[obrut]

Reported in a Sydney newspaper yesterday:



Machete wielding masked bandits picked the wrong club to rob yesterday - 40 bikie club members were meeting there.

Police said the robbers raided the Regents Park Sporting Club about 8.50pm yesterday, ordering people at the bar to lie on the floor.

But the robbers failed to notice 40 members of the Southern Cross Cruiser Club in the nearby auditorium.

"The two guys burst in with machetes and started waving them around and intimidating people," bikie club founder "The Bear" said.

"They walked in to try and do a robbery and thought there'd just be people playing bingo and poker machines.

"But there were also 40 blokes there having a social night and it's come unstuck for them."


Robbers flee

The robbers fled on seeing the bikies approaching. One ran through a plate glass window, leapt off a five-metre balcony and ran through a bowling green. The other escaped behind the bar.

But bikie club president Jerry "Jester" van Cornwall and other members ran to the back of the club, waiting for the robber to emerge from the back entrance.

"As this guy opened up the roller door we crashed tackled him in the doorway," Mr van Cornwall told ABC 702 radio.


The man wriggled free, but was pursued and crash-tackled again by Mr van Cornwall, who restrained him until police arrived.

Police soon located the second robber nearby.

One of the robbers was taken to Westmead Hospital with minor injuries.

The Bear said the robbers appeared to have regretted attempting the heist when they saw the bikies.

"It was one of those stopped-time moments," he said.

"It was very hard to see the expression on their faces because of the balaclavas, but I imagine it was something along lines of 'Oh *****, what have we done here?' "


Bikies were club regulars

Regents Park Sporting Club manager Eddie Kiosoff said the bikies had been regulars at the club for about a year, visiting a few nights a week.

"Hopefully we can have them here all the time now,'' he joked.

Mr Kiosoff expressed his gratitude at the bikies' bravery, and said he was considering "putting on a night" for them.


Families and elderly also present

Families and the elderly were also at the club last night, The Bear said.

"We've just have enough of this. This club's been robbed numerous times.

"These guys with machetes weren't too worried about waving them around and scaring ladies and other families socialising at the club.

"I'm just so proud of the boys ... the morality of not putting up with this sort of thing.

"I think two or three of our guys should be put up for bravery awards for taking on armed men."

The Bear hoped the incident would correct misconceptions about bikies.

"Even on one of the news things we were credited as being Hell's Angels, but we are far from that."