Open/Close Toolbox
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 New Zealand License
Format: Photograph
Linked To
Location (city or town)
Comments
AddBy: Laura Mills31st Aug 2021 6:33PMI know the full story.
The guys nickname was Gypsy. He shot the outline of a pig's head into the police car.
The house was rigged with explosives the next night, the guys were running the wire to the plunger down the hill when a security guard came into the street, so they abandoned the idea, and took off. Council workers found the explosives next day, and council torched it that night.
A guy was about to buy the house, so he wasn't happy. He kept a letter for years that Gypsy wrote him from jail, saying he was going to kill him when he got out. I think Gypsy died, so the letter was possibly thrown out.
I'll not name any other names, I was working for the council at the time, and remember well, walking from Cobden to work in the morning, listening to the rifle shots. Gypsy surrendered to Police about 9.30.
The guys nickname was Gypsy. He shot the outline of a pig's head into the police car.
The house was rigged with explosives the next night, the guys were running the wire to the plunger down the hill when a security guard came into the street, so they abandoned the idea, and took off. Council workers found the explosives next day, and council torched it that night.
A guy was about to buy the house, so he wasn't happy. He kept a letter for years that Gypsy wrote him from jail, saying he was going to kill him when he got out. I think Gypsy died, so the letter was possibly thrown out.
I'll not name any other names, I was working for the council at the time, and remember well, walking from Cobden to work in the morning, listening to the rifle shots. Gypsy surrendered to Police about 9.30.
By: Laura Mills31st Aug 2021 6:33PMIt was my fathers house I was only 5yo the flea “gypsy” was living at the house in exchange for doing the renovations. We lost the house and land without compensation. Oh
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 New Zealand LicenseThis licence lets you remix, tweak, and build upon our work noncommercially and although your new works must also acknowledge us and be noncommercial, you do not have to license the derivative works on the same terms.
Menu
Threadneedle Street Seige.Greymouth.12th August 1986.
Expand/collapse
About this image
DescriptionThe Coast answer to a bad occurrence. Threadneedle St after a gunman had shot the area up and killed a Police carDate of Photo12th August 1986Map[1] ContributorLeonie Roberts
Shown in this image
Category Information
Category Tagemergency services
From Facebook
LinkFacebook LinkDate Created7th July 2014Comments
Brian McIntyre
Author
Check out the Police car photo
· Reply · 3y · Edited
Dan Mckinley
Anne McKinley
· Reply · 3y
Bruce Baxter
The shot up police car went in the police auction as lot 303 !,
· Reply · 3y
Neil Smith
Without the bonnet. I saved it for the station canteen.
· Reply · 3y
Albie Rose
Yes Neil and the bugger who brought the car "as Is" wanted the bonnet back.
· Reply · 3y
Arthur Bass
And got told too.
· Reply · 3y
Murray Hay
I lived at number 15, directly to the left of this picture, watched the whole thing unfold through our front window, armed defenders came up from Mrs Bessy Bruerton's house off Alexander Street (Drakes Lane) via our back yard. The Policeman who was driving the car got out and went into Bill Van Halwyn's front yard 3 doors down from the house on the right of this picture, thats where the car remained while getting shot up. The Squash club had a leaky roof, weeks later when we climbed up to try and find why, turned out it had a bullet hole in the iron roof,
Eric Holman
I met the shooter himself at lunchtime the day before the shoot out!! I had done a welding job on a sissy bar for his motorbike at the request of a friend. You would never have suspected.
Glad he didn't choose to cut loose then.
=Kerry Molloy
Im was led to believe by one who virtually had a front seat ,the the officer commanding grey police took a very dim view of the unauthorised panelbeating to this police car which was???less than two weeks inot its service with grey police.
Trevor Molloy
I mounted the bonnet off that car above the the bar in the police canteen , I assume it is still there .
Rick Giles
When did this occur?
Early to mid-1980s, I presume.
