mother, who could not fully support the family with the money she earned from cooking and cleaning. Many of Cooke's jobs put him in hospital due to his accident-proneness. At a job in the factory of Harris, Scarfe and Sandover, he was hospitalised after being struck on the nose by a winch. At the age of 16, he worked as a hammer boy in the blacksmith section of the workshop at Midland Junction, where he always signed his lunch bag "Al Capone". At the same job he suffered second-degree burns to his face from steam, jarred his right hand and injured his left thumb. Early crimes Starting at age 17, Cooke spent his nights involved in petty crimes, vandalism and arson; he would later serve eighteen months in jail for burning down a church after he was rejected in a choir audition. During his later teenage years, Cooke would sneak into houses and steal whatever he found valuable. These crimes escalated to damaging clothing and furniture in acts of vengeance. He would cut out newspaper accounts of his crimes to impress his acquaintances in an attempt to gain friends. On 12 March 1949, police finally caught up with Cooke and found evidence at his grandmother's house, where he was living. Cooke's fingerprints were matched to those found in other open cases. On 24 May 1949, Cooke was sentenced to three years in prison after being arrested for arson and vandalism; he was convicted on two charges of stealing, seven of breaking and entering and four of arson. He left many fingerprints and easy clues for detectives which would teach him to be more careful in his future crimes. Adulthood Cooke was described as "a short, slight man with dark, wavy hair and a twisted mouth". At the age of 21, Cooke joined the regular Australian Army, but was discharged three months later after it was discovered that, before enlistment, he had had a juvenile criminal record. During his training, he was quickly promoted to lance corporal and was taught to handle firearms. On 14 November 1953, Cooke, then aged 22, married Sarah (Sall) Lavin, a 19-year-old waitress, at the Cannington Methodist Church (demolished 1995). They ultimately had a large family of seven children, four boys and three girls. During the 1950s and early 1960s, people in Australia frequently left cars unlocked and often with the keys in the ignition. Cooke