NSW: Rock veteran Angry Anderson injured in motorbike crash

AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-1998
NSW: Rock veteran Angry Anderson injured in motorbike crash

By Janine ONeill

SYDNEY, Dec 12 AAP - Rock veteran Angry Anderson was injured today in a 50-motorbike
pile-up which killed one man and injured 13 others on the Sydney to Newcastle freeway.

The frontman of Rose Tattoo was taken to Gosford Hospital suffering what his manager,
Matthew Ellard, would only describe as non-life-threatening injuries.

Anderson was one among a group of 20,000 bikers from throughout Australia taking part in a
road trip commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Australian bikie cult film: Stone.

Police said it appeared a car and a bike collided, toppling up to 50 motorcyclists
travelling north on the freeway near Tuggerah on the Central Coast.

Mr Ellard could not say how badly injured the 50-year-old musician was, but said he was not
expected to remain in hospital for longer than a day or so.

"Its not life-threatening, weve got someone on the way to Gosford now," he told AAP.

"All I know is that his wife, Lindy, got a call saying hed been hurt."

Mr Ellard said Anderson, as lead singer of one of Australias leading pub bands in the
1970s and 80s, had a lot of biker friends.

"Rose Tattoo is a bikie band, these guys just would have called and asked to come for the
ride. It being for charity Angry wouldnt have been able to help himself," Mr Ellard said of
the singer who recently did a national tour with the reformed band.

The pile-up at noon today near the Cobbs Road overpass north of Tuggerah came less than
halfway through the motorcades journey from Berowra to Raymond Terrace.

Police said a motor vehicle might have been involved in the tragedy which claimed the life
of one man, whose name and age has not yet been released.

"Our initial inquiries indicate that possibly some sort of collision between a motor
vehicle and motorcyclists ... has caused a concertina, domino effect," a spokesman said.

Ambulance officials said two people had suffered spinal injuries, three had suffered
serious head injuries and three had multiple limb injuries. Six other people had minor
injuries.

The motorcycle trip was to celebrate the anniversary of the Australian cult biker movie
Stone.

The plot of the 1974 film, directed by Sandy Harbutts, had members of the Grave Diggers
Motorcycle Club being murdered one by one after witnessing a political assassination, while
Stone, an undercover cop, attempted to solve the crimes.

AAP jo/wjf

KEYWORD: BIKERS ANGRY

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