Life on the lam — how Peter escaped from under his fugitive father's shadow

Peter Norris's father was a notorious bank robber who lived life on the run, dragging his boy across the country with him, until Peter refused to go with him one last time. It was the hardest decision he ever had to make.

Peter Norris grew up on the run with his criminal father, Clarence 'Clarry' Norris.

Every time Clarry was arrested, he would find a way out of custody and fulfil his promise of coming back to his son, and every time they reunited they would be off once more tearing across Australia.

Peter climbed out windows at foster homes, and escaped group homes for boys to be with his dad, in Sydney, in Shepparton, Perth and Port Hedland.

Until one day, his father came back to Peter when he had landed on his feet in the home of a beautiful foster family in regional Victoria.

The faith the Dullards had in Peter gave him the courage to finally say "no" to his loving, caring, criminal, complicated dad.

It was the hardest decision he ever made, but while desperately Peter wanted to be with his father, but didn't want to be him.

It was the last time Peter ever saw his father. 

This episode of Conversations discusses family dynamics, origin stories, crime, criminality, theft, intergenerational trauma, foster care, abandoned children, group homes, remand centres, Baltara, homelessness, abuse, parenting, grief, closure, fatherhood, father son relationships.

The Bank Robber's Boy is published by Simon & Schuster

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