ABOVE THE LAW
Bikie boss claims club thriving on the Coast
QUEENSLAND’S bikie-busting laws have been rubbished in an explosive outburst from the president of the Gold Coast chapter of Satudarah, declaring the gang is stronger than ever.
In an exclusive interview with the Bulletin, “Salvatore” has also put to bed talk from rivals that the club is at risk of fracturing.
He said the Gold Coast chapter was growing in numbers and had thrived after being forced to go underground to escape arrest and prosecution for being in Satudarah.
QUEENSLAND’S bikie busting laws have been rubbished as “bullshit’’ in an explosive outburst from the president of the Gold Coast chapter of Satudarah, declaring the gang is stronger than ever.
Founded by Dutch and Moluccan members in the Netherlands in the early 1990s, Satudarah – meaning “One Blood’’ in Indonesian – has spread worldwide and developed a reputation as one of the most ruthless bikie gangs whose members are quick to violence.
The outlaw motorcycle club has penetrated Australia in recent years with its tentacles reaching into the Gold Coast, growing in numbers and influence.
The president of the Gold Coast chapter of Satudarah, who gave his name as “Salvatore’’, contacted the Bulletin to put to bed talk from rivals, newspapers and on social media that his club was at risk of fracturing.
He said recent stories of a split doing the rounds in Western Australia were wrong and that the club had already “dealt” with outsiders trying to say they were part of the gang.
“There’s been an article posted over in WA saying that the club has been split into two and they’re going to war with each other. That’s completely bullshit,” Salvatore said. “There’s one united chapter in Perth.”
He said the club had to deal with people wearing Satudarah gear bought online and portraying themselves as members while trying to recruit.
A police source told the Bulletin in September last year a bikie, who they claimed had bought clothing with Satudarah logos online, had done a burnout in front of the Springwood Police Station and comically crashed while trying to make his escape.
“There’s some people who are fakers and buying fake shirts online and trying to say they’re the real deal and recruit,” Salvatore said.
“We’ve put a stop to one of them already and anyone else that’s caught wearing fake shit will be dealt with as well.”
Asked what he meant by “dealt with’’, Salvatore said: “They’ll be spoken to … it’ll be a friendly chat.”
Salvatore said there were also untrue rumours circulating that Satudarah was full of “rats’’, who ended up in the “boneyard” (protected custody) in prison.
“We’ve got a number of members in jail,’’ he said.
“People are posting about Queensland members in protection in jail. That’s all not true.
“Anyone who goes to the boneyard is not a member of Satudarah and if they go there they are kicked out immediately. If they go into protection they’re kicked out, full stop.”
Police sources confirmed Satudarah had a strong membership in Queensland prisons and was recruiting hardened offenders serving time in jail.
Salvatore said the Coast chapter was growing in numbers but despite being forced to go underground to escape arrest and prosecution for being in Satudarah – or any outlaw motorcycle gang – they had thrived, laughing off suggestions tough antibikie laws had pushed them out of Queensland.
“It’s grown on the Coast. About a year ago when I took over, I pretty much kicked out nearly everyone that was in the chapter and just started it from scratch. We are going good now, we’ve got good numbers all around,’’ he said.
“Nah, it makes us laugh when we see that in the news (that the OMCGs have been run out of town). It’s bullshit.
“Maybe if they took off the laws where people couldn’t wear their colours and consort, they’d know exactly who’s who and where they are.
“Pushing us underground allows us to expand and they can’t do shit about it. “Of course (we are growing), it’s massive, yes. “New members want to come in and be part of a brotherhood and a lot of them don’t like police at the same time.” Asked about the claim that bikie Bronson “Lizard Man’’ Ellery was recruiting for Satudarah before he killed himself and his partner Shelsea Schilling, Salvatore refused to comment, although acknowledged he knew Ellery.
He said Satudarah had a good relationship with two other clubs on the Coast and there was not much tension among the gangs here.
“No, not really, we’ve got a good friendship with two clubs here on the Coast. I’m not going to go into names or anything,’’ he said.
Grilled about criminality and involvement in violent assaults and drug crime on the Gold Coast, Salvatore said there were a few bad eggs in any group.
“I get raided about every six months by Taskforce Maxima. It is what it is. I’m used to it now. They’ve never found anything,’’ he said.
“It’s more a club of brotherhood really. Not everyone is a criminal. You have that in any club, whether it’s motorbikes, cars or whatever. There’s always some people that commit crime, it doesn’t mean everyone does it.
“We’ve had members over the years who have been done in drug stuff and have been kicked out or demoted if they were ranked.”
He would not be drawn on how many members the club had on the Coast or in jail, only saying it was significant.
Rather than a criminal outlaw, he said he saw himself as a family man, a fly in, fly out worker who just happened to love motorbikes and be part of a club.
“They (Satudarah) are different from the rest, a bit unique. They don’t discriminate against anyone, they take in all races, whereas other clubs are only specific to whites,” he said.
“I’m Italian, Slovenian and Cook Islander.
“Most of us work proper jobs. I work fly in, fly out on gas pipelines. Some do, some don’t (know I’m in Satudarah), I don’t go just telling everyone about it.
“You can ride any bike as long as it’s not a postie bike.”
Salvatore said the group was forging its own identity here, growing in size and notoriety across Australia.
“We have a reputation overseas, yeah, but all the members in Australia are from Australia, so we have our own reputation to build,” he said. “We want to show everyone that we are different from the others. We’re a brotherhood. It doesn’t matter what your background is, if you want someone to ride with, then we’re here.
“We’re not going anywhere.”