Every now and then the legal profession loses the plot in their bid to muster an adequate defence for those whose actions are indefensible.
A recent example was a solicitor outside the Brisbane Magistrates Court who said the outlaw motorcycle gang, the dreaded Finks were like “Rotary but with tattoos”.
What made the comment more parlous was that the comment was made at that time of the year when Rotary Clubs run their ‘pride of workmanship’ awards ceremony where hard working unsung heroes of the workplace are honoured.
Surprisingly I didn’t see the Finks honouring everyday Australians for their hard work, decency and commitment to service and excellence. The Finks were too busy in court defending firearm, drug trafficking, failing to assist authorities and numerous other charges.
If all a defence Solicitor has is a crass analogy, may I suggest the accused have little hope, because comparing Rotary to the Finks could not produce a more stark comparison.
With more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide Rotary is the oldest, largest and one of the most respected service organisations in the world. With a view of service before self, Rotary seeks to make a positive and lasting difference in the world in which we live.
Rotary runs hundreds of programs throughout the world and there is no finer example than PolioPlus.
Polio was the world’s greatest cause of disability. In 1985 there were 350,000 polio cases in 125 countries with little hope for every eradicating this dreadful disease that predominantly strikes children in developing countries. It was in that year that Rotary cast a vision for a different future for the world’s children.
Rotary has so far contributed over US$800m to eradicating Polio including individual Rotarians joining with communities to vaccinate 100 million children in India in one day as part of this incredible program. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has recently pledged another US$355m with Rotary providing additional funding of US$200m to finish the work.
Today there are only four endemic countries left and a world with no polio is tantalizingly close. Rotary is achieving the miracle that the World Health Organisation was not able to do.
Let’s now compare Rotary with the Finks, an outlaw motorcycle club, who compete with other clubs such as the Coffin Cheaters, Hells Angels and the Rebels.
Experts speaking through ‘A Current Affair’ in Western Australia warn that as well as the usual business of drugs and firearms, the Finks bring with them an expertise in extortion.
Superintendent Des Bray, from the South Australian Police backs up this assertion indicating the Finks take over debts, demand more and more money and accompany this with threats of extreme violence, or worse.
The Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission has recently described the Finks as the most dangerous gang in the state.
It is not difficult to see why professionals in three Australian States hold such views considering that at a kick-boxing match in 2006, amid a crowd of 1800 people, three people were shot and two stabbed in a Finks payback because a member defected and sat with a rival gang the Hells Angels.
It was due to this and many other assaults, violent crimes and other criminal activities that multiple State jurisdictions are enacting sweeping legislative changes to make even associating with outlaw motorcycle gangs such as the Finks unlawful. Draconian the legislation may be, though this needs to be viewed through the lens of the problem being solved.
So is the solicitor correct, that the outlaw motorcycle gang, the Finks are just like “Rotary but with tattoos”? I think it is an understatement to suggest he is so far off track it is not funny.
The solicitor’s comments demean one of the finest service organisations in the world today. An organisation that seeks to serve, not be served; that seeks to build up, not to tear down and seeks to heal and provide hope not to hurt and to harm.
The solicitor would do well to apologise to over 65,000 Rotarians in Australian who he has slurred through his outrageous and nonsensical claims. He would do even better to join a local Rotary project at a school, park or community centre and see the extraordinary difference ordinary Rotarians make.
Maybe he could travel overseas and put a drop into a desperate child’s eye that will ensure they never contract the debilitating polio illness. At the very least perhaps he could donate some of the fees the Finks are paying to him and help eradicate Polio, as drops only costs 60 cents.
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