By Saxon Cheng
When I was ushered into the private dining room for a meeting with Melbourne gangland survivor Mick Gatto and his mates, it was like walking into a scene from The Sopranos.
Thick cigarette and cigar smoke filled the intimate room of a Chinese seafood restaurant in Sydney's lower north shore. Introduced as the "Sydney Crew", there were two tables of burly blokes wearing designer suits, trench coats and a shed-load of bling.
After consuming a Tsingtao beer to calm the nerves, 10 minutes later, I was escorted by three men into another private room for a one-on-one chat with the famous underworld veteran.
The former professional heavyweight boxing champion greeted me with one of the firmest handshakes ever, which lasted double the time of a normal one and asked if it's alright to spark up his big fat Cuban cigar.
Underbelly
Gatto, who's in town to promote the autobiography he co-wrote with journalist Tom Noble,
I, Mick Gatto, confessed when he found out actor Simon Westaway was a cop 20 years ago he wasn't impressed that the actor was set to play him in
Underbelly.
"I thought about it overnight and I could have got him scrubbed in a heartbeat. But I rang him the next day and told him to do his best and I'm not worried about his past," says the son of Italian immigrants.
"I thought he played a terrific role, but he could have smiled and been a bit more flamboyant. I guess he tried to make me look honourable and respect me at the same time."
Gatto liked watching the high-rating show
Underbelly, but claimed it wasn't accurate and was glossed up for TV.
Carl Williams
Gatto, also the owner of Arbitrations and Mediations Pty Ltd, thought Carl Williams was a very insignificant player and under the radar at the start.
"When he escalated to the position with drugs, money and power, I was quite shocked. It just goes to show, anyone can do it," says Gatto.
Williams is currently serving 35 years for ordering three hits and the failed conspiracy to order a fourth.
Carlton Crew
Gatto, a businessman who manages Elite Cranes with 60 employees under him, made it clear that the Carlton Crew is a myth and was invented by the police and media after the gangland war erupted in 1995.
"I used to run around with an 80-year-old man seven days a week and I had meetings with people from all walks of life. If there was any Carlton Crew, it was my mate Ron Bongetti and I," says Gatto.
As one of the last man standing from the notorious gangland wars, Gatto confirmed there was a $400,000 contract on him before he was even charged with Benji Veniamin's March 2004 death. Fourteen months later, Gatto was acquitted when a jury found he acted in self-defence.
When asked if he still looks over his shoulder he said, he's careful, "but if someone wants you bad enough, they can get you".
Autobiography
In
I, Mick Gatto, Gatto tells of his inner-city Melbourne upbringing, his professional boxing career, to his apprenticeship with one of Australia's best safe-breakers. He takes us behind the gambling industry to his time in jail.
Gatto's unique position — of knowing all the players in the gangland wars but not being involved in drug trafficking — gives him an interesting perspective when it comes to watching the battles unfold.
I, Mick Gatto by Mick Gatto and Tom Noble is on sale now at all major bookstores.
Would you read Mick Gatto's autobiography? Leave your comment below.
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