Warrigal
SF VIP
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
I just saw a news item about a mass shooting in a New Mexico park. 3 dead, 15 injured.
3 killed, 15 injured in shootout at 'unsanctioned car show' in New Mexico park
It reminded me of a similar shootout that happened quite near the school where I was teaching at the time. It was Fathers' Day 1984 and a BBQ was scheduled for members of the Commancheros. Another rival bikie club, the Banditos, arrived and started shooting. Patrons of the hotel scattered, some leaping over the back fence into the back yards of startled residents. I personally knew one of the families that had people fleeing for their lives through their property. Bystanders included families with children and a pregnant woman. Seven people were killed and twenty-eight injured and the event was a catalyst for significant changes to gun laws in New South Wales.
A full and graphic account of the gunfight, that also included hand to hand fighting with metal bars and other "non lethal" weapons is given here - Milperra massacre - Wikipedia
This event lives in my memory for a number of reasons. One, it was an horrific event at a venue that I was very familiar with. My brother in law and my sister had previously been living at the Viking Tavern because he was the licencee and she managed the small motel section where travelling salesmen stayed overnight. Second, the school where I was teaching was just down the road and a police helicopter landed on vacant land beside the convent where the nuns lived. Naturally, the Monday talk in the staff room was all about what had taken place.
Then the New South Wales government changed some firearms law about legal registration but it wasn't until 1996 when another horrific massacre took place that all states adopted uniform firearms legislation. Since then Australia has become a much more peaceful place. The Viking Tavern was renamed The Mill and refurbished. It was where I celebrated my 80th birthday with family and also where we held my husband's wake after his funeral service at our church. It was always a respectable tavern and has now become a safe place as a watering hole for local factory workers and the restaurant is very popular with local families.
3 killed, 15 injured in shootout at 'unsanctioned car show' in New Mexico park
It reminded me of a similar shootout that happened quite near the school where I was teaching at the time. It was Fathers' Day 1984 and a BBQ was scheduled for members of the Commancheros. Another rival bikie club, the Banditos, arrived and started shooting. Patrons of the hotel scattered, some leaping over the back fence into the back yards of startled residents. I personally knew one of the families that had people fleeing for their lives through their property. Bystanders included families with children and a pregnant woman. Seven people were killed and twenty-eight injured and the event was a catalyst for significant changes to gun laws in New South Wales.
A full and graphic account of the gunfight, that also included hand to hand fighting with metal bars and other "non lethal" weapons is given here - Milperra massacre - Wikipedia
This event lives in my memory for a number of reasons. One, it was an horrific event at a venue that I was very familiar with. My brother in law and my sister had previously been living at the Viking Tavern because he was the licencee and she managed the small motel section where travelling salesmen stayed overnight. Second, the school where I was teaching was just down the road and a police helicopter landed on vacant land beside the convent where the nuns lived. Naturally, the Monday talk in the staff room was all about what had taken place.
Then the New South Wales government changed some firearms law about legal registration but it wasn't until 1996 when another horrific massacre took place that all states adopted uniform firearms legislation. Since then Australia has become a much more peaceful place. The Viking Tavern was renamed The Mill and refurbished. It was where I celebrated my 80th birthday with family and also where we held my husband's wake after his funeral service at our church. It was always a respectable tavern and has now become a safe place as a watering hole for local factory workers and the restaurant is very popular with local families.