Highway 61 Motorcycle Club
The Highway 61 Motorcycle Club are an international MC operating in New Zealand and Australia. Their colours are black and gold.[1]
Founded | 1968 |
---|---|
Founding location | Auckland, New Zealand |
Years active | 1968-present |
Territory | New Zealand and Australia |
Criminal activities | Drug dealing, rape, theft, murder |
History
The Highway 61 mc was formed in Auckland in 1968,[2] and have since expanded across New Zealand and Australia.[3] The Highway 61 patch consists of a skeleton holding onto ape hangers (handlebars) with the road, or highway, seen below the skull.
In 1997, Highway 61 members were convicted of murdering a member of the New Zealand Nomads.[4] In 1993, Highway 61 members were convicted of theft, receiving cars valued at nearly $1,000,000.[4]
In 1998, senior ex member Malcolm Rewa was convicted on multiple charges of rape, and is serving a life prison sentence.[5]
In 2003, club president Kevin Weavers was accidentally killed by ex highway 61 member Kelly Robertson, which weakened and caused a rift within the gang.[4]
At the 1979 Nelson Mardi Gras event the Lost Breed clashed with members of Highway 61 from Wellington. 4 were injured and 21 Lost Breed members and associates were arrested.
They expanded into Australia in the 1980s,[6] later setting up a chapter in Brisbane in 1998
See also
References
- "Highway 61 MC (Motorcycle Club)". Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- "2. Motorcycle and white supremacist gangs – Gangs – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- "Building contracts link to Highway 61 bikie outlaw club member Scott Paton". Couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- "Drug trade : The gang rap sheet - National - NZ Herald News". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- "Malcolm Rewa (Auckland Serial Rapist)". Crime.co.nz. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- Gilbert, Jarrod (2013). Patched: the history of gangs in New Zealand. Auckland University Press. p. 215. ISBN 9781869407292.