Episode 269 - The Ballarat Bank Robbery

On the afternoon of Tuesday 18 Sept 1883, Mr James Denham Pinnock, manager of the Ballarat branch of the Commercial Banking Company, prepared a gold shipment for transfer to the main office in Melbourne. The shipment contained 16 bars of gold (weighting over 120 pounds) and 670 pounds of mutilated notes which were sent to be destroyed.The shipment went with Pinnock rail then by carriage to the head office in Collins St. It was 11pm so Alfred Corbett, a caretaker and messenger at head office secured the strong box in a lower bank vault until the morning. At 10.20 the next morning Pinnock went to the safe and it was discovered pins had been inserted and bent into the keyhole. A locksmith was called, and when the safe was opened, it was empty!