Dubbed 'Mr Sin', and 'the Boss of the Cross', Abe Saffron ruled his family with an iron fist. He was involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including illegal alcohol sales, dealing in stolen goods, illegal gambling, prostitution, drug dealing, bribery and extortion. He was charged with a range of offences, but his only major conviction was for tax evasion.

One eyed crime matriarch Kath Pettingill mothered a brood of 10 who variously went to early graves, prison or witness protection. She has a string of convictions and wrote an autobiography titled "The Matriarch". She is reported to have offered $20,000 for the testicles of an undercover detective who infiltrated her crime family.

Painter and docker, Les Kane was described by his widow, Judi, as "the most violent man in Australia". Les came to prominence when he declared war on the armed robber Ray Chuck, the mastermind of what is known as the Great Bookie Robbery in 1976. But Chuck struck first.

George David Freeman was a Sydney organised crime figure and illegal casino operator. He was linked to the Sydney drug trade during the 1970s and '80s, was named in several Royal Commissions into organised crime and had links with American crime figures. Freeman served several prison terms for theft between 1951 and 1968 but was never brought to trial for any of his later alleged crimes.