Back when Bon was a teenager, he was a delinquent, his behaviour landing him in prison at one point, which would go on to serve the inspiration for the AC/DC song Jailbreak. One of the people who helped Bon form a gang was Terry, a close school friend of Bon’s who attended John Curtin High School in North Freemantle alongside the future rock superstar. The pair bonded through – what else – football, and they both played in the same under sixteen team.

Terry helped Bon get a job crayfishing out on the town’s boats, which was one of the hardest possible jobs for a teenager to take. Bon rejected this after some time slaving away on the water, working as an apprentice mechanic at Avery Scales, managing the weighing machine. When he wasn’t sweating in the workshop or rolling with his gang, Bon spent time with Terry, and Terry’s sister Maureen. They would take in movies, go dancing, and show off their swagger in public, exuding devil-may-care confidence with a hint of danger and violence when push came to shove. This aesthetic was particularly popular thanks to the American cultural movement of rock’n’roll that had taken the world by storm at the time.

Terry was as close as you could get with Bon, and the pair got inked together – the ultimate rebellious action for teenagers of the era, along with piercing your ears. Both of the boys’ tattoos read “Death Before Dishonour”, however while Terry had gotten his on his arm, Bon had elected to have his tattooed right on his pubis. This proved agonising during recovery, especially due to the tight “stovepipe” jeans that were in vogue at the time. Terry and Maureen supported Bon during the weeks of pain that followed.

Terry and Bon were tough as they came as far as their neighbourhood went – they had to be. They were constantly challenged for top dog status, whether it be in a fist fight or a drag race. They were notorious among other gangs and the police, to the point that the duo were the first to blame, even for things they had no involvement in. As such, they became closer than ever, often ending up in “us against the world” type scenarios. This bond ran deep, as Terry eventually shared a room with Bon, along with two other close friends, Murry and Bicci.

Terry holds an interesting perspective of how Bon spent his leisure time. Whether it was dating girls, taking in a movie, or the hooligan activity that would eventually land Bon in jail, Terry was privy to all of it and has many a captivating tale to tell.