Graham Hay
I remember waking up and listening to the 7AM news and hearing parts of Greymouth had been cordoned off due to a shooting, next thing I herd shots so new it wasn't too far away. Went out to go to work and there was a Police car stopping traffic going over Easons hill in Alexander st, I had to go from Tainui st around Dixon Park to get to work at Schafes.
I was there along with many others for the house burning, I think from memory it was lit after 5PM, so people could go have a look after work.
David Meech
What year was this please?
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
David Meech 12th August 1986
Arthur Bass
That had been our Reefton car. We got a new one and Grey got the old one. Used to fly !!!
Cathy Howat
How do you kill a police car?
Christopher Randal
Cathy Howat It's not easy - you have to work at it!
Andrew Elphick
My GF lived three houses down... evaced out the back door over the fences! The guy ringed the house with explosives... just another day with a berserk human with way too much ammunition.....
· Reply · 3h
Andrew Elphick
Yup as per normal the house burnt down later
· Reply · 3h
Andrew Elphick
Occasionally the West Coast has someone who goes berserk... I have met way too many coasters with way too much ammunition and way too many firearms over the years, I was in Westport one night and someone had a 40MM Bofors gun in working condition..... Yup way too many firearms... I wonder how many MSSA are buried in grease on the coast!
Les Lindbom
Andrew Elphick
Hell what did you do to have so many coasters chasing you with so much ammunition
PaulAnthony Teens
Andrew Elphick stay in your own back yard
Andrew Elphick
PaulAnthony Teens will do! Blaketown the oasis of sevlity !
Neet Liwile
Andrew Elphick good on every one of them.
Andrew Elphick
Neet Liwile ummm yeah .....
Gabrelle Hart
I Remember That...on the top left corner is/was Bellises House...Grew Up With Brent.
Christine Farrell
Nan was in #18 the house in pic. She was trapped in house while he shooting. Nan got the media ringing her all the time. We were down Alexandra but kept in touch everyday
Anne Bruce
The police car was sold for a good price in an auction.
Andrew Elphick
Anne Bruce XD falcon if I recall
Leonie Roberts
The police car in Threadneedle street
May be an image of car and outdoors
Leonie Roberts
May be an image of dog, car and outdoors
Gaylene Frewin
Leonie Roberts is that the beautiful Chan
Helen Brennan
The bonnet hung in Police canteen with gunshot holes in it
Jeremy Sutherland
Helen Brennan by the look of the bonnet a 12 gauge with buck shot?
Jeremy Sutherland
or maybe a semi auto .22, no doubt the Police file will have the detail.
Helen Joan Forrest
Yes I remember that episode. Thank goodness for the Armed Offenders Squad.
Fred Heine
Think I had the day off school when this happened.
Colin Waterman
The garage door over from house got shot up as well, bigger holes as it was crossbow arrows looked like the police bonnet, i was at St Patrick's school so day off.
Liam Pomfret-brown
What type of gun was it ?
Kev Rasmussen
What ever happened to the fella who done the shooting.
Richard Roberts
outside our flat,police "spotted" from our bathroom. eldery nabour gave me 6 9mm bullets the next day.......left at her house during ww2
Justin Peat
No mistaking that dog ... Richard
Kerry Keating
Did the sod get blown away or taken away???
Kathy Duthie
lived in threadneddle st when we 1st came to greymouth
Melanie Simpson
Joelean Simpson is this where you lived.
Joshua Kilkelly
His aim is pretty consistent
Donna Vincent
Remember that day
Des Kennedy
Diana Mattingly , Diana is that our Grandparents place in the background?
Chippy McLean
Des Kennedy Yeah that's Grandma and Grandads place where we grew up.
Des Kennedy
Chippy, thought so.
Diana Mattingly
Des yes, that's their place on the left, corrugated iron on the walls. Lorraine a d her husband were living in the house directly opposite the street entrance when this was happening. I don't think they got to work that day.
Des Kennedy
Diana, that's what I thought when I saw the corrugated side wall. You lived there for quite some time before you moved to Cowper St.
Diana Mattingly
8 years approximately. Good days.
