Bikers in the Mountains
A frightening incident whilst I was a Television service engineer in Australia during the mid 1950's.
My service area was located in the foot hills of the Dandenong ranges, some 40 kilometer's from my depot in the city of Melbourne.
Some of my customers houses were built precariously on the side of the mountain and the narrow access roads with a wall of rock on one side and a 100ft drop on the other.
On this particular morning I was carefully making my way along a winding road to my first customer and looking in my rear vision mirror saw a group of bikers behind me. Two of them drove between me and the rock wall trying to push me over the cliff and down the 100ft drop.
The next 5 minutes or so was a nightmare, steering with one hand I grabbed my radio telephone to contact my base and let them know what was going on, and at the same time trying to keep away from the 100 ft drop to the valley below.
Then suddenly a miracle happened. A pull in appeared and I was able to get my vehicle safely off the road.
The bikers surrounded me.
The gang leader swaggered up to my vehicle accompanied by his lieutenant. Before he had chance to speak, I thrust my radio telephone out of the window.
"do you know what this is?"
He sneered inquisitively and in a loud voice so that all his no hoper followers in the background could hear me.
" well I'll tell you. it's a radio telephone, I've been talking to the police and they are on the way"
"If I were you, I'd get going before they get here."
All his so-called gang members immediately scrambled to get away from the scene.
After they left, I sat for a while to regain my composure, before driving on.
About 3 or 4 Kilometer's up the road there they were contained by 2 police cars.
I pulled in and a policeman approached.
"are you the gentleman involved" "Yes, but can I say something"
I pointed to the leader and his lieutenant. " they are the ones that tried to force me off the road, all the others played no part, let them go"
They filed past me one by one, obviously relieved. "Thanks Cobber, Thanks Cobber, Thanks Cobber,"
I replied to each one " choose better friends next time"
In hind site I realized that I had made a life-threatening mistake. Directly the leader and his lieutenant drove between my car and the rock face making their intentions known I should have stopped, but luckily for me all's well that ends well.