Mark ‘Shock’ Rodgers funeral: Rebels bikies from across country descend on Fremantle Cemetery to pay respects

Rebels bikies from across Australia have descended on Fremantle Cemetery to honour the club’s former WA vice president, in what could be one of the last public displays of outlaw motorcycle gang strength before tough new anti-bikie laws begin. The notorious gang was joined by representatives of the Mongol and Raider clubs, roaring shoulder to shoulder on the back of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, into the cemetery for the funeral of Mark “Shock” Rodgers. Rodgers, once vice-president of the Rebels’ WA chapter, died “peacefully and unexpectedly in his sleep” on November 15 — aged 50. He was considered a close ally of assassinated Rebels’ boss Nick Martin, who was allegedly executed by an ex-Australian soldier in a sniper shooting at the Perth Motorplex last December. Among the underworld figures at Rodgers’ funeral were notorious Mongols boss Troy Mercanti and one of the latest Rebels’ recruits to make headlines, baby-faced bikie Samuel Willmott. The presence of a large number of Mongols highlighted the complicated nature of Perth’s underworld. David Pye, once Martin’s close friend, has been charged with orchestrating his murder. After defecting from the Rebels to the Comancheros before Martin’s assassination, he has now become a Mongol in jail. Close to 100 patched and prospective members of the gangs brandished their club colours during Rodgers’ service. Rebels from Queensland chapters were also there to support their WA counterparts. It is expected to be one the last public displays of outlaw bikie strength in WA before the McGowan Government passes down the country’s toughest anti-bikie laws — expected to pass through Parliament as early as next week. Dozens of WA Police’s specialist gang crime squad officers watched on from outside the cemetery’s gates amid speculation of tensions boiling within the Rebels’ ranks. The Rebels-branded service material for Rodgers’ funeral read “I am ready to meet my maker”. “Whether my maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter,” it says. A club ride by dozens of the gang’s patched members through Perth’s northern suburbs on Friday, November 26 was an earlier public show of strength to honour Rodgers. The ride was closely watched by the gang crime squad as the bikies rode through Scarborough, including through red lights, unhindered. It also sparked a warning from Attorney-General John Quigley to the gang that it would be one of their last rides in club colours as the McGowan Government prepares to implement the tough new anti-bikie laws. “This so-called show of force is precisely the type of thing this Bill was designed to get rid of,” Mr Quigley said. “The gang crime squad are itching to be able to do more. On Friday, the police could look but not touch.” Rodgers and former Rebels president Martin were no strangers to sharing the spotlight. As revealed by The West Australian last year, the pair set up Rebels MC Pty Ltd to trademark the club’s patch and words “Rebels Australia MC 1%” for use on clothing apparel nearly a decade ago. In 2018, Martin and Rodgers were blocked from entering Thailand together and claimed the Australian Federal Police had tipped off Thai officials about their outlaw lifestyle. The pair were detained in airport cells for 24 hours before being put on the next flight back to Perth. Martin and Rodgers both featured in a violent feud between the Rebels and Rock Machine gangs in 2011. Rodgers was attacked by three Rock Machine members on a quiet East Fremantle street and Martin survived a shooting ambush outside his home. In 2016, while president of the Rebels’ Fremantle chapter, Rodgers successfully stopped the City of Cockburn from shutting down the gang’s Bibra Lake clubhouse.