OFF THE WIRE
Zoe Neuman
dailytelegraph.com.au
Rex Walters at his home in Ingleburn. His daughter Leanne was shot and killed during the bikie Milperra massacre. Picture: Rohan Kelly Source: The Sunday Telegraph
THE father of the 14-year-old girl shot dead in the Milperra bikie massacre is terrified his daughter will be portrayed as a "bikie moll" in a new television series about the tragedy.
Rex Walters, 68, says he feels Channel Ten should have consulted him before making the adaptation of the book Brothers In Arms, which documents the deadly shoot-out between bikie gangs The Bandidos and The Comancheros, on Father's Day 1984.His daughter Leanne was caught in the crossfire and was the only non-bikie among the seven killed.
Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph about his concerns, Mr Walters said: "I really wish they had spoken to me. There have been bad things written about her in the past which aren't true. What sort of clothes will they have her in? I still have the outfit she wore when she died - it was a lovely jumper, a belt and jeans - they weren't the clothes of a bikie. I just want my daughter to be remembered properly."
In the book, Leanne is described as a girl from a broken home, who got involved with the bikies because she didn't have a family support network.
Mr Walters, from Ingleburn, admits Leanne was living away from her parents but said: "We had a good relationship -- the last conversation I had with her was that she was coming to see me on Father's Day."
He also said stories about why she was at the Viking Tavern were untrue.
"She was there with a friend of mine. She loved his bike and wanted to go to the bike swap meet. It wasn't because she was involved with a bikie."
A Ten spokesman said the series focuses on the relationships between the key members of the motorcycle clubs.
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Leanne was shot and killed during the bikie Milperra massacre. Picture: Rohan Kelly Source: The Sunday Telegraph |
