4 Mar 68: Born in Melbourne, Australia, at the Royal Women’s Hospital and immediately put up for adoption
25 Aug 68 – 20 Dec 69: Lives with his parents in Malacca, Malaysia
20 Dec 69 – Dec 70: Lives with his parents in Singapore
Dec 70 – Jan 72: Lives with his parents at Puckapunyal army base, Victoria, Australia
Feb 71 – Dec 71: Attends Puckapunyal kindergarten
Jan 72 – Aug 73: Knight family lives in North Laverton, Victoria
Feb 72 – Aug 73: Attends Point Cooke RAAF base kindergarten
3 Sep 73 – 28 Apr 75: Knight family lives in Hong Kong
Sep 73 – Oct 73: Attends Gun Club Primary School, Victoria, Hong Kong
Oct 73 – Apr 75: Attends Fort Stanley Primary School at Fort Stanley army base, Hong Kong
Jul 74: Knight family takes vacation in the Philippines
Apr 75 – May 75: Knight family travels throughout Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia
May 75 – Dec 82: Knight family lives in Laverton, Victoria
May 75 – Dec 78: Attends Epsom Street Primary School, Laverton (Years 1-5)
Jan 76 – Dec 78: Serves in 1st Point Cooke Scout Troop (Cubs), and rises to the rank of “Sixer”
Nov 76 – Jan 77: Attends the Laverton branch of the Little Athletics Association
Jan 79 – Apr 79: Serves in 1st Point Cooke Scout Troop (Scouts), and rises to the rank of “Pack Leader”
Feb 79 – Nov 82: Attends Westbourne Grammar School, Hoppers Crossing (Years 6-9)
Feb 80: Commences secondary schooling (Year 7) at Westbourne Grammar School
March 80: Knight’s parents separate and eventually divorce
4 Mar 80: Knight turns 12-years-old and receives a Daisy air rifle for his birthday
May 80 – Nov 80: Works as a paper boy part-time for the Laverton Newsagency
Jan 81: Purchases Chinese air rifle
Jun 82 – Apr 84: Serves in the Norwood High School (Army) Cadet Unit, Ringwood, Melbourne, and rises to the rank of Corporal
6-13 Aug 82: Knight attends his first Army Cadets Annual Camp at Puckapunyal, and fires M16 rifle for the first time
16 Nov 82: Involved in schoolyard fight at Westbourne Grammar School and is caned and suspended for the rest of the school year
Dec 82 – Aug 87: Knight family lives in Clifton Hill, Melbourne
Feb 83 – Mar 84: Attends Fitzroy High School, Melbourne (Years 10-11)
31 Mar 83: Appears at Werribee Children’s Court over charges resulting from the schoolyard fight on the 16 November 1982. Charges dismissed [Case No: CC118/83].
13-18 May 83: Attends Army Cadets Junior NCO course at Gooram, Victoria
6-12 Aug 83: Attends his second Army Cadets Annual Camp at Puckapunyal
20-26 Aug 83: Attends Army Cadets Adventure Training Award (survival) course at Puckpunyal
4-9 Dec 83: Attends Army Cadets Senior NCO course at Bambara, Victoria
Jan 84: Purchases Crosman high-powered air rifle
Mar 84 – Dec 85: Completes final two years of secondary schooling (Years 11 & 12) at Melbourne High School
Apr 84 – Dec 85: Serves in the Melbourne High School (Army) Cadet Unit
May 84 – Mar 85: Works part and full-time at McDonald’s restaurant in Swanston Street, Melbourne
4-10 Aug 84: Attends his third Army Cadets Annual Camp at Puckapunyal
17-19 Aug 84: Attends his first Army Reserve training weekend with the 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse Regiment (PWLH), at Puckpunyal
Mar 85: Attends his second Army Reserve training weekend with 4th/19th PWLH at Dutson Range, Sale, Victoria
28 Jul 85: Applies for entry into the January 1986 intake of the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, Australia
3-9 Aug 85: Attends his fourth Army Cadets Annual Camp at Puckapunyal
9-11 Aug 85: Attends his third Army Reserve training weekend with 4th/19th PWLH at Puckapunyal
13 Aug 85: Attends examination day for entry into the Australian Defence Force Academy. Fails due to poor school results and is told to re-apply for entry into the Royal Military College, Duntroon.
1 Oct 85: Applies for enlistment into the Army Reserve
Nov 85: Completes Higher School Certificate examinations in five Subjects
26 Nov 85: Enlists in the Australian Army Active Reserve as a soldier
4 Dec 85 – 12 Jan 87: Serves as a Trooper in the 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse Regiment
Jan 86: Obtains his Higher School Certificate with ‘C’ passes in five subjects [English, Australian History, 18th Century History, Politics, Geography] and with an Anderson Score of 271/410
1-15 Feb 86: Attends Army Reserve Recruit Course at Puckpunyal
Mar 86 – May 86: Attends La Trobe University in Melbourne as an undergraduate student in the Bachelor of Arts degree course
4 Mar 86: Knight turns 18-years-old. Applies for Victorian Shooter’s Licence at Collingwood Police Station, and is given a Ruger model 10/22 .22 calibre semi-automatic rifle – a family heirloom – by an uncle.
