His casket of burnished gold was adorned with a mass of white lilies and roses and, as the strains of Leonard Cohen's classic Hallelujah drifted out of the church, a thousand sombre mourners gathered to pay their respects to mafia boss Tony Sergi at his funeral at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Griffith on Friday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Referred to as the "The Operator" by the Royal Commission into Drug Trafficking for his chief role in the Griffith marijuana industry, Mr Sergi's grand send-off was in stark contrast to the unknown resting place of Donald Mackay, whose execution Mr Sergi was alleged to have ordered.
The body of the anti-drugs campaigner, who disappeared in 1977, has never been found.
Born in the Calabrian town of Plati in Italy in 1935, Antonio Sergi, a local winemaker, came to national attention when Justice Philip Woodward handed down the final report of the Royal Commission into Drug Trafficking.
Justice Woodward found that Tony Sergi from the winery at Farm 1305, Tharbogang, was the "pivotal figure" behind the Griffith marijuana industry and a member of a "secret organisation, called variously 'The Honoured Society', 'L'Onorata Societa' or 'N'Dranghita'."
"Donald Bruce Mackay was disposed of by members of, or on behalf of, that organisation ... at Griffith on 15th July, 1977," Justice Woodward found.
While Tony Sergi as "The Operator" was responsible for growing the crops, his cousin Pat Sergi (who was born in Plati on January 1, 1946 and became a real estate agent in Fairfield), along with the late mafia principal boss Bob Trimbole and others were responsible for the distribution of the product and channelling the drug profits back to Griffith, Justice Woodward found.
Mr Mackay, who had unsuccessfully run as the Liberal candidate against Labor's Al Grassby for the seat of Riverina in 1974, was causing trouble for Mr Sergi and his associates by complaining about the police turning a blind eye to the growing drug trade in the district.
Tony Sergi had the perfect alibi on the night of Mr Mackay's murder. He and his cousin Domenico "Mick" Sergi (born in Plati on March 3, 1939) were dining with local detectives Brian Borthwick and Graham Keech at La Scala restaurant.
The latter told a later inquiry that he had no recollection of a red-haired man entering La Scala, whispering something to Tony Sergi, and then leaving straight away.
Three years earlier, Patrick Joseph Keenan, a fruit fly inspector with the Department of Agriculture, had rushed off to the Griffith detectives with an alarming discovery.
On February 18, 1974, he had stumbled upon a marijuana operation, valued at $3 million, which was being packed at the farm of Tony Sergi's father-in-law, Giuseppe Scarfo.
Mr Keenan's police statement, which was tendered at the Woodward royal commission, described seeing sheets of hessian at the front of Mr Scarfo's machinery shed.
"On each sheet of hessian I saw some dried plants which I first thought were beans but as I drew closer I identified these plants as Indian hemp ... The next thing I saw was a .22 calibre rifle leaning against the wall just inside the sliding door.
"I then felt a bit nervous."
He also reported that Tony Sergi was filling green plastic garbage bags with Indian hemp plants and that up to 100 Indian hemp plants were "hanging suspended from wire traces in the shed".
Mr Keenan was surprised when his astonishing discovery was met with little interest by the local detectives.
The royal commission heard that the following day Mr Keenan was advised by one of Tony Sergi's relatives that Mr Keenan was mistaken about spotting the winemaker who, according to the relative, was at his winery for the whole day.
As it transpired Mr Keenan had good reason to be nervous. On March, 3, 1974, the body of another Patrick Joseph Keenan was found in a local canal.
Detective Jack Ellis, who was later jailed along with detectives Borthwick and John Robbins, showed as much interest in Mr Keenan's death as he had in the marijuana discovery. He told the local coroner that Mr Keenan was an alcoholic whose death was doubtless due to misadventure.
The three detectives only served short stints in jail, having been released under corrupt prison minister Rex Jackson's early release scheme.
"Wherever a beautiful soul has been, there is a trail of beautiful memories," read Mr Sergi's order of service.
Mr Sergi, who died on Sunday on his 82nd birthday, continued to lead a comfortable life in what Justice Woodward described as his "grass castle", untroubled by the law.
His family's Warburn Estate winery, the website of which highlights their brands Gossips, Rumours and Sweet Lips, is listed as being one of Australia's top 10 wine producers.
