUR BIKES DOWN ON SAT. ARVOS AND SNEAK IN THE BACK AND LISTEN TO NORMIE ROWE,MARCIA JONES,RONNIE BURNS ETC. REHEARSING FOR THE SAT NIGHT… GREAT FUN!!! AND BOX HILL BURGERS (GREASEYS)… PLENTY OF HEART BURN THERE MATE!!! I REMEMBER ONE NIGHT WE WERE CRUISING AROUND BOX HILL IN MY MATES FC LOOKING FOR TROUBLE, A BLOKE IN A LITTLE SHITBOX PREFECT CUT US OFF SO WE CHASED HIM AND RAN HIM OFF THE ROAD, IT TURNED OUT HE WAS ONE OF THE FONTANAS… A LOT OLDER THAN US. HE GOT OUT AND LAID INTO US BIG TIME… WE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT HIT US AND IT TOOK US FIVE MINUTES TO FIGHT HIM OFF AND GET BACK INTO OUR CAR! AND THEN HE CHASED US ALL THE WAY BACK TO CAMBERWELL! DO YOU REMEMBER THE CARTERS NOEL? ALSO HAVE A LOOK AT THE SKINS ‘N’ SHARPS WEBSITE, I THINK YOU’LL ENJOY IT…… CHEERS.
http://skinsnsharps.com/
AND TALKING ABOUT OLD CARS NOEL, WE BOUGHT AN OLD CLAPPED OUT HILLMAN FOR $8.50 (TRUE STORY) FROM ‘HONEST JOHNS’ ON THE CORNER OF SOUTH RD. AND WARRIGAL RD. SO AS WE COULD ROLL UP TO Q CLUB THAT NIGHT IN STYLE !!!! IT WAS THAT STUFFED IT WOULDN’T MAKE IT UP THE GLENFERRIE ROAD HILL… SO WE ENDED UP REVERSING UP THE HILL AND MADE IT TO Q CLUB FOR THE MANDATORY DRIVE PAST THE FRONT ENTRANCE, ELBOWS OUT, DIRTY LOOKS, SUCKING ON LONG NECKS AND THE CAR BELCHING SMOKE AND FUMES… NOW THAT’S TOUGH… HA HA !!! ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LATER THE OLD GIRL DIED AND WE PUSHED IT DOWN TO THAT LITTLE SERVO THAT USED TO BE AT Q JUNCTION… MISSION ACCOMPLISHED !!!!!! WE ENDED UP GETTING THE LAST TRAM HOME AS USUAL FROM THE CORNER OF GLENFERRIE RD, AND AS USUAL THE TRAM WOULD BE DESTROYED WELL BEFORE BURWOOD RD. AND THE DRIVER WOULD JUST TAKE IT EXPRESS STRAIGHT TO THE HAWTHORN JACK SHOP… WITH SHARPS TRYING TO JUMP OFF BEFORE IT GOT THERE AND SENIOR SERGEANT BRIAN ARCHMAN GOT HOLD OF US AGAIN !!!! TAKE CARE… O’HOOLIGAN.
O’Hooligan,
What funny stories, and if we did not have these grand Life experiences we could not have a great chuckle about them now. Bloody hell Mate, “6 Potato Cakes and make ’em big ones” at the burger joint I mentioned yesterday that was the youngest Carter, he would be 56/57 now. Did I know the Carters! The Fontanas, yep Joe and Frank and Cousin Vince to name a few, I caught up with Joe many years ago by fluke again and it was great to chat and see him, he started work as a Telegram Boy aged 14 at Box Hill PO. I also caught up with Frank who was possibly also the Prefect Driver some time ago at a 50th BDP. Didn’t know the Honorable Senior Sargent Archman, but I had many dealings with The Honorable Sargent Kruger from Box Hill.
