Anthony Snodgrass Spencer – Snoddy – Bandidos MC
Anthony Snodgrass Spencer (real name Anthony Mark Spencer), was the President of the first Australian chapter of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club and a former member of one percenter club Comanchero MC.
Anthony Snodgrass Spencer – Snoddy – Bandidos MC
Early Life Before Motorcycles
Anthony Mark Spencer was born in Tamworth, medium sized regional hub in NSW, Australia. As a child there is speculation that he witnessed the suicide of his mother.
After the death of his mother it was then that Snoddy Snodgrass was sent to live in various institutions before he joined the Navy. Anthony Snoddy Spencer left the Navy after being given a dishonourable discharge.
Not long after leaving the Navy, Snoddy Snodgrass Spencer joined the Comanchero Motorcycle Club, which at the time was being run by Jock Ross.
Family Life
Up until the time of his death Snoddy Snodgrass Spencer had a girlfriend by the name of Lee, who had a young son of her own named Joel, who viewed Snoddy as a father figure.
Comanchero MC
Anthony Snodgrass Spencer was a member of Comanchero MC, which was under the helm of William George “Jock” Ross, a Scottish immigrant, who had a passion for leading with military tactics, although details of his service experience in the military is unclear.
Comanchero Motorcycle Club opened a second chapter in Sydney, the new chapter was labelled as the Sydney City Chapter and Anthony Snodgrass Spencer was named as the President. It is believed that the existing chapter was split due to problems existing between Jock Ross and another club member’s wife.
Other well known members who moved across from the old Comanchero MC chapter under the control of Snoddy Snodgrass Spencer included the 6 Campbell brothers (including now-author and Sergeant-At-Arms Colin “Caesar” Campbell, see his book down below in the media section), 3 McElwaine brothers and Charles “Charlie” Sciberras.
Anthony Snoddy Spencer’s new chapter was based in Birchgrove, Sydney. The clubhouse was far from that of your usual motorcycle club clubhouse, as it was a waterfront mansion in a good suburb. Snoddy Snodgrass Spencer and the Bandidos had a new home.
Founding of the Bandidos MC Australia
The new chapter of the Comanchero MC could no longer deal with the military-style organisation and politics that existed under the leadership of Jock Ross and began looking for alternatives.
Two years prior Anthony Snodgrass Spencer took a trip to America where he had met with several one percenter motorcycle clubs. One of the meetings he had was with the Bandidos MC National President, Ronnie Hodge. He remembered that mutual respect that was shown and contacted Ronnie Hodge and received approval to form a Bandidos MC Australian chapter, of which Anthony Snotgrass Spencer would become the National President.
News that the Comanchero MC Sydney City Chapter had defected to Bandidos MC did not go down well with Jock Ross and violence began. On August 10, 1984 there was a phone call between Jock Ross and Snoddy Spencer where war was declared. Only the member’s homes and workplaces were off limits. The very next day, August 11, 1984, Comanchero MC barricaded their clubhouse and placed an armed sentry on the clubhouse roof.
Milperra Massacre – Father’s Day Massacre, September 2nd 1984
On September 2nd, 1984 (Father’s Day in Australia, which is why this event is also known as the Father’s Day Massacre), members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club turned up at Comanchero MC member Glen Eaves’s house and advised him that they would be at the Viking Tavern, in the suburb of Milperra, later in the day, where a motorcycle parts swap meet was being held. The stage had been set for war.
At 1pm many Comanchero MC members were waiting in the parking lot of the Viking Tavern, heavily armed. Some member’s believed that the Bandidos MC were not showing up, so they headed inside the tavern.
Approximately 20 minutes later the Bandidos Motorcycle Club showed up, 34 of them in total, including Anthony Snotgrass Spencer and the Campbell brothers, also heavily armed. They confronted the Comanchero MC leader Jock Ross and shortly after gunshots fired and fighting began.
Over 10 minutes later the fighting was over and there were many casualties.
- Gregory “Shadow” Campbell (Bandidos MC) – Shot in the throat by a shotgun and died on scene.
- Mario “Chopper” Cianter (Bandidos MC – Vice President) – Shot twice in the chest and died on scene.
- Robert “Foggy / Foghorn” Lane (Comanchero MC – Vice President)
- Phillip “Leroy” Jeschke (Comanchero Sergeant-At-Arms)
- Ivan “Sparra / Sparrow” Romcek (Comanchero MC)
- Tony “Dog” McCoy (Comanchero MC)
- Leanne Walters (Innocent bystander)
It is this last name in the list that brought the most attention to the event. Leanne Walters was 14 years old and a fan of everything to do with motorcycles. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when hit by a stray bullet from a .357.
Colin “Caesar” Campbell, the Bandidos MC Sergeant-At-Arms was shot multiple times and spent weeks in intensive care before checking himself out.
John “Whack” Campbell, a Bandidos MC member and one of the 6 Campbell brothers in the motorcycle club, died in jail in 1987 of complications relating to the injuries sustained in the fight.
21 motorcycle club members were found guilty of manslaughter, including 16 from the Bandidos Motorcycle Club. 9 were found guilty of murder.
Most involved served 5 years or less in jail, but Anthony Snoddy Spencer would never stand trial.
View our full article on the Milperra Massacre.
Anthony Snoddy Snodgrass – Bandidos MC – Photo
Anthony Snodgrass Spencer Death
On April 28th, 1985, Anthony Snodgrass Spencer was found dead in his cell in Parklea Prison. He had hung himself. He was aged 30 at the time of his death.
Information retrieved from his diary and statements of others, indicate that he had a heavy feeling of guilt as his Bandidos MC brothers were failing in their bail applications, he felt as though he was responsible for them being in prison and not out with their families.
A story also came out from his solicitor, Chris Murphy, that on the afternoon prior to his death he was in a meeting in the Parklea Prison with fellow Bandidos MC members and was late attending the clinic to pick up his prescribed sedatives, which helps him to relax and sleep. When the situation for being late was explained the pills were denied. It was that night that Anthony Snodgrass Spencer hung himself, it is possible that the pills could have saved his life, although impossible to confirm this.
In The Media
- Book – Colin Caesar Campbell – Enforcer – (view on Amazon – link will open in a new tab). This book by the Bandidos MC Sergeant-At-Arms covers the events around the split of the Comanchero MC, forming of the Bandidos MC and the events at Milperra.
- TV/DVD – Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms – A television mini-series was made that documented the events around the Milperra Massacre. This is now available on DVD (view on Amazon – link will open in new tab). The show has received criticism from people involved in the event, stating that parts of the storyline are false.
Read More:
- Bandidos MC
- Comanchero MC
- List of One Percenter Motorcycle Clubs
- Jock Ross
- Famous Bandidos Members
- Jeff Pike (Bandidos International President)
- George Wegers (Former Bandidos International President)
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