Old green suitcase discarded in council clean-up reveals 'gold mine'
An old green suitcase discarded in a council clean-up was discovered by an artist, who cracked it open to reveal a "gold mine".
Dean Manning, the artist and musician behind the 90s anthem Even When I'm Sleeping, came across a pile of household goods waiting for collection in Sydney.
One of the items caught his eye - a green suitcase.
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An oid green suitcase discarded in the council clean-up was discovered by an artist, who cracked it open to reveal a "gold mine". A Current Affair
"If I drew you a map between where I was staying and where I was going, where I found the suitcase was just not on a straight line. I had walked blocks out of my way. So there was a degree of sort of destiny in the whole thing," he said.
Manning said he had a "feeling there was a gold mine" inside that suitcase, which belonged to someone named Mr Blank.
He opened it up to find love letters filled with heartache.
There was also poetry, newspaper articles and photographs of models, actresses, and performers.
Manning said he had a "feeling there was a gold mine" inside that suitcase, which belonged to someone named Mr Blank. A Current Affair
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"I wanted to know who was who and where they fit in the picture. [I] became quite obsessed with putting it all together," Manning said.
He eventually uncovered the identity of Mr Blank - David Blank, who owned a string of hotels in the 1940s, including the Criterion in Sydney's CBD.
He was sent to jail during World War II for selling black market alcohol, involved in royal commissions and was close to crime boss Abe Saffron.
He was a wealthy theatre promoter, a big-time gambler and a lover of beautiful women.
There was also poetry, newspaper articles and photographs of models, actresses, and performers. A Current Affair
Mr Blank died in 2004, and his green suitcase was discovered in 2017.
Manning has now written a book about it. To celebrate the book launch, he is running two events at Readings in Carlton on August 5 and Gertrude and Alice in Bondi on August 26.
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