the white rose society

Neighbours star and conspiracist leader Damien Richardson was recently found guilty of performing a salute indistinguishable from a Nazi salute in Victoria. The salute was performed at a gathering organised by the neo-fascist group the National Workers Alliance and attended by several neo-Nazis from the National Socialist Network, who actively engaged in friendly discussion with both Richardson and event organiser Matt Trihey.

In pre-sentencing hearings, we've particularly made note of two claims made by Richardson's defence: that he has suffered due to being associated publicly with Nazism, and that his salute had no underlying fascist motive – it was merely mocking the characterisation of him as having fascist leanings made in a recent article in The Age. In fact, Richardson's own grandfather fought the Nazis, so he couldn't possibly be sympathetic.

In much of the reporting on this matter, not much attention has been paid to what Richardson actually said.

Richardson's salute came in the context of describing an event he had attended in the Latrobe Valley.

The Age's reporting gives an idea of how this went:

After hitting the headlines for attending a self-declared “cooker” event in Rowville on Friday night, CBD can report the upper house member for Eastern Victoria then spoke at a rally held by Freedom Party candidate and former Neighbours actor Damien Richardson.

Heath stuck to the ostensible cause in her speech in Traralgon on Monday afternoon – the closure of the native logging industry and its impact on eastern Victoria.

But before welcoming her to the microphone, host Richardson warmed up the crowd with some racist conspiracies.

Saving the native logging, he reckoned, was a chance to fight back against “globalists” without scaring off potential allies with “all these ideas of the New World Order”.

“I’ll tell you who it’s a real war on – it’s a war on white working-class men,” he said to applause.

“That’s who they want to destroy, because they know, ultimately, they are the boys with the power ... to stand up to the process of deracinating who we are as Australians.”

If that word is new to you, Merriam-Webster tells us “deracinate” is to “remove the racial or ethnic characteristics or influences” from a place.

Richardson said: “God forbid you talk about it because they call you a racist. Well, call me it. I’m beyond caring.”

He also riffed about one day working out exactly what antisemitic conspiracist David Icke “meant by lizards” in his theory about a group of shape-shifting reptiles who secretly control the world. It’s been widely interpreted by the likes of the Anti-Defamation Commission that Icke is talking about Jews.

Richardson said he would go “much further” into such topics at an upcoming event which had been scheduled to take place on Thursday night in Sale, but had recently been postponed until September.

An early flyer for that event obtained by CBD said it would be “featuring guest speaker Renee Heath”, but her name was scrubbed out of later versions circulated online.

At the National Workers Alliance event, Richardson gives his own account of the Traralgon protest. He describes how he started talking about the logging industry, but while looking out into the crowd he realised there were larger issues he needed to address.

Richardson said:

Now I'm getting into dangerous territory because if I keep talking now. I'm going to say something that I potentially will regret, but I'm also thinking: this community seemed pretty fired up to win back their livelihood. It's actually an attack on – it's an existential attack on who they are. And you cannot have a timber industry that's unsustainable – because you grow some more trees if it's unsustainable, and you hold them back from logging and give it a certain amount, I mean, it just made it doesn't make any rational sense whatsoever. So I do get into this deeper territory, and I actually call out the collective identity of the people that have gathered before me, and I call them by who they are. That's basically a collective of white people. It's an attack on your white heritage and what you've done since you've arrived in this particular country. And they loved it. The crowd loved it. They went: Finally, someone's actually said it. They stopped pissing around, talking about Western culture, etc, they've actually nailed it to the wall, nailed it to the mast. And there's a girl there called Renee Heath, and she's the local Liberal member, and she's very happy I said it as well. You can see the smile on her face from ear to ear. She was also happy that she didn't say it. She was happy that someone else said it, but she was still reveling in it, in it actually having occurred.

We make no suggestion that far-Right Liberal MP Renee Heath actually reveled in Richardson's speech, merely that this was Richardson's perception.