Chris Stuart
Armed defenders lol......so many get this wrong. A.O.S. Armed Offenders Squad
Josh Skafer
The shot up bonnet is up in the bar in the police station on display
Ben Carter
Josh Skafer I tho so
Nina Townsend
Remember this I lived out kaiata at the time. The police later burnt the shooters house dwn which was actually a couple of flats. Years later kowhai manor was built there an aged care facility now just another empty building. Carnt remember the gun mans name not even sure how it ended i think the gun man took himslf out tho could be wrong. I remember the school being closed dwn mite have even been the intermediate as well even tho it was a distance away. The bonnet was a display piece at the cop shop.
Paul Olsen
My grandparents lived across The road , iv got the new paper of it in my garage, through I would share
Debz Turner
Karen Harvey saw this thought u would be interested.
Deborah Sweetman
I remember that day. They closed the gray main school. It was miles from the incident.
Doreen Stanger
Yes we remember this well we watch this from on the hill above them what a night
Bill Drake
Remember this event well.
Josh Skafer
Bill Drake I bet ya do ya old bugger haha
Ian Murch
Lived next door but from Bell is family before the war in Greymouth
Bill Bannister
I was on the piss with him the night before it unfolded ,I know why he went nuts and the nexit morning when was off to work ,came down the steps in Pukatahi st from the flats and a copper jumps out of bushes screaming out “ there’s a gun madman shooting “ all I said was, 10to1 he will shoot you before me now fuck off , I’m off to work , and off I went
Chris Tones
Firstly, remember this well, we got told to stay home and had the day off school
Secondly, it's the AOS, Armed Offenders Squads, not the Armed Defenders lol
Linda Hughes
My auntie Teresa ( 10 Threadneedle st) took a lot of photos of the car and the burning building, have them somewhere in a box of family memorabilia. She got a hell of a fright when it first started!
Juliet Burr
This happened right across the rd from the house we grew up there were bullet holes all up the side of our car garage they are still there I went an visited our old home and had a look recently . I Certanly remember lying on the ground with our mum over the top of us telling us to stay quiet.. some of these details a bit off though I think
Denis King
It was an interesting interview with DC.
Albie Rose
Remember that morning well.
Craig Smith
Weren't allowed to go to school that day. Myself, Kirk Neilson, Peter Clark and a couple of others maybe Bing Donaldson and his bro Simon climbed up to the top of Mt Baldy (Watson I think) behind Roa
Bing Donaldson
Craig Smith remember that mate…was a good hike up the hill…haven’t done it again since
Craig Smith
Yup it was a good one.
Crystal clear day. Maybe did it once after that myself but went up the road mine way instead much like Kirk and I did the first time I went up there
Reply1hBob Broadhurst
Hmmmm looks like buckshot, has skidded off the bonnet and then peppered the windscreen in the 2nd photo .... probably two rounds of 9 shot buck .... just guessing
Andrew Elphick
Bob Broadhurst nah the shooter shot many hundreds of rounds that day houses were peppered as well
Pete James
Andrew Elphick what happend to the shooter in the end??
Andrew Elphick
Pete James mind block.... Sorry
Tania Lee Somervail Beynon
Pete James He lived, got arrested. Husband's family lived within the shooters range.
Andrew Wilson
Bob Broadhurst my auntie and uncle was in the house next door
Craig Smith
Bob Broadhurst a lot of 22 bullets.
Holed the radiator and as it was left running after the cops gapped it (shot at pretty much as they were out of it or something like that), the engine seized. Bonnet was in the police club on the wall for a while
Scot Templeton
303 if I remember correctly my dad was the reefton cop me and my brother got to play in that car at the back of the greymouth station
Simon Bass
Scot Templeton, that was the old Reefton car that got shot up
Martin Burt
Is the bonnet still on the wall in the police station social club?
Reply1hArthur Bass
Told Greymouth, if we gave them our good car they would bugger it in no time and bugger it they did.
