In East Germany, they had the STASI to do it. In America, they used the House Un-American Activities Committee. In Western Australia they haven’t got a name for it yet, but you’re being asked to do the same thing – inform on your neighbours.
The idea is that upright, decent Sandgropers should keep a note of what “the bikies” are up to – whom they meet for a drink, who comes to see them, where they might go for a ride and such - and ring the government’s bikie snitch line to turn them in. This is for activities that are not in themselves illegal, you might note.
There are few better ways of turning a community against certain members than by getting everyone to watch them, and inform on them. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, it’s been demonstrated over and over again that the average bloke and blokette in the street simply can’t tell the difference between a patch club member and a Ulyssian or other perfectly ordinary motorcyclist.
Actually, I suppose you could have a bit of fun with this.
Ring, ring. “Bikie Hotline, whom would you like to denounce?”
“It’s my neighbor Frank. He’s a patch club member; he wears a patch with an old bloke on it and the words ‘Grow Old Disgracefully’, believe it or not. Last night he came home at nearly midnight, and that bloody GoldWing of his makes a sort of whistling noise when he rides it into the garage. Oh, and the garage door squeaks as well, I’m sick of it. And last weekend he and some mates went out on a poker run, supposedly to raise money for the Children’s Hospital. Hah! A likely story. Can you come and sort him out?”
“Certainly, sir. We’re here to keep the Western Australian community safe from this kind of scum.”
Markus Wolf and Senator Joe McCarthy would have been proud of the WA government. The rest of us should probably be a little ashamed.
Peter “The Bear” Thoeming
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I am starting to think that we should fund a "Motorcycle Party", if you can't beat them, join them, that way we can make laws that we like!
The writer of this article is either ignorant of what the bikies are up to here or is just using too much licence to generate some sort of misguided kudos from the readership.
It is true that the WA Police had a "Dob in a Bikie" Day here recently.
There is a lot of well publicised history here in the wild west about outlaw bikie gangs so anyone with a radio, TV or newspaper will be right up to speed with that. They will also be aware that there are "bikers" and "bikies".
Here we have Gods Garbage, the Outlaws, Club Dero, Coffin Cheaters, Rebels and the Gypsy Jokers. There are also another one or two gangs that have started up because of the tough anti-bikie laws in South Australia.
The Coffin Cheaters have the highest profile, for a number of reasons. Firstly, they used to organise an annual rock music festival on a property they own. It was called Bindoon Rock, held in Bindoon! It was well publicised and very well attended. I always wanted to fine me a big fat momma and then get me a hog and head off to it, but my wife wouldn't let me do that. Women are such spoil sports.
Eddie Withnell was the Coffin Cheater who was the brains behind that festival. They stopped running it years ago. Troy Mercanti (he is in jail now) was another member of the Coffin Cheaters who was always getting himself publicity because he was involved in shootings, knifings, night club bashings and miscellaneous street brawls. Eventually the CC's bashed the shit out of him and threw him out of the club because he drew too much attention to the club by his court appearances and consequent publicity which was never good for their image.
Some of the bikie gangs here have built themselves fortress-like club houses so they could prevent police raids from getting in quickly. Hidden rooms and hidey holes in walls were eventually revealed when police uncovered caches of guns and ammunition as well as lots of cash and drugs. Cops used to turn up for a raid with not only a search warrant but also with huge bolt cutters, petrol powered angle grinders/cutters, you name it, so they could cut and bash their way into the club houses.
Eventually laws were passed here forbidding bikie gangs from building fortress-like club houses.
The gangs here are involved in prostitution and drugs mainly. They set up brothels in the 'burbs and get their women to run them.
A few years ago a bikie gang were in the gold fields on a camping trip. They were at the Ora Banda Tavern getting into the syrup. They were asked to leave when it all got too rowdy so they retired to their camp. A while later when they were around the camp fire someone shot one of them dead. Billy Grearson was the bikie shot and the main suspect was the owner of the Tavern, Don Hancock, who was a retired detective from the WA Police. Hancock was the cop who helped set up the Mickelberg brothers in the big WA Mint gold swindle. That's another story.
The bikies got Hancock when they planted a car bomb in his car. They also killed a mate of his who was with him. The car was blown to bits and they are still looking for bits of Hancock and his mate. Hancock was known as the silver fox.
So the bikies here are out and out criminals. There are heaps more stories too. They have been involved in gang wars as well, shooting each other from cars and shooting other gang members they have had a blue with.
So, come to WA mate and bring your .38 S&W with you!
So there you go Bear. Seems there is a bit of fire behind that smoke in WA.