Person:Joseph Curran (3)

Joe Curran had a reputation in the family as a police "snitch" in the Sydney area.

Source: recollection of his neice, Rhona (Curran) Hallberg

"He was certainly the black sheep of the family, he won the lottery sometime in the 50’s; he then bought a house around the corner from Nan’s old house in Station St ., Kogarah, he was living there ..... in (19)57. He later sold that house to developers for home units. He then bought again in Paine Street, Kogarah where he lived until he had his fall and ended up in hospital."

Source: e-mail from his neice, Jan Highman, March 2003

Although a first name is not given, the book "Razor" by Larry Writer, tells the following story:

"In 1929, he (Calletti) was charged with razoring a man named Curran in a Darlinghurst alley but denied the charge. In court Calletti laughed in the face of the prosecuter, saying he'd had a punch-up ('fair and square') with Curran, but he had not slashed him. Curran's terrible facial injuries, smirked Calletti, were just scratches caused by 'a ring I used to wear in them days'."

"Calletti was not punished for cutting up Curran, principally because Curran, after a visit from Calletti, decided not to testify. Curran later told how Calletti knocked on his door, a wide grin on his usually dour face. The thug had extended his hand and chuckled. 'Now I don't suppose you're going to make it too hard on me, are you Curran? I want you to go the police and say it wasn't me who attacked you. Tell them you mixed me up with somebody else. Someone with a name that sounds like Calletti'. Curran said Calletti left him in no doubt about what would happen to him if he did otherwise."

Joe Curran was 18 in 1929 so he could be the Curran in this story.

Source: "Razor", Larry Writer, Pan, 2001, pp 106-107.

1. ↑ NSW Death Registration Transcription, Ann Adelaide McMahon Curran, Ref No 1951/120527.
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 E-mail from Woronora General Cemetery Crematorium Trust, received Dec 1, 2004.