Bob Broadhurst
Good operators Arthur, just bloody hard on gear lol
Tracy Piner Mahon
I can remember that, the roads were all blocked off and you hear the guy shoots
Sarah Ashby
Dose the local station still have the hood mounted in the hallway? Linda Hughes
I think it was a rifle, a 303.
Arthur Bass
Linda Hughes 30/30 and a .22 if my memory serves me right.
Linda Hughes
Arthur Bass yes I believe so. My aunt lived in 10 Threadneedle St and the police car was parked outside her gate.
Anne Bruce
Was the Police car was sold at auction?
Lorraine Phillips
I remember that day well. I dived under a feather blanket when I heard the first shots. As if that would have stopped anything.
Leigh Doidge
The bonnet of this faithfull steed was up on the wall in the Grey Police station bar, no idea if its still there.
Bruce Langdon
Neville Hughes had that car for years after that
Lee Christie
The bonnet still on the police canteen wall?…
Alan Smith
I remember that day
Les N Linda Owen
Steven Bellis
Joe Townsend
Remember this
Trish Rennie
I remember that….
Lyle Francis Kitchin
Remember this.....
Kerry Molloy
Rifle used was a 30-30.The late Trevor Molloy who worked for the police at the time was slightly miffed as this car was new to greymouth and IIRC was used as the head mans car till this day .Trev mounted the bon net on the wall.The house in Threadneedle st was later burned down in a grey mouth fire brigade exercise.Had another cousin involved in this .she often said she she was dying for a cup of tea ,but was scared the gunman might see her and shoot the jug!!
Andrew Crook
1986 I think.
Brian McIntyre
Would have been about then. I was in Nelson well before this happened
Julia Quin
I remember this...I'm sure we got the day off from school because JPII is just down the road from here.
Jo Troy Stewart
I remember that house burning.
Barb Rodway
Poor police car
Sandy Goodall
wasnt good
Amanda N Shane Olsen
It was my grandparents house directly in the firing line of the gunman. Will find the photos and post them up
Gena Case-Leishman
my house is there still
Eric Holman
I was there the day before this happened about lunchtime handing over a 'sissybar' to the gunman for his motorbike. I had welded it up for him. A friend of mine Greg Coghlan asked me to do it for the guy.
He didn't look like he was 'nuts' on the day. :-)
Greg had his bus parked next to the house the guy used to shoot up the street from, they were all having coffee in the bus when I turned up to hand over the sissybar.
Greg told me later when the stuff hit the fan Greg and a mate took off down Threadneedle St, with shots coming down the road after them. The got out of the line of fire by hiding on a front porch of an old couples place banging on the door to be let in.
The old couple had phoned the police and the squad car pulled up opposite the house cops got out came over and said "Whats going on Coghlan!!!" (Um, Greg was a bit of a rascal in those days). :-) Nek minit... BOOOM BOOM BOOM police car gets bullets drilled through its radiator.. 'That's whats going on' said Greg. They all took cover and found their way out of the area using back streets.
The squad cars motor kept running till all the water was gone and the motor eventually seized I believe.
The bonnet of the police car is still at the Greymouth Police Station full of holes or it was some years ago
The Wild Wild West....... :-)
Zody Ensor
What's on the site now
Evelyn Hampton
12th August 1986, the day I had my daughter,have the newspaper somewhere still...
Gavin Whitcombe
kowhai manor is now on the site,..
Gavin Whitcombe
isnt the bonnet hanging on the wall in the police social club room in the station..
Alexis Maree Mckenzie
lol I used to baby sit in the last house b4 hill on left
Ange Beck
Gavin Whitcombe yes the bonnet is in the station canteen along with the lights off that car.
Gavin Whitcombe
the cops had the place burnt down just in case the guy rigged it with explosives so i was told...but dont quote me on that...