One night we invaded Box Hill Tech Social Dance, strange they would not let us in, and Sarg Kruger continued to tell us to just go away as he did not want to get rough with us, as tough little Sharps we all thought how weak he was, what a walk over and continued to run riot. Little did we know he was the smart one and had called for back up, and did back up come! It came from every direction and mates were hand cuffed to police car doors and bumper bars all around. My brave self and only 1 mate slipped into the crowd and I asked this beautiful young lady next to me to just allow me to put my arm around her and slowly walk away. I heard the Honorable Sarg Kruger tell all his back ups “I want two more one looks like a Gorilla (fortunately my mate who got away) and the other one looks like he is wearing Pyjamas”! They were my prized woolen check flags with back pocket flaps purchased at great expense from Batchelors in Bourke St. Sadly lovely missy I had found to protect me did not seem to want to stay with me once we were out of school grounds! Can’t understand why! I made my way back to a mate’s Mum whose house we were always welcome in and tried to explain her son was in the lockup. I remember the lovely woman’s words, “Oh Noel what have you boys all done this time, come on let’s go and sort it out at the BH Police station…” “Ah don’t think I can do that Mrs, cos they will lock me up as well.” In the end she drove me and told me to wait in her car outside, as we approached, there was escapee number two (the look a like Gorilla) throwing huge stones at the cop shop and yelling out “Let them go!”
Another wonderful life experience in Sharpie land.
Take Care Buddy.
the youngest carter was john mate, i went to school with him and he was a big influence on me, we became best mates and he introduced me to drag racing which i’m still into to this day…we used to sit in class drawing dragsters and looking at the drag mags he used to bring to school…stuff schoolwork ! he also would tell me stories about his older brothers and their mates, i’d never heard anything like it and i’m sure he corrupted me from a young age…ha ha ! if you can find out where he is noel i’d love to catch up with him…anyway i might catch up with you at the sharpie expo next year…o’h.
we’re thinking of re releasing the ‘TOP FELLAS’ book, if anyone is interested in a copy please let us know so we can get some feedback… thanks.
Do it! Top Fellas is a Top Book!
Would love to buy it, sounds like a great read Top Fellas. Yes the blonde haired Carter family and correct it was John, he was the stand over man wanting the BIG potato cakes at greasy man’s shop that night! We will share other stories some time mate.
Take care folks.
how much $ for top fellas?
how much $!
IT WILL PROBABLY BE LIMITED EDITION RELEASED IN TIME FOR THE ‘SKINS N SHARPS’ EXPO NEXT YEAR…… NOT SURE OF THE PRICE AT THE MO. IT WONT BE AS MUCH AS THE EDITION ONES ARE FETCHING SECOND HAND……$50-$100……UNBELIEVABLE !!! PROBABLY AROUND $15-20 FOR THE NEW RELEASE……I’LL KEEP YOU INFORMED. O’H.
why dont you get a life rob !!!! who cares how much the book is !!!! you sound like a complete dickhead…. get onto the Wankers R Us website…. that would be perfect for you !!!!!
bren!
hahahaha
shut the fuk up!
HEY ROB, ME AND THE BOYS ARE GOING ON A SHOOTING TRIP IN TWO WEEKS…YOU SHOULD COME ALONG, YOU’LL BE SAFE WITH US !!!!!! I PROMISE !!!
grow up!
I went to Melbourne to spend some time when I was playing soccer for Salisbury United and we ended up in Doncaster full of wealthy ponces nothing like us. I befriended the Greek mate and his bro I stayed with, but his redheaded dickhead mate next door was privilege epitomised, I loved my time there and took a lot away about class differences good and bad, I was 13! It was a good learning experience. I loved Melbourne. Thought one day I’d go back, maybe I will.
preston tech?
thats northland sec college now right?
are you for real rob,,,,whats northland sec. college got to do with the last blog !! you really need to get a life !!!!!!!!
im asking to find out something.. it doesnt need to refer to the last blog you dumb idiot!
WHERES LARRY ????
He is having Dinner with Curley and Moe!
HEY O’HOOLIGAN,YOU STILL BUYING CARDIGANS AND CHISELS ?
yes i am still interested in buying cardigans and chisels… and also platform shoes or staggers jeans as well !! but my limit is $200 per item now depending in condition… cheers. o’hooligan.
AND ALSO MILLER AND WRANGLER SHIRTS !!!!
fuck off back to blackburn angie !!!!
Oi! Don’t dis Blacky South!
we’ll fight ’em.