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Excerpts from Characters & Capers
Stephen Leslie Bradley
Australia's first modern day Kidnapper
"...He was about 5’10” or so in height, and very heavily built. I won’t say he was fat, for reasons that will become clear in a moment, but certainly his large stomach was quite an imposing sight. I was in the cutting room one day, close to the table where I had cut my finger some months before. Bradley came by, and with a smile, pointed at the material cutter. “Keep your silly fingers out of that thing this time, fella!” he said.
I took a quick shot back at him with, “You’d better keep your big, fat gut away from it too!”.
He was quite upset by my comment. His stomach wasn’t as fat as I thought, he said. In fact, it could easily withstand any punch I might be able to throw at it! “Oh, yeah!” I said, doubt plain on my face. At that, he smiled and motioned for me to stand away from the table. He stood there with his hands on his hips and challenged me. I asked if he really wanted me to punch his stomach. He nodded and said I could do so with his blessing, providing only that I did not hold back. I was to hit him as hard as I could! I couldn’t resist his challenge.
By this time there was a crowd around us. Seeing it was a light-hearted event, everyone cheered us on. Bradley laughed at me and said: “Do your best you skinny little prick!”
So, I did! I did my very best! I hit him in the stomach as hard as I have ever hit anything in my whole life. I nearly broke my wrist. It felt like I’d hit a sheet of iron.
Bradley laughed again, and then again, every time he saw me for weeks after..." | |
