I. Where it all started: the rise of ‘ndrangheta in Australia

The Disappearance of Donald Mackay

Donald Bruce Mackay was an aspiring politician from Griffith. He disappeared in 1977 after uncovering the presence of marijuana plantations in the area and the involvement of the ‘ndrangheta’.
His name as the whistleblower was made public during the subsequent trial, effectively putting his life in danger
His body was never found and the mystery of his disappearance remains unsolved

Since when have the ‘ndrangheta been present in Australia? Is it a city or a national phenomenon? What effect has the ‘ndrangheta had on the Italian community?

To answer these and a thousand other questions, SBS journalist Carlo Oreglia set out with mafia expert Dr Anna Sergi on a journey from Melbourne to Griffith and then to Mildura, in search of the origins and rise of the mafia in Australia.

No one can understand the Calabrian Mafia in Australia without going to Griffith and without understanding how the myth of the Calabrian Mafia began

Dr. Anna Sergi

First stop is Griffith, the NSW town that was the center of a national case in the 1970s: the disappearance of aspiring politician Donald Mackay,

His body was never found and his disappearance put the name of the ‘ndrangheta on the map in Australia, setting in motion a series of ambiguities and unresolved issues that still haunt Griffith.

On the plains of Coleambally, Carlo and Anna discover what connected the marijuana trade in the 1970s with the ‘ndrangheta and the Italian community.

SBS journalist Carlo Oreglia and Dr Anna Sergi on the plains of Coleambally, where a series of drug busts enraged the Griffith ‘ndrangheta in the 1970s.

“My Australian Mafia Roadtrip” is an SBS Audio podcast about the history and psychology of the ‘ndrangheta Down Under. Find it in your podcast app such as the SBS Audio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or LiSTNR.

Host: Carlo Oreglia

Special guest: Anna Sergi

Written and produced by: Carlo Oreglia

Supervising producers: Joel Supple, Caroline Gates

Sound design and mix: Max Gosford

Tile artwork: 50sVintageDame/illustrationroom.com.au