Last Wednesday the 15th July 2015 my longest and best friend Robert (Bob) Wood and I visited my old friend and mentor Frank “Karate Jack” Hutchen and his lovely wife Rose. I had not seen them for about 15 years although we talk regular on the phone. Frank and Rose are now in their eighties. I suppose you could say I’m a mere boy by comparison at 67 years old.It was simply a wonderful experience to catch up and reminisce while having a superb lunch laid on by Rose. Following lunch we got down to business. I wanted Frank to tell me real war stories that he was involved in during the period of the 1970s. Frank retired in 1980 on medical grounds
I recorded his stories on my iphone and wrote notes as Frank worked his way through some of the most horrific prison drama never told before. His jaw dropping tails would take us all through many emotions often making us laugh and on occasion causing us to have a tear in our eye.
You can read these very true stories told in typical Frank Hutchen style in my next book “Cutting the Bars” released within the next two months.
Meanwhile I hope you enjoy reading about Frank “Karate Jack” Hutchen in my current book, “It’s All In The Fall”. This larger than life man earned the respect of every Prison Officer that ever worked at Long Bay Gaol during his illustrious career, 1958 to 1980.
Peter T Egge
