Latest news with #RebelsMotorcycleClub
ABC News
31-07-2025
- ABC News
Police prepare for Rebels bikie ride ahead of last hurrah for gang colours
Police say they are ready to take swift action against the Rebels Motorcycle Club as members begin their "last hurrah" ride into northern Victoria, weeks out from tougher laws banning club colours coming into effect. About 200 bikies from the outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG) are expected to ride into Mildura in the state's far north-west on Thursday evening, before heading to Swan Hill for the start of the club run to Melbourne on Friday. Mildura police Inspector Dave Barrie said officers would be on high alert to ensure community safety. "We'll reiterate to them [Rebel Motorcycle Club members] that their intention should be to come to town, enjoy their weekend and not make a nuisance of themselves. "They work with us in the lead-up to these things." The new laws banning the public display of OMCG colours and gang insignia come into force in late August. The Victorian government has indicated it is yet to decide which clubs will come under the new regulations, but the government's own Engage Victoria list puts outlaw bikie gangs such as the Rebels, Finks, Mongols and Comanchero in the mix. The laws will ban the display of club names, logos, or marks that indicate membership, including the "1%" patch for bikies who consider themselves a part of the criminal element of a club. Bikies caught wearing banned club colours or insignia face a maximum fine of $12,210.60 and $61,053 for the club. Echo and VIPER taskforces, specialist resources from Melbourne, and local police from Victoria and New South Wales will set up a checkpoint at an undisclosed location to ensure the riders comply with road rules and behave. This weekend will be the latest interaction between police and the Rebels, as authorities try to address the club's footing in the regional city of Mildura. In April, anti-gang squads charged three people, including a patched member of the Rebels Motorcycle Club, over alleged drug trafficking, seizing 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, worth an estimated $1 million. A month later, VIPER taskforce detectives returned to Mildura and Swan Hill, targeting OMCGs and organised crime groups in the areas. The week-long operation resulted in 20 arrests for firearm, weapon and drug offences. Police told the ABC at the time that 42 charges were laid following the arrests and officers seized eight guns, $24,000 in cash, and drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine, and cannabis. In August 2023, seven gang members were arrested and three were charged with ammunition, weapons and drug offences.
Extra.ie
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Ryan Peake: Meet the golfer who's gone from being a gang member to the Open Championship
After six years The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush. It doesn't feel that long ago that Shane Lowry was crying walking down the 18th. At that time Ryan Peake was about to get his life back together again after serving five years in prison. Now the two of them will be competing at the same tournament this week. Peake didn't always live a life of crime. He was a promising young golfer after beginning lessons at 10 in the Lakelands Country Club just outside of his hometown of Perth, Australia. He embarked on a promising amateur career where he qualified for the Australian Open and tied for 10th at the PGA Tour of Australia's WA Open at just 17-years old. He also represented Australia in his youth, teaming up with long-time friend and 2022 Open winner Cameron Smith. Ryan Peake of Australia looks on during day 3 of the 2025 New Zealand Open. Pic:Two years later he turned pro but failed to win full tour membership at the PGA Tour of Australia Qualifying school. Battling through depression at the time Peake decided to step away from Golf entirely. He took up plenty of jobs to pay the bills, including working down the mines, plastering, brick laying and mixing cement. Around this time he would begin to drink heavily and gained a lot of weight, ballooning to over 135kg at one point. Ryan Peake of Australia plays a shot through the trees. Pic:It was also around this time when Peake would become part of the Rebels Motorcycle Club, a bike gang and was a full member at age 21. He would then be arrested soon after becoming a member following an incident where the gang got into a fight with a rival and left the victim with a fractured skull. Peake was sentenced to 7 years in prison for two counts of grievous bodily harm. While in prison he would lose weight and get back into golf, giving other inmates some tips. While in prison, Peake would be contacted his old coach Ritchie Smith about possibly making a return to professional golf upon release. That release came in May 2019 and soon after Peake began working as a greenkeeper at Lakelands Country Club while trying to restart his pro career. Ryan Peake of Australia walks of the green. Pic:He would turn pro again in 2022 and worked his way up to full status for the PGA Tour of Australia for the 2024/25 season before he accomplished his biggest achievement in March of this year. Peake would win his biggest tournament of his career when we shot a final round 66 to win the New Zealand Open in Queenstown. It was a remarkable week for Peake, who had trouble getting into New Zealand due to visa issues around his criminal past. Ryan Peake of Australia talks with his caddie on the first tee during a practice round. Pic:He would only land in New Zealand 36 hours before the tournament began and he would finish it with a NZ $302,000 jackpot and a spot at The Open Championship, the first time he'll play at a major. He's now ready to take part of the star-studded field. He's grouped up with all-time great Phil Mickelson and South Africa's Daniel van Tonder for the first two rounds and if he makes the cut, he'll be in for a nice pay day in the tens of thousands. Not too bad for someone who was in prison just over six years ago.
