Hell for Leather
Australia has no history of civil war. The closest we came, it could be argued, was the Eureka Rebellion in 1854, and Father’s Day in Milperra, 1989.
The day began as a motorbike swap-meet in the car-park attached to the Viking Tavern. All seemed according to Hoyle when suddenly a raised voice became a raised pistol. Two rival gangs, the Bandidos and the Comancheros, were locked in a turf war, and the swap-meet became their showdown.
Rifles and knives appeared from saddle pouches. The scene evoked The Battle of Hamburger Hill in full leather uniform. Among the seven killed were Foghorn, Shadow, Sparrow, Leroy, Dog and an innocent teenager.
No memorial stands in the car-park, and the only clue in the Milperra Palms (the pub’s new name) are photos of the local cricket club, The Vikings. [189 Beaconsfield Street]