John Sparks - Hammer: Bash for Cash: Mark Dixon, Confessions of Chopper Reads Bodyguard

I would like to take the time here to thank a few people.

John Sparks. John is a good friend and a bloody good artist; he painted the cover for this book which was an entry in the Archibald Prize. A great honor for me! When I was having trouble finding the words to put pen to paper and tell my stories, he took it upon himself to do the job for me. This is his first effort at writing a book and I think he has done a bloody good job.

Bunger Johnson. Bunger you are my uncle and probably the bloke I admire the most in this world. You are also to this day the toughest man I have ever met. Without your guidance and training from when I was a kid, who knows where I would be today.

Chopper Read. Mark you and I have shared a lot of history together. Our journey as client and body guard and also good friends has been rocky at times to say the least. Thanks mate for giving me my start and also a bunch of bloody good laughs along the way.

Roger Rogerson. For a bloke who was my childhood hero and now a valued friend. Thanks Roger, you have been an inspiration to me. Getting to know you and learning who the real you is has been fantastic. Not only have you proven to be a great mate, you have also taught me so much and will always continue to inspire me!

Paddy, Mal and Vic. You three men have known me since childhood. I have looked up to and respected you my whole life. Thanks for being there.

Lads. Not just the blokes that got a mention in this book. Work colleagues and mates. I have worked beside so many of you over the years, bloody tough men and always good for a laugh. To write all your stories would take years. Bouncing is a tough gig, and not possible without a good team. For those of you who have had my back over the years and helped me become the man I am. Thank You

Ladies. Once again too many to mention. I love women and have loved many. I wont divulge the exact number, but you have kept me busy over the years.

To all those who have recognized themselves as the victims in my stories. My only advice would be to seek psychiatric help.

Authors Note

In all the years I have known Mark James Dixon; I can honestly say I have never met a bloke who is more honest, caring and giving! Not only generous in spirit and thought, he is also likely to give away his last dollar to help out a friend in need.

Mark is not one of this worlds would be tough guys, he has no tat oos or piercings, he doesnt wear the colors of any club and is not a bloke you would look at on the street and think, gee he is an evil looking bastard. Having worked on the door with him at a number of pubs over the years though, I can tell you that of all the hard men I have worked with in the bouncing game, Mark Dixon stands out.

He has a right hand that would take any ones head off. A left guard that is virtually impossible to penetrate. His leg kicks have been known to bend steel bars and shatter baseball bats. Having been on the receiving end of those kicks while holding pads for him I cannot begin to describe the crippling devastation and pain he can inflict with just one shin to the thigh!

He also has a very powerful presence and easily stands out in any room or any company. (Especially if you happen to be female) I have never seen woman flock to a guy the way they do him.

Perhaps his most formidable weapon though is the fact that he is an extremely intelligent man and can hold his own in conversation anywhere from the board room, to the bar of the local pub. Regaling all with antidotes of his exploits, he has a droll and extremely dry sense of humour that is very bloody funny.

I have also enjoyed the pleasure of meeting his parents, brother and members of his extended family on more than one occasion, and an extremely fine family they are. This is certainly not your typical story of the hard man who came from a broken home or a poverty stricken upbringing. Possessed of a dry intelligent humor, a gruff voice and ready laugh, these are his stories and his words as told to me.

Mark Dixon was the victim of bullying throughout his school years, but rather than crumple and fall he learnt to fight!!! (Not only effectively, but when necessary viciously and cold bloodedly as well!) While at the same time, being able to remain dispassionate of his actions and able to assess and act in a situation with both speed and an intelligence of almost military precision. Which no doubt has saved his life on many occasions over the years.

He has been the target of more than one attempt on his life, including attempted stabbings, a hit and run and on one occasion being doused in petrol while his attacker attempted to set him alight.

Entering the world of night club security at a young age he was one of the hard men of the time when there were no licenses, very little control from governing bodies and these men were known by a single word.

Chapter 1

I have been fortunate my whole life to have some great role models around me. Particular thanks to my Uncle. Bunger Johnson, the toughest man I know!

I first remember becoming fascinated with boxing when I was around 4 or 5 years of age. I would sit for hours watching my uncle Bunger. I remember when I was about four years old, there was a cartoon on TV about Mohammad Ali so between that and watching Bunger train and box I was hooked. The first time I threw a punch was upstairs in the family home, I was six years old and Bunger got down and held one of the old round punch pads for me to hit.

Bunger Johnson got his name as a small child when his old mans best mate would call him Bunger Dooley because he would be always bunging on a turn. So that was it, the name got shortened to Bunger, and that was the name he became known by with his family and friends. When he was about twelve years old he had started boxing and won his way through the divisions. As the Bantam Weight junior champion he was booked to fight the feather weight champion at Ipswich.

When he arrived at town hall the night of his fight, they had a big sign up which read Bunger Johnson V Doberman in the main event. He was introduced in the ring that night as Bunger Johnson and won both his fight and the fighter of the night trophy, and headlined in the Redcliffe Herald the following week, with the Banner reading Bunger Johnson defeats Doberman that was it; from that day on he was only ever known by the one name, Bunger Johnson!

Bunger was trained by one of the greats of Australian boxing, a man by the name of Barry Parnell. Barry Parnell had 72 fights and won 69, he fought Johnny Fooks 6 times and beat him 5 times, he fought Noel Kunde who went on to become the Australian Bantam Weight Champion twice, and beat him twice. He trained 72 state champions, he trained 27 Australian champions. Bunger Johnson was the first bloke to fight for him and the first bloke to win a State Title for him! Not only did he teach Bunger to fight but he also passed on his skills and knowledge as a trainer to his protg.

When he was sixteen years of age Bunger was paid ten dollars a round to spar with the great Lionel Rose, at the end of the day, Lionel knocked one of his teeth out but never managed to put young Bunger on the canvas. He also sparred greats such as Hector Thompson, Australian light weight champion (who killed two men in the ring), Geoff White, Wayne Doherty and Steve Axcel who was Australian Light Heavy weight champion. Bunger himself boasts a fight record of 45 fights for 38 wins with 5 of his defeats coming in his first eleven fights. A bloody tough character!

Bunger is a colorful character and one of the best known local identities in the Redcliff area. He was a renowned pig hunter and became an expert on shark behavior, hunting sharks for many years with his best mate Vic Hislop. He has had success as a horse trainer and is now making a name for himself as a bloody good standup comedian and bush poet, travelling the country and sharing the stage with the likes of Chopper Read, Roger Rogerson, Merv Hughes, Trevor Gillmeister and Greg Conescu.