- 286 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Frank Arkell (1929–1998) was the most successful politician of his generation; an Independent who served as Wollongong's Lord Mayor (1974–1991) and state member (1984–1991). Arkell dominated Wollongong public life with unstoppable energy, eccentric flair, and a single-minded determination to support the city through economic restructuring. Despite his popularity, at the edges of public consciousness there was growing disquiet over Arkell's private life …
'A compelling biography … Eklund provides a nuanced exploration of Arkell's relentless efforts to transform Wollongong from a 'steel city' to the 'Leisure Coast', as well as his connections to an extensive paedophile network exposed during the 1997 Wood Royal Commission …'
— Associate Professor Jayne Persian, University of Southern Queensland
'Eklund discloses the tragic consequences of unbridled male lust, deep social inequality and unaccountable class power … we have here a shocking story of sexual abuse and official corruption that brought untold suffering, political disgrace and, in the end, a brutal murder.'
— Professor Frank Bongiorno AM, author of Dreamers and Schemers: The Political History of Australia
Shortlisted, NSW History Awards, NSW Community and Regional History Prize, 2025
Longlisted, The Australian Political Book of the Year, 2025
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Information
Table of contents
- List of plates
- Abbreviations
- A note about currency
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: ‘Both a devil and a saint at the same time’—The life of Frank Arkell
- 1. Family and kin: Growing up in Port Kembla and Steeltown
- 2. School, family business and real estate
- 3. ‘For the betterment of Wollongong’: From new alderman to long-serving mayor, 1965–1981
- 4. ‘Life in the city of Wollongong is never dull’: Local and state politics, 1981–1988
- 5. ‘A mindless vendetta against me’: Declining popularity and increasing frustration, 1985–1991
- 6. ‘Attempting to sell people a dream’: Business dealings, networks and influence
- 7. ‘Wonderful, wonderful Wollongong’? Arkell’s vision for a post-industrial city
- 8. ‘Commander Hook’ and the Wollongong paedophile network
- 9. Public and private: The evidence, the allegations, the charges
- 10. A wide and diverse network of abuse
- 11. The University of Wollongong and its paedophile past
- 12. ‘People don’t wave anymore’: The diminishing years
- 13. ‘Our brother Frank was suddenly and violently taken from us’: The death of Frank Arkell
- 14. ‘Wollongong is the “W” in NSW’: Frank Arkell’s political record
- 15. ‘I would rather him face the courts’: The aftermath and the legacy
- Afterword
- Arkell family tree
- Frank Arkell: Timeline
- Bibliography