Central Business District in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia — Oceania
Tombstone Territory
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The People Prevail
| — | Queen Victoria Market | — |
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, July 16, 2026
1. Tombstone Territory / The People Prevail Marker
In the late 1950s, claims about corrupt merchants and unfair practices at the wholesale fruit and vegetable market led to a 1960 Royal Commission to examine the existence of cartels. The claims were unproven, yet the ill feelings continued and culminated in the April 1963 shooting of an O shed market gardener. By January 1964, another man, also an O shed trader, had been killed and two more seriously wounded. Soon O shed was dubbed 'Tombstone Territory'. A subsequent dawn police raid at the Market the following January led to the seizure of many deadly weapons.
The police engaged an American expert in the workings of organised crime, John Cusack, who worked with international police officers in a full-scale investigation. Their work led to the Cusack report, which found that the crimes were acts of revenge within a secret Society, L'Oneratia Societa (The Honoured Society). The investigation was a great success with many offenders being charged. With the relocation of the wholesale fruit and vegetable market to Footscray in 1969, peace was restored.
The People Prevail
The relocation of the
this page online
The fight raged, but by 1975 the Council pragmatically realised that the People would
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, July 16, 2026
2. Tombstone Territory / The People Prevail Marker along Victoria Street
Erected by Queen Victoria Market.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Law Enforcement. A significant historical year for this entry is 1950.
Location. 37° 48.363′ S, 144° 57.406′ E. Marker is in Melbourne, Victoria. It is in the Central Business District. It is on Victoria Street (Victoria Route 32) 0.1 kilometers west of Cobden Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 145 Victoria Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in Oceania, in Australasia, in the Pacific Ocean, in South Pacific, on the Pacific Rim, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Queen Victoria Market Timeline (here, next to this marker); Victoria Street Shops / Instant and Delicious (here, next to this marker); Bringing home the Shopping (within shouting distance of this marker); Market Football (within shouting distance of this marker); Wholesale to Retail (within shouting distance of this marker); Saving the Market (within shouting distance of this marker); Market Opening - Floor Plaque (within shouting distance of this marker); The Market Gates (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Melbourne.
Also see . . . The Mafia Menace in our Midst. Trove
The U.S. agent, John Cusack, was brought to Australia in 1964 by the Victorian Government to investigate these murders after it was found they were linked to Mafia-type operations.(Submitted on September 1, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria.)
Cusack, who is now assistant director of the U.S. Drug Information Administration, was an expert on Mafia crime. In close co-operation with the Victorian police he made a thorough investigation of the Italian community in Melbourne and made a report to the Victorian Government describing the society’s operations in Melbourne and elsewhere in Australia.
Cusack, who is now in Rome, this week confirmed his belief that the society is involved in large-scale drug production and trafficking in Australia.
He said it was quite possible that it operates in Griffith and that if local drug campaigner Mr Donald Mackay had discovered something about the society’s local operations then it would have had no hesitation in murdering him.
The Bulletin has obtained a copy of Cusack’s secret report. It is a document that will send a chill through many Australians.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
