When was your Country's first bank robbery?
13 September 1828 was the day Sydney's, and Australia's, first bank robbery took place when the Bank of Australia strongroom was breached by thieves entering through a sewer drain and stealing £14,000 (equivalent to $20 million today) mostly in notes but also some gold and silver coins.
To thwart the robbers the bank withdrew all its notes from circulation and its note printing machines worked overtime so that old notes could be exchanged for new.
People surrendering old notes were required to explain how they had acquired them and several who were unable to give a satisfactory provenance were questioned by the police.
There was a surreptitious trade in stolen old notes, at a heavy discount, and several people were subsequently charged with possession of stolen money and receiving stolen goods; most were sentenced to seven or fourteen years in the Moreton Bay penal colony.
The majority of the stolen money was never recovered.
To thwart the robbers the bank withdrew all its notes from circulation and its note printing machines worked overtime so that old notes could be exchanged for new.
People surrendering old notes were required to explain how they had acquired them and several who were unable to give a satisfactory provenance were questioned by the police.
There was a surreptitious trade in stolen old notes, at a heavy discount, and several people were subsequently charged with possession of stolen money and receiving stolen goods; most were sentenced to seven or fourteen years in the Moreton Bay penal colony.
The majority of the stolen money was never recovered.
61-69, M
