Chopper Read

Chopper Got His Nickname from a Cartoon called “chopper and yakky doodle Chopper was the Dog who always Protected Yakky the little Duck from Danger. Its actually a Great Cartoon

When Chopper was 15, his mother had him put into Royal Park mental hospital. She felt that he was disturbed because he was no longer a Seventh-Day Adventist

1979 When Chopper had his stomach slit by convicted murderer, Greg "Bluey" Brazel during a prison brawl in 1979. The next day Chopper burst his stiches doing push ups to get fit enough for a revenge attack on Brazel. To this day he cannot believe that he did all those push-ups, the stomach didn't hurt, but the arms ached like hell.

1987 shooting of the drug dealer, Siam "Sammy the Turk" Ozerkam, outside Bojangles Nightclub in St Kilda, Melbourne, is an out and out winner. It was as big a hit as the movie about Chopper, which would come out 13 years later. As he said in his books, it was quite a simple series of events "....He pulled the shotty out and gone bang and it's bye, bye Turk." It was far from a case of cold-blooded murder, instead it was an act of instinctive self-defence

1990, It was when he was in jail in 1990, that Chopper made his first steps towards being an author 13 Books Later isnt too bad either!

1995 on 22 May he married mary annhoge after 2 ˝ yr courtship They have a child together, a boy, who they called Charlie, named after Chopper's long time and now deceased mate 'Mad' Charlie Hegyalji. Their marriage went great guns but only for a while

2001-- His Marrige to Mary Ann broke up in 2001. Life in Tasmania was just too slow. He couldn't handle watching chickens and sheep running around day after day. Farming life wasn't for Chopper, so he left with just the clothes on his back and enough money to get out of Tasmania. Chopper returned to Melbourne, There he worked behind a local bar part-time.

2003 on January 19 Chopper married Margaret Casser. He has known Margaret for 30 years. Anybody else out there that has married someone after they have known them for 30 odd years, please don't tell him now that it doesn't work.

Chopper has been convicted of armed robberies, a shooting, assault and kidnapping a judge. Between the ages of 20 and 38, He had a measily 13 months on the outside. This was His equivalent to the annual leave that most people get through work.

Chopper's portrait have been entered into the Archibald Prize 4 years running

1991 In July , Melbourne underworld figure, Alphonse Gangitano left Australia just as Mark' Chopper' Read was released from jail. He had apparently put out a $30,000 contract to kill Read. This came after the now famous criminal had refused to ensure Gangitano's safety upon his impending release from Pentridge. Read once appeared at Gangitano's home in Carlton to demand cash from a robbery. Chopper was apparently armed with gelignite and a fearful Gangitano escaped through a rear exit.

1998 Read was released in 1998 after his dangerous criminal tag was overturned on appeal and the pair moved to a farmhouse at Richmond, Tasmania.

2001 Sunday 24 June - Chopper Drink-Drive Advertisement Wins Gold at Cannes

2002 In April , Read came out in the Herald Sun and disowned the movie. He said that it was 'pure fiction' and that he wants nothing to do with the film. "They used all my jokes and they didn't even invite me to the opening," Read complained.

2002 In May , Read caused a stir with the release of his latest publication, the children's picture book, 'Hooky the Cripple". Set in the 16th Century, 'Hooky' is about a hunchbacked son of a prostitute who stabs a bullying butcher in the head 21 times, eventually going to trial for murder