The Rebels Motorcycle Club is an

outlaw motorcycle club An outlaw motorcycle club is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture ...

. At its peak in Australia, it had around 70 chapters and over 1,000 members and associates nationwide, making it the largest club in the country. It was founded by Clint Jacks in

Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in 1969 and was originally named the "Confederates". Their insignia is a

Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

with a cap-wearing skull and 1% patch in the centre. The

Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

and law enforcement consider the Rebels to be a criminal organisation, but the club claims to be a group of motorcycle enthusiasts rather than gangsters. After the former National President,

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

boxer

Alex Vella Alessio Emmanuel Vella (born 5 June 1953), or Maltese Falcon, is a Maltese businessman, former boxer and the former National President of the Rebels Motorcycle Club in Australia. Despite having lived in Australia since the 1960s, he is not a ci ...

, was stranded in Malta after a visit in 2014, it is presumed that Damien Vella, who was permitted to return to the country, took the role of National President. That being said, his visa was later cancelled and he was sent to Malta. Its constitution states it is a non-profit organisation which promotes the riding of

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...

motorcycles. Members are only permitted to join the club once and never to join another motorcycle club. The Rebels established their first international chapters in New Zealand in 2011.

Z street gangs are facing an influx of Australian outlaw bikers Z (or z) is the 26th and last letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual names in English are ''zed'' () and ''zee'' (), with an occasi ...

Carl Bradley, ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspaper ...

'' (7 February 2019)

Criminal activities

In November 2000, police raided Rebels clubhouses in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

and seized

drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalat ...

, firearms and even a

crocodile Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant ...

. A number of people were arrested on charges relating to the items seized. Two Rebel associates were arrested for the murder of

Bandidos The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is an outlaw motorcycle club with a worldwide membership. Formed in San Leon, Texas in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members and 303 chapters, ...

member Ross Brand after their clubhouse was raided, on 16 November 2008. Brand was shot dead outside the Bandidos clubhouse in

Breakwater, Victoria Breakwater is a residential and industrial suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, located on the Barwon River, 4 km south-south-east of the Geelong central business district. At the 2016 census Breakwater had a population of 1,014. Bre ...

on 22 October. On 23 April 2009. A series of raids across Australia ended in 27 members of the Rebels being arrested on a number of charges. Drugs including

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Meth ...

, heroin and

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...

were seized as well as firearms, cash, stolen goods and stolen vehicles. Edin "Boz" Smajovic, a Bosnian

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

and Rebels member, was shot dead at the Macarthur Auto Centre in

Campbelltown, New South Wales Campbelltown is a suburb located on the outskirts of the metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney south-west of the Sydney central business district by road. Campbelltown is the admi ...

. His funeral, which was held on 15 January 2009 at

Auburn Gallipoli Mosque The Auburn Gallipoli Mosque is an Ottoman-style mosque in Auburn, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. More than 500 worshippers attend every day and around 2,000 worshippers attend the weekly special Friday prayer at the Auburn G ...

, was attended by over 300 Rebels, including National President

. He was referred to as their 'little brother'. On 18 May 2009, Michael Paul Falzon was sentenced to ten years in prison for the trafficking of

, which he had been producing in

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airport ...

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of ...

and Dalby and used the Rebels to transport and sell it throughout Queensland and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. The drug ring operated from 1999 until 2003 and made at least $1.5 million. On September 16 2022, an unnamed Chapter President and 6 associates were arrested in relation to possessing and producing dangerous drugs (methylamphetamine and cannabis), unlawful possession of weapons, possessing explosives and receiving tainted firearm/ammunition property.

Conflict with the Rock Machine

The Rebels began to be involved in a conflict, when a

Rock Machine The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club (RMMC) or Rock Machine is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1986. It has twenty one Canadian chapters spread across seven provinces. It also has nine chapters in the ...

chapter was established in the

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

suburb of Myaree in 2009 by then Rock Machine MC Canada leader Critical J. The Rock Machine had arrived in Australia during 2008. At the time Sean Brown had given permission for a Nomads chapter to formed. The defection of Rebels MC members to the Rock Machine MC sparked an ongoing violent feud between the groups, when the Rock Machine settled in Perth in 2009 there was allegations by media that a turf war broke out between the two rival motorcycle clubs, with exchanges between the two groups including firebombings, assaults and the assassination attempt in 2011 of Rebels WA president Nick Martin, who survived being shot, tensions remain ongoing. On 14 April 2012,

Anthony Perish Anthony John Michael "Rooster" Perish (born 4 September 1969) is a convicted Australian murderer from Leppington, New South Wales, who killed a Sydney drug dealer, Terry Falconer, in November 2001. Perish was assisted in the murder of Falconer ...

(a Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Club member), his brother Andrew (a Rebels Motorcycle Club member) and Matthew Lawton were sentenced to eighteen, nine and fifteen years respectively imprisonment for the homicide of convicted Sydney drug trafficker Terry Falconer, as well as firearms and drug dealing offences.

Overseas expansion

In January 2011 the New Zealand Police announced that the Rebels were attempting to set up a New Zealand chapter, and that this was not welcome. New Zealand has reportedly been deporting Australian Rebels members. Despite this, many members wearing Rebels patches have been spotted throughout the North Island of New Zealand and it is believed they now have a permanent presence in the country.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rebels Motorcycle Club Outlaw motorcycle clubs 1969 establishments in Australia Organizations established in 1969 Motorcycle clubs in Australia Gangs in Australia Gangs in New Zealand Crime in Brisbane Organisations based in Brisbane

Criminal activities

Conflict with the Rock Machine

Overseas expansion

See also

References

External links