Richmond folk too often hanged

Ronald Ryan, the last man executed in Australia, was a Richmond man, or at least that’s where his family lived at the time of his execution. Carlton man Barry Dickins wrote a play about the execution which occurred 40 years ago on Saturday. The outstanding Abbotsford publication Eureka Street, has an article by Jesuit prison reform advocate Father Peter Norden this week. There is to be a little gathering outside the gates of former-Pentridge-prison-future-New-York-style-loft-style- apartments on Saturday mo(u)rning.

Van Nguyen, executed in Singapore almost 14 months ago, was also a Richmond boy in the sense that he went to the parish school of St. Ignatius, where the bells tolled 25 times, once for each year of his life following his death by State homicide. That church is also where a memorial service for Ronald Ryan will be held later on Saturday. Thanks to the talented Philip Anthonie R. Cruz of Manila for the amazing image.