Bikies. One-percenters. Outlaw bike clubs. Gangs.
Some fear them. Some admire them. Some are jealous of them. Whatever your view of them, almost everyone has an interest in hearing about them.
Many thousands of books have been written about them, but a new book focusses on the development of motorcycle clubs in Australia, with names that are familiar to us from the USA or Europe, liberally sprinkled with our home-grown versions.
The Brotherhoods, by Arthur Veno, is a great read that captures the ethos and the lure of the motorcycling lifestyle. Using the West Coast US history - Hollister, Sonny Barger, Hells Angels - as a launching point, the book tracks the history of motorcycle clubs in Australia, from post-World War 2 to the present day, introducing the reader to a lot of people from the clubs, hangers-on, the police and even the Christian biker fringe.
Veno, an academic who has developed contacts with most of the important Australian clubs over the last quarter-centruy, offers a unique insight into why motorcycle clubs form, and what benefits they bring their members.
Interesting anecdotes appear on nearly every page. One of my favourites occurred at Broadford in rural Victoria. Broadford was the location of an annual music festival hosted by the Hells Angels up until the 1990's. Over the years, most of Australia's top musicians and bands would have played there to audiences of around 20,000 punters. As the event was held on private property, the police were not able to access it, no matter how much they may have wanted to. For a number of years, they set up roadblocks in an attempt to intercept everyone who attended. To avoid the police, the Hells Angels went overland, using a little known back road to access the property. Another year, a number of members avoided the police by getting to the venue a day or two before the police set up their roadblock, and leaving after it was removed.
In another chapter, Veno recounts the story of a Christian motorcycle club who wanted to "fly their colours" in an area controlled by the Comancheros. The club leader approached Jock Ross, then-president of the Comancheros to request permission to do so, only to be beaten up by a gang member. Several months later, his second approach resulted in him receiving a beating from Ross personally. After a stay in hospital, he again approached Ross for permission to wear their colours. Ross was so impressed by the man's courage and persistence, that he granted permission.
The book mainly focusses on the outlaw clubs, but other motorcycle enthusiasts get a mention, with harder-core touring clubs, and even Harley Owners Group, being dubbed 10-percenters, in a reference to the 1% badge the outlaws claim with pride.
Given the subject matter, it would be easy for Veno to slip into the "shock, horror" sensationalism practiced by the Murdoch press. To his great credit, Veno presents the facts in an understated manner, letting the characters speak for themselves. In fact, one of the parts of the book that I found really attractive was his style of not moralising, instead using quotes to illustrate viewpoints and attitudes.
He doesn't gloss over the criminal element often associated with the outlaw clubs, and doesn't pretend that their members are all squeaky clean, either. He does, however, attempt to show that many clubs and their members have a strict code of honour that is fairer in many ways than the laws they eschew.
So what's the future for bikies? Veno devotes the last chapter of his book to a look at how outlaw club membership may go the way of the dinosaurs. In society, things are dramatically changing. So too for outlaw clubs, with the average age of members gradually increasing, as young people are drawn to other pursuits and interests. His comments about new "non-bike bikie clubs" such as Notorious show that his sympathies lie with the old order.
Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Comprehensive, well-written and loaded with photos, this is a great value book for yourself or as a gift for a partner or a good mate who rides. I heartily recommend it!
Some fear them. Some admire them. Some are jealous of them. Whatever your view of them, almost everyone has an interest in hearing about them.
Many thousands of books have been written about them, but a new book focusses on the development of motorcycle clubs in Australia, with names that are familiar to us from the USA or Europe, liberally sprinkled with our home-grown versions.
The Brotherhoods, by Arthur Veno, is a great read that captures the ethos and the lure of the motorcycling lifestyle. Using the West Coast US history - Hollister, Sonny Barger, Hells Angels - as a launching point, the book tracks the history of motorcycle clubs in Australia, from post-World War 2 to the present day, introducing the reader to a lot of people from the clubs, hangers-on, the police and even the Christian biker fringe.
Veno, an academic who has developed contacts with most of the important Australian clubs over the last quarter-centruy, offers a unique insight into why motorcycle clubs form, and what benefits they bring their members.
Interesting anecdotes appear on nearly every page. One of my favourites occurred at Broadford in rural Victoria. Broadford was the location of an annual music festival hosted by the Hells Angels up until the 1990's. Over the years, most of Australia's top musicians and bands would have played there to audiences of around 20,000 punters. As the event was held on private property, the police were not able to access it, no matter how much they may have wanted to. For a number of years, they set up roadblocks in an attempt to intercept everyone who attended. To avoid the police, the Hells Angels went overland, using a little known back road to access the property. Another year, a number of members avoided the police by getting to the venue a day or two before the police set up their roadblock, and leaving after it was removed.
In another chapter, Veno recounts the story of a Christian motorcycle club who wanted to "fly their colours" in an area controlled by the Comancheros. The club leader approached Jock Ross, then-president of the Comancheros to request permission to do so, only to be beaten up by a gang member. Several months later, his second approach resulted in him receiving a beating from Ross personally. After a stay in hospital, he again approached Ross for permission to wear their colours. Ross was so impressed by the man's courage and persistence, that he granted permission.
The book mainly focusses on the outlaw clubs, but other motorcycle enthusiasts get a mention, with harder-core touring clubs, and even Harley Owners Group, being dubbed 10-percenters, in a reference to the 1% badge the outlaws claim with pride.
Given the subject matter, it would be easy for Veno to slip into the "shock, horror" sensationalism practiced by the Murdoch press. To his great credit, Veno presents the facts in an understated manner, letting the characters speak for themselves. In fact, one of the parts of the book that I found really attractive was his style of not moralising, instead using quotes to illustrate viewpoints and attitudes.
He doesn't gloss over the criminal element often associated with the outlaw clubs, and doesn't pretend that their members are all squeaky clean, either. He does, however, attempt to show that many clubs and their members have a strict code of honour that is fairer in many ways than the laws they eschew.
So what's the future for bikies? Veno devotes the last chapter of his book to a look at how outlaw club membership may go the way of the dinosaurs. In society, things are dramatically changing. So too for outlaw clubs, with the average age of members gradually increasing, as young people are drawn to other pursuits and interests. His comments about new "non-bike bikie clubs" such as Notorious show that his sympathies lie with the old order.
Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Comprehensive, well-written and loaded with photos, this is a great value book for yourself or as a gift for a partner or a good mate who rides. I heartily recommend it!
