‘Terrifying times’: Former High St resident reflects on Timaru gang wars

A former High St resident forced out of the neighbourhood she loved by the gang that moved in next door, says she is pleased to hear the properties have been sold, and says it must “never happen again’’.

When Maureen Harper bought a brick bungalow in the Timaru street in 1985, she thought she was set up for life.

Helped into her own home at number 50 by the then Blind Foundation, she enjoyed its proximity to the beach and the Botanic Gardens for walks with her dog.

It was not her first time in the street – she lived at number 42 from 1969 to 1983, and was excited to return two years later.

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But her dreams were shattered when, in the same year, motorcycle gang the Road Knights took over properties on High St – one of them her former home, after moving from Theodosia St.

Harper, 80, was pleased to see the properties at 38, 40 and 42 High St, have been sold to Timaru Developments Ltd, and felt as the only surviving member of the street at that time, she needed to speak out.

“It is said that if we don’t learn the lessons of history, we are bound to repeat them. We must never let this happen again.’’

What started out as her dream neighbourhood quickly became a place of fear, she said.

“It was terrifying times.

“We had heard a rumour the Road Knights had asked for planning consent to open a bike shop and set up their gang on High St.’’

Having just moved back to the street she was not impressed and said she, and all her neighbours objected to the idea.

“We were told they wouldn’t get consent.’’

However, not long after that one of Harper’s neighbours was collecting her newspaper one morning when she noticed motorcycles on the street, and fences being put up in front of the properties.

The neighbour rang the council to ask why the gang they were told was not moving in, was all of a sudden on the street.

“The council said ‘they’re not coming’, and the neighbour said, ‘no, they’re not coming, they’re here’.’’

Harper said within minutes of the call, the police, council and other authorities were at the property.

“Apparently one of the lesser known bikies had bought the property as an individual.

“They put the fence up, and it was all on.’’

At first, they were quiet, but that all changed, she said.

“One night the girl next door who had two children and had just had a baby, couldn’t settle it because of the noise next door.

“The cops were called and told gang members to ‘think of the lady next door’.’’

The next morning a gang member visited the woman, Harper said.

“They asked how her children were.

“When she asked ‘why?’ they told her maybe she should go away for the evening as they were having a big party, and getting strippers down from Christchurch.’’

Harper said the gang partied all night, and she had heard of people in nearby Timaru Hospital being able to hear the noise.

On another occasion, in about 1991, Harper remembered waking as there was a lot of noise.

“There was a car set on fire on Williams St, and three separate incidents and the police were stretched.

“After that them [the Road Knights] and the [Devils] Henchmen were at war.’’

Harper also remembered the night the other gang shot bullets into every home in the street they knew to be owned by a gang member.

“I can well remember waking up to my sensor light coming on and feet rushing through my back gate and escaping through my property down on to the beach.

“We were told not to talk about it by the authorities of the day, as it may make matters worse.’’

Not long after Harper was contacted by a real estate agent asking if she would sell her property to the gang.

“I asked how much he was willing to pay, and was told that as no-one else would buy it, I would have to take whatever the gangs were willing to pay. I took the risk and stayed.’’

Harper said she had put everything into her High St home, including aluminium windows as she had thought she would stay there for her lifetime.

“I thought I was set up for life, all the main things were done to the house. I thought I’d take the risk and stay at the house.’’

But her father was concerned about his daughter, and in 1994 when he died, he left money for Harper, so she could afford to move out of High St, to a safer neighbourhood.

She sold and has lived in a home in a different part of town ever since.

While she had been happy to escape the neighbourhood she had come to fear, she was sad that she had been made to leave and said the home she now lived in was not maintenance-free.

Because of her sight impairment she lived on a benefit, but in her younger years had picked up work where she could.

“Prior to the gangs moving in, it was a lovely neighbourhood to live in.

“We were a close-knit community, mainly working class, but we looked after each other, and joked that even our pets knew each other.’’

However, she knew she had to get out.

“It was really dangerous, and we were all terrified.’’

When she saw the fences coming down around the gang pad last week she was happy, she said.

“This must never happen again.

“People need to make a stand, and it needs to come from the top.’’