Giant 7-foot bikie enforcer who had 'Finks' tattooed on his neck dishes on the 'bickering and moaning' inside outlaw motorcycle gangs - and what made him turn his back on the brotherhood for good
A heavily tattooed ex-bikie has opened up on his time in violent gangs and why he decided to turn his back on the brotherhood.
Tyson Ward, who was a Finks enforcer before becoming a south Adelaide Mongols chapter president, is speaking out against the groups as he attempts to turn his life around in honour of his late grandparents.
Ward walked away from Mongols in 2017 because the 'brotherhood' had turned into 'bickering and backstabbing' where violence was more prevalent than ever.
The former bikie, who is just one inch short of being seven foot, was initially introduced to Finks by his brother after he stopped playing basketball at the Australian Institute of Sport, Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
Tyson Ward, who was a Finks enforcer before becoming a south Adelaide Mongols chapter president, is speaking out against violent gangs
Ward, who ended up tattooing 'FINKS' across his throat, was immediately attracted to the camaraderie and common interest in motorcycles.
He jumped across to Mongols in 2013, thinking he would be welcomed into a 'bigger brotherhood'.
But Ward found the local chapter hierarchy structure to be a 'power struggle' and 'money grab'.
'I had enough of the backstabbing, the betrayal all inside your so-called club. I needed a new start and just packed up my s***, turned my back to them and left,' he said.
'They call themselves motorcycle clubs but they are street gangs wearing leathers and it's all glorified through the media and through Facebook.'
Ward said membership in a gang is a 'dangerous life' bred on violence.
Ward walked away from Mongols in 2017 because the 'brotherhood' had turned into 'bickering and backstabbing' where violence was more prevalent than ever
'Sometimes it takes your life,' he said, referring to long-time friend Shane Bowden.
Bowden, a former Mongols member, was gunned down in a Gold Coast driveway in October.
Ward spent four-and-a-half-years in a South Australian jail for possessing a Chinese assault rifle and dealing ecstasy but he denied the offences were connected to gangs.
The reformed bikie also looked back on a brawl between Finks and Hells Angels at a kickboxing event on the Gold Coast in 2006.
Ward was seen punching ex-Fink turned Hells Angel Christopher Hudson in the back and neck during the melee, a court heard in 2008.
Pictured: CCTV footage from a brawl with Finks and Hells Angels at a kickboxing event on the Gold Coast in 2006
Ward did not know that Hudson was one of multiple people who had been shot during the fight.
He claimed his involvement in the struggle was about 'defending' his brothers and being 'loyal' to his gang.
Ward was fined $3,000 after pleading guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm.
In the three years since walking away from gangs, Ward said he still has a cloud hanging over his head.
He believes he doesn't have an opportunity to go forward as he is known as an 'ex-criminal' and 'ex-bikie'.
Despite removing all tattoos that are associated to his former gang membership, Ward says he is automatically judged for his appearance.
Ward and his twin brother Matt are now focused on helping others through Adelaide-based rehabilitation group Arcofyre.
Pictured: The 2006 Ballroom Blitz Brawl between Finks and Hells Angels