Brian McIntyre
Gavin Whitcombe I am pretty sure that was a comment from a previous posting as well
Pam Biehler Rathbun
Corey Hill
Brenda Barry Brown
Ithink the area would have been well cordoned off if their were explosives involved
Brian McIntyre
Brenda Margret Brown I think that comment about a possibility of explosives came from Albie Rose
Albie Rose
NO wasnt me There were no explosives the house "mysterily burnt down"
Brian McIntyre
Missunderstood thatthen Albie Rose but did hear it here somewhere. Maybe just hearsay
Zody Ensor
I've heard it said the police took so long to enter the house for fear of rigged explosives. And I heard that years ago, not on here. Not saying it's true though, just adding substance to that story
Zody Ensor
I work with Greg Eric Holman and he still is a bloody rascal!
Eric Holman
That's good to hear Zody he's a likeable character alright!! :-)
Brian McIntyre
Author
Check out the Police car photo
· Reply · 3y · Edited
Dan Mckinley
Anne McKinley
· Reply · 3y
Bruce Baxter
The shot up police car went in the police auction as lot 303 !,
· Reply · 3y
Neil Smith
Without the bonnet. I saved it for the station canteen.
· Reply · 3y
Albie Rose
Yes Neil and the bugger who brought the car "as Is" wanted the bonnet back.
· Reply · 3y
Arthur Bass
And got told too.
· Reply · 3y
Murray Hay
I lived at number 15, directly to the left of this picture, watched the whole thing unfold through our front window, armed defenders came up from Mrs Bessy Bruerton's house off Alexander Street (Drakes Lane) via our back yard. The Policeman who was driving the car got out and went into Bill Van Halwyn's front yard 3 doors down from the house on the right of this picture, thats where the car remained while getting shot up. The Squash club had a leaky roof, weeks later when we climbed up to try and find why, turned out it had a bullet hole in the iron roof,
Eric Holman
I met the shooter himself at lunchtime the day before the shoot out!! I had done a welding job on a sissy bar for his motorbike at the request of a friend. You would never have suspected.
Glad he didn't choose to cut loose then.
=Kerry Molloy
Im was led to believe by one who virtually had a front seat ,the the officer commanding grey police took a very dim view of the unauthorised panelbeating to this police car which was???less than two weeks inot its service with grey police.
Trevor Molloy
I mounted the bonnet off that car above the the bar in the police canteen , I assume it is still there .
Rick Giles
When did this occur?
Early to mid-1980s, I presume.
Graham Hay
I remember waking up and listening to the 7AM news and hearing parts of Greymouth had been cordoned off due to a shooting, next thing I herd shots so new it wasn't too far away. Went out to go to work and there was a Police car stopping traffic going over Easons hill in Alexander st, I had to go from Tainui st around Dixon Park to get to work at Schafes.
I was there along with many others for the house burning, I think from memory it was lit after 5PM, so people could go have a look after work.
David Meech
What year was this please?
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
David Meech 12th August 1986
Arthur Bass
That had been our Reefton car. We got a new one and Grey got the old one. Used to fly !!!
Cathy Howat
How do you kill a police car?
Christopher Randal
Cathy Howat It's not easy - you have to work at it!
Andrew Elphick
My GF lived three houses down... evaced out the back door over the fences! The guy ringed the house with explosives... just another day with a berserk human with way too much ammunition.....
· Reply · 3h
Andrew Elphick
Yup as per normal the house burnt down later
· Reply · 3h
Andrew Elphick
Occasionally the West Coast has someone who goes berserk... I have met way too many coasters with way too much ammunition and way too many firearms over the years, I was in Westport one night and someone had a 40MM Bofors gun in working condition..... Yup way too many firearms... I wonder how many MSSA are buried in grease on the coast!
Les Lindbom
Andrew Elphick
Hell what did you do to have so many coasters chasing you with so much ammunition
PaulAnthony Teens
Andrew Elphick stay in your own back yard
Andrew Elphick
PaulAnthony Teens will do! Blaketown the oasis of sevlity !
Neet Liwile
Andrew Elphick good on every one of them.
Andrew Elphick
Neet Liwile ummm yeah .....
Gabrelle Hart
I Remember That...on the top left corner is/was Bellises House...Grew Up With Brent.