4-20 Apr 86: Attends Army Reserve Assault Troopers (mechanized infantry) Course at Puckpunyal
20 Apr 86: Issued with a A, B and C category Victorian Shooter’s Licence at Collingwood Police Station
26 Apr-11 May 86: Attends Army Reserve “A” Vehicle (M113 armoured personnel carrier) Course at Sale, Victoria
15 May 86: Purchases Mossberg 12ga 8-shot pump-action shotgun from a Melbourne gun dealer
30 Jul 86: Applies for entry into the January 1987 intake of the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra, Australia
31 Jul 86: Purchases M14 7.62mm (.308) calibre semi-automatic military rifle from a Melbourne gun dealer
Sep 86: Receives Freedom of Information documents relating to his birth and subsequent adoption
1 Sep 86: Attends examination day for entry into the Royal Military College. Passes examinations and proceeds to Selection Board.
2 Oct 86: Attends Selection Board for Royal Military College. Passes and is placed on “short list”.
3-19 Oct 86: Attends Army Reserve Radio Operators Course at Sale, Victoria, and is course’s “Student of Merit”
16 Oct 86: Informed of acceptance into the January 1987 intake of the Royal Military College
Nov 86: Attends 4th/19th PWLH Regimental Annual Range Shoot weekend at Puckpunyal, and attains the highest score in the Regiment with the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle Represents 4th/19th PWLH in the 3rd Military District’s 1986 Army Reserve Inter-Unit Military Skills Competition at Fort Gellibrand and Merritt Rifle Range, Williamstown, Melbourne
12 Jan – 24 Jul 87: Serves as an Officer Cadet in the Australian Regular Army
13 Jan – 2 Jul 87: Trains as an Officer Cadet at the Royal Military College, Duntroon
4 Mar 87: Knight turns 19-years-old
Apr 87: Purchases Torana SLR5000 (V8) sedan with a $6,000 car loan from the Defence Force Credit Union
18 May 87: Informed that his natural mother is living in the Republic of South Africa and has not responded to a letter from his Social Worker
31 May 87: Stabs his Company Sergeant Major in the Private Bin nightclub in Canberra, and is arrested and charged by the Australian Federal Police
3 Jun 87: Royal Military College’s Board of Studies convenes and formally decides that Staff Cadet Julian Knight should be asked to “Show Cause” why his appointment as a Staff Cadet should not be terminated, effectively ending his career as an Army Officer
12 Jun 87: Appears before a Magistrate in the ACT Magistrate’s Court on charges of malicious wounding, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault relating to the stabbing on the 31 May 1987, and is bailed on a $5,000 self-surety to appear again on the 10 November 1987 [Case No: CC3792/87]
19 Jun 87: Resigns from his appointment as a Staff Cadet at the Royal Military College, and from the Australian Regular Army, in a letter to the Chief of the General Staff
13 Jul 87: Completes his discharge procedure at Watsonia army base, Melbourne
24 Jul 87: Discharged in absentia from the Australian Regular Army
27 Jul 87: Commences work as a storeman/driver for a retail clothing firm in South Yarra, Melbourne
28 Jul 87: Attempts to enlist in the 7th Transport Squadron but fails due to pending criminal charges
29 Jul 87: Attempts to re-enlist in the 4th/19th PWLH Regiment but fails due to pending criminal charges
9 Aug 87: Knight commits the Hoddle Street shootings
10 Aug 87: Appears before Chief Magistrate John “Darcy” Dugan in the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court on an initial charge of murder, and is remanded in custody
11 Aug 87: Transferred from the Melbourne City Watch-House to Pentridge Prison where he is beaten by prison officers and placed in solitary confinement in H Division – the prison’s maximum security punishment division – but is later moved to a psychiatric observation ward at the prison’s hospital
17 Aug 87: Appears before Magistrate Sally Brown in the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court for a remand hearing
3 Nov 87: Transferred from the Pentridge Prison Hospital back to H Division
10 Nov 87: Knight is finally permitted to mix with other prisoners after three months of solitary confinement
17 Nov 87: Appears before Chief Magistrate John Dugan in the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court for a remand hearing
16 Feb 88: Appears before Chief Magistrate John Dugan in the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court for a remand hearing
4 Mar 88: Knight turns 20-years-old
18 & 19 Apr 88: Appears before Chief Magistrate John Dugan in the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court for a committal hearing, and is committed to stand trial
2 Jun 88: Victorian State Coroner Harold “Hal” Hallenstein conducts 55-minute inquest into the Hoddle Street deaths
19 Oct 88: Knight tries to re-open inquest in an application before Justice George Hampel in the Supreme Court of Victoria at Melbourne, but application fails [Application No: M354/1988]
28 & 31 Oct 88: Knight pleads guilty to all charges – 7 murders and 46 attempted murders – and pleas before sentencing are made before Justice George Hampel in the Supreme Court of Victoria at Melbourne [Case No: T557]
10 Nov 88: Knight is sentenced to Life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole term of 27 years by Justice George Hampel in the Supreme Court of Victoria at Melbourne [Ref: R v Knight [1989] VR 705].
References:
[1] ‘Chronology of Julian Knight’s Life‘, 1999-2002, by ‘Leone Delaney’ (postgraduate academic research), http://julianknight-hoddlestreet.ca/julian-knight-research-file/julian-knight-life.html (website defunct since 2017).