At least 30 waterside workers were present at Port Melbourne’s Number 13 South Wharf when notorious standover man Freddie ‘the Frog’ Harrison was shot dead on 6 February 1958. All the witnesses declared they saw nothing when the brazen execution took place, with at least a dozen claiming that they were inside a two man toilet when the incident occurred. It is rare for those who reside on the fringe of the underworld to rat on their associates, so when the Frog croaked his killer was protected by the criminal world’s code of silence.
The group on the wharf on that summer day were mostly members of the Federated Ships Painters and Dockers Union (FSPDU), and for decades it was estimated that 70% of Victoria’s worst criminals were members of that union. Control of the union effectively meant dominance of much of the state’s criminal activities, and by 1971 two bitter rival groups in the FSPDU fought for leadership control. One contending group was led by the FSPDU secretary Pat Shannon, while Billy ‘the Texan’ Longley controlled the rival team that fought to gain power in union elections.
A young Bill Longley
Longley later estimated that approximately 40 dockers were murdered between the late 1950s and early 70s, in what virtually became a union civil war. ‘The Texan’ received a 13 year sentence for the murder of his arch rival, Shannon, while other victims included two well-known mobsters and an innocent ten-year-old boy, who was tragically caught in a cross-fire exchange. Other union members were brutally bashed and at least one disappeared without trace.
While serving time for Shannon’s murder, Longley provided written allegations about the extent of crime and corruption around Melbourne’s waterfront area. His tip offs led to the formation of the Costigan Commission. The Commission findings, which were later submitted to the Victorian Government of the day, ultimately led to many criminal convictions, and the start of much needed reforms in waterfront politics.
Other union members were brutally bashed and at least one disappeared without trace.
Freddie Harrison
It should have been a day for chatting with children and playing with grandchildren, but Father’s Day in 1984 was a far from happy family occasion in the Viking Tavern car-park. In a few hours of senseless mayhem, six men and a 15-year-old girl were slain, and 20 others wounded, in a brutal brawl which became known as ‘the Milperra massacre’.
...six men and a 15-year-old girl were slain, and 20 others wounded, in a brutal brawl...
The rampage of violence that erupted in the Sydney suburb was the tragic culmination of a long lasting feud between the Comacheros and Bandido bikie gangs. A bitter dispute had developed between the rival groups over an essential ingredient for international drug trafficking groups. A chemical required for the manufacture of amphetamines was in huge demand in the United States, and this chemical was banned in that country. For some time the substance was successfully hidden in tins of pineapple and freighted from Australia into the USA, so enormous profits became available in the drug export market. Both the Comacheros and the Bandidos coveted distribution rights for this vital chemical.
The needless bloodshed at Milperra was also a sad reflection of the bizarre culture that can dominate the lives of fanatical bikie groups. If a call for action comes from the leaders of their patch, gang members are obligated to abandon their families and employment, and unquestioningly obey whatever is decreed.
The Bandidos gang originated from Texas in 1966, and their motto of ‘God forgives, Bandidos don’t’ aptly describes their ruthless approach to opposing forces. Dominant leaders, such as the legendary Michael ‘Chaos’ Kulakowski, decide on whether a desired outcome required peaceful or violent action, and his devoted followers will literally kill for their leaders.
“God forgives, Bandidos don’t” aptly describes their ruthless approach to opposing forces.
Following the 1984 carnage in Milperra, police charged 43 people with seven counts of murder. At the subsequent trials, a judge named the Supreme Commander of the Comacheros, William ‘Jock’ Ross, as being the main instigator of the massacre. He received a life sentence for his role, and 11 members of the Bandidos received custodial sentences of 14 years after being convicted of manslaughter.
The aftermath of the Milperra massacre