Christine Farrell
Nan was in #18 the house in pic. She was trapped in house while he shooting. Nan got the media ringing her all the time. We were down Alexandra but kept in touch everyday
Anne Bruce
The police car was sold for a good price in an auction.
Andrew Elphick
Anne Bruce XD falcon if I recall
Leonie Roberts
The police car in Threadneedle street
May be an image of car and outdoors
Leonie Roberts
May be an image of dog, car and outdoors
Gaylene Frewin
Leonie Roberts is that the beautiful Chan
Helen Brennan
The bonnet hung in Police canteen with gunshot holes in it
Jeremy Sutherland
Helen Brennan by the look of the bonnet a 12 gauge with buck shot?
Jeremy Sutherland
or maybe a semi auto .22, no doubt the Police file will have the detail.
Helen Joan Forrest
Yes I remember that episode. Thank goodness for the Armed Offenders Squad.
Fred Heine
Think I had the day off school when this happened.
Colin Waterman
The garage door over from house got shot up as well, bigger holes as it was crossbow arrows looked like the police bonnet, i was at St Patrick's school so day off.
Liam Pomfret-brown
What type of gun was it ?
Kev Rasmussen
What ever happened to the fella who done the shooting.
Richard Roberts
outside our flat,police "spotted" from our bathroom. eldery nabour gave me 6 9mm bullets the next day.......left at her house during ww2
Justin Peat
No mistaking that dog ... Richard
Kerry Keating
Did the sod get blown away or taken away???
Kathy Duthie
lived in threadneddle st when we 1st came to greymouth
Melanie Simpson
Joelean Simpson is this where you lived.
Joshua Kilkelly
His aim is pretty consistent
Donna Vincent
Remember that day
Des Kennedy
Diana Mattingly , Diana is that our Grandparents place in the background?
Chippy McLean
Des Kennedy Yeah that's Grandma and Grandads place where we grew up.
Des Kennedy
Chippy, thought so.
Diana Mattingly
Des yes, that's their place on the left, corrugated iron on the walls. Lorraine a d her husband were living in the house directly opposite the street entrance when this was happening. I don't think they got to work that day.
Des Kennedy
Diana, that's what I thought when I saw the corrugated side wall. You lived there for quite some time before you moved to Cowper St.
Diana Mattingly
8 years approximately. Good days.
Chris Stuart
Armed defenders lol......so many get this wrong. A.O.S. Armed Offenders Squad
Josh Skafer
The shot up bonnet is up in the bar in the police station on display
Ben Carter
Josh Skafer I tho so
Nina Townsend
Remember this I lived out kaiata at the time. The police later burnt the shooters house dwn which was actually a couple of flats. Years later kowhai manor was built there an aged care facility now just another empty building. Carnt remember the gun mans name not even sure how it ended i think the gun man took himslf out tho could be wrong. I remember the school being closed dwn mite have even been the intermediate as well even tho it was a distance away. The bonnet was a display piece at the cop shop.
Paul Olsen
My grandparents lived across The road , iv got the new paper of it in my garage, through I would share
Debz Turner
Karen Harvey saw this thought u would be interested.
Deborah Sweetman
I remember that day. They closed the gray main school. It was miles from the incident.
Doreen Stanger
Yes we remember this well we watch this from on the hill above them what a night
Bill Drake
Remember this event well.
Josh Skafer
Bill Drake I bet ya do ya old bugger haha
Ian Murch
Lived next door but from Bell is family before the war in Greymouth
Bill Bannister
I was on the piss with him the night before it unfolded ,I know why he went nuts and the nexit morning when was off to work ,came down the steps in Pukatahi st from the flats and a copper jumps out of bushes screaming out “ there’s a gun madman shooting “ all I said was, 10to1 he will shoot you before me now fuck off , I’m off to work , and off I went
Chris Tones
Firstly, remember this well, we got told to stay home and had the day off school
Secondly, it's the AOS, Armed Offenders Squads, not the Armed Defenders lol
Linda Hughes
My auntie Teresa ( 10 Threadneedle st) took a lot of photos of the car and the burning building, have them somewhere in a box of family memorabilia. She got a hell of a fright when it first started!
