Robbo' Robertson was a natural undercover cop. A Vietnam veteran with the gift of the gab, he slipped seamlessly into the role of Brian Wilson, an underworld heavy from Sydney.

In 1978 Robertson was given a new mission. He was to go deep undercover to infiltrate Australia’s best armed robbery crew, the men behind the 1976 multi-million Great Bookie Robbery.

He was to pretend to be a corrupt armoured van driver who would tip the team about a lucrative payroll. But this time police would be waiting to make the arrest.

What they didn’t know at the time was that one of the gang was the notorious NSW prison escapee Russell “Mad Dog” Cox.

In the final meeting before the armed robbery Cox and Robbo were stopped by three uniformed police, unaware of the sting operation.

Cox pulled a gun and only the quick thinking and quick talking Robbo saved them all.

In 2021 Robbo finally received a Valour Award for his heroism.

Become a subscriber: our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe https://subscribe.theage.com.au/ or https://subscribe.smh.com.au/