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The Honoured Society was a Calabrian 'Ndrangheta criminal group that operated in Melbourne, Australia. In 1963, it was reportedly involved in the Victoria Market Murders. It was led by gangster Frank Benvenuto until his slaying in 2000. Tony Romeo, another high ranking member, was shot in 2002.[1]
Pasquale "Il Principale" Barbaro, a Canberra mafia boss-turned police informant named Rosario 'Ross' Gangemi as the "de facto" head of the Honoured Society . Gangemi, an old school soldier was himself named by the Italian police of ordering the infamous Victoria Market Murders campaign in the mid-60's then under the orders of Liborio Benvenuto, Frank Benvenuto's father. When Liborio Benvenuto knew he was close to death he nominated Giuseppe "Joe" Arena to succeed him as Melbourne godfather . Arena who was 50, was himself shot dead by a rival faction six weeks after Benvenuto died in 1988. Michele Scriva, another Gangemi associate, committed Melbourne's first mafia hit , stabbing Giuseppe "Fat Joe" Versace 91 times in 1945. He later served years in jail for another murder. Gangemi knew Melbourne underworld godfather Domenico "The Pope" Italiano, whose death in 1962 sparked a power struggle to take over the cell. That in turn resulted in the deaths of Calabrian-born mobsters Vincenzo Angilletta and Vincenzo Muratore, sparking the Market Wars.[2] Gangemi died at 83 years old on July 2, 2008 of natural causes, there were over 250 mourners at his funeral, one of them being the high-profile member of the Carlton Crew, Mick "The Don" Gatto.[3]
The Honoured Society was particularly known for the stranglehold it exerted in Melbourne's fruit and vegetable market.
The Society was featured in the second instalment of the local Australian TV series Underbelly: A Tale Of Two Cities, and mentioned once in the first Underbelly TV series set in Melbourne.