Juliet Burr
This happened right across the rd from the house we grew up there were bullet holes all up the side of our car garage they are still there I went an visited our old home and had a look recently . I Certanly remember lying on the ground with our mum over the top of us telling us to stay quiet.. some of these details a bit off though I think
Denis King
It was an interesting interview with DC.
Albie Rose
Remember that morning well.
Craig Smith
Weren't allowed to go to school that day. Myself, Kirk Neilson, Peter Clark and a couple of others maybe Bing Donaldson and his bro Simon climbed up to the top of Mt Baldy (Watson I think) behind Roa
Bing Donaldson
Craig Smith remember that mate…was a good hike up the hill…haven’t done it again since
Craig Smith
Yup it was a good one.
Crystal clear day. Maybe did it once after that myself but went up the road mine way instead much like Kirk and I did the first time I went up there
Reply1hBob Broadhurst
Hmmmm looks like buckshot, has skidded off the bonnet and then peppered the windscreen in the 2nd photo .... probably two rounds of 9 shot buck .... just guessing
Andrew Elphick
Bob Broadhurst nah the shooter shot many hundreds of rounds that day houses were peppered as well
Pete James
Andrew Elphick what happend to the shooter in the end??
Andrew Elphick
Pete James mind block.... Sorry
Tania Lee Somervail Beynon
Pete James He lived, got arrested. Husband's family lived within the shooters range.
Andrew Wilson
Bob Broadhurst my auntie and uncle was in the house next door
Craig Smith
Bob Broadhurst a lot of 22 bullets.
Holed the radiator and as it was left running after the cops gapped it (shot at pretty much as they were out of it or something like that), the engine seized. Bonnet was in the police club on the wall for a while
Scot Templeton
303 if I remember correctly my dad was the reefton cop me and my brother got to play in that car at the back of the greymouth station
Simon Bass
Scot Templeton, that was the old Reefton car that got shot up
Martin Burt
Is the bonnet still on the wall in the police station social club?
Reply1hArthur Bass
Told Greymouth, if we gave them our good car they would bugger it in no time and bugger it they did.
Bob Broadhurst
Good operators Arthur, just bloody hard on gear lol
Tracy Piner Mahon
I can remember that, the roads were all blocked off and you hear the guy shoots
Sarah Ashby
Dose the local station still have the hood mounted in the hallway? Linda Hughes
I think it was a rifle, a 303.
Arthur Bass
Linda Hughes 30/30 and a .22 if my memory serves me right.
Linda Hughes
Arthur Bass yes I believe so. My aunt lived in 10 Threadneedle St and the police car was parked outside her gate.
Anne Bruce
Was the Police car was sold at auction?
Lorraine Phillips
I remember that day well. I dived under a feather blanket when I heard the first shots. As if that would have stopped anything.
Leigh Doidge
The bonnet of this faithfull steed was up on the wall in the Grey Police station bar, no idea if its still there.
Bruce Langdon
Neville Hughes had that car for years after that
Lee Christie
The bonnet still on the police canteen wall?…
Alan Smith
I remember that day
Les N Linda Owen
Steven Bellis
Joe Townsend
Remember this
Trish Rennie
I remember that….
Lyle Francis Kitchin
Remember this.....
Kerry Molloy
Rifle used was a 30-30.The late Trevor Molloy who worked for the police at the time was slightly miffed as this car was new to greymouth and IIRC was used as the head mans car till this day .Trev mounted the bon net on the wall.The house in Threadneedle st was later burned down in a grey mouth fire brigade exercise.Had another cousin involved in this .she often said she she was dying for a cup of tea ,but was scared the gunman might see her and shoot the jug!!
Editing is temporarily disabled
Cancel Edit
Click on the image to add
a tag or press ESC to cancel
a tag or press ESC to cancel
West Coast New Zealand History (1st Mar 2023). Threadneedle Street Seige.Greymouth.12th August 1986.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 9th Apr 2026 01:32, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/29943