Richardson then goes on to describe The Age's reporting (which we would note didn't actually liken him to Adolf Hitler, but simply described him sharing racist conspiracy theories):

Okay, so the next day The Age get involved. You know that lovely periodical you can get if you really are desperate for nothing else to do, The Age newspaper, get involved. They ring me up. They asked me for comment about the rally down in Traralgon. I have no comment, of course, I've got nothing to say them, because I know they're going to print whatever they want to print anyway. Even though I don't give them any comment, they still print what they were going to print anyway. And they liken me to Adolf Hitler. So if you want to have a look at it, it's an article. It's in last year's Age, about August last year. (Richardson does a Nazi salute) Yep, that guy. Am I allowed to do that? Am I gonna be fined now? I'm gonna go to jail for five years. Richardson did the salute. I mean, really? I mean, this is absurd. This is insane. It's crazy. It's so crazy you can't believe it's even happening, but you know what it does. You know what it does. It capitulates the support of the people in that group. It capitulates them. They're suddenly worried about being associated with Damien, knowing full well that Damien's got nothing to do with Adolf Hitler, but just the slur alone is enough to do the damage, and then the people start bitching about me and why I'm there in the first place, and how I'm making it about myself and blah-de-blah-de-blah.

And now their native timber industry is gone, because they actually had some traction. Were actually starting to fight back. We had a system. We're going to turn up at the Maribyrnong City Council at their very next meeting and we were going to come down with one logger who had apparently tried to take his own life, because that's the reality of what they're trying to do – actually kill us. So he's going to take his own life. We're going to go down with one log on his truck and his daughter next to him in the cabin, and we're going to video it. And we just need about 100 and 150 people there to make our own propaganda back at them. And that's why they want a misinformation, disinformation act as well. So the people no longer have the power to do that. We have to buy the corporate Main Street narrative. And it never happens. It never happens. I'm explaining it to these people in that last speech. That's what we're going to do. Then we're also going to turn up at the municipal councils next meeting. They were going to have in a, you know, in a in a hotel room. They were going to have it at the top of of Collins Street, and that day, we wanted to call on all the loggers from throughout the state to all turn up and park their trucks in Collins Street and become an absolute pain in the ass. So the people that are walking past are so pissed off, they actually say, why doesn't the government just do something about these people? Let them log or whatever? Because I want to go do my banking or go to work, whatever else they want to do pick their kids up from school. So that's the only way to win.

The only way to win is actually do something that is disruptive – of a disruptive nature, if we haven't learned that from our, you know, our Islamic brethren, I don't know when we'll ever learn it, but it's gone. The reality is it was defeated. It was defeated because of the 6 million, the 6 million, you know, the 6 million I'm talking about, that narrative that my grandfather fought in the Second 33rd – thought he was fighting against. Now his heir, the heir, his offspring, is being accused of that narrative, that narrative... I don't even know what necessarily happened in 1940s Germany. I don't need to know. That narrative needs to be destroyed, because that narrative is destroying us from having any political representation. (Neo-Nazis in the audience cheer) Whilst that narrative continues to exist, it stops us from getting any support from the system that we created. Make no mistake about it.

And you know what? All your parliamentarians know it. They all know it, and that's why they'll never mention it, because they will be, they'll be lost. Because Renee Heath got in touch with me the next day as well, and I'd done an interview with her two days hence that I was going to put on [Damien's website]. And she said, Damien, please don't print that. Please don't print it. Because instead of coming to my aid and saying, You've been vilified, and now let's make a stand here, because you've been vilified, and let's take these bastards from The Age to court because they have no right to say it about you, because you have done nothing to suggest that you are Adolf Hitler. No, she runs a mile like the coward she is, because the whole system is inhabited by cowards.

I had another point I was going to make, but I forgot because I got too excited. That's the point. Oh, this is the one I'll finish on. And this what happens is now, about a year later, Renee and the rest of the opposition benches of the Victorian State Parliament go to Israel. They go on a junket to Israel, a paid, expenses paid trip to Israel. Why is the local member for Gippsland being paid to go to Israel? But she can't stand up for me, and she comes back from Israel. She comes back from Israel, basically spruiking how terrible it was, October 7, how horrible it was, what happened to those people, and how we couldn't begin to understand what good and wonderful people they are. Now, they may well be good and wonderful people, but I want to know why the representative, why the representative of Gippsland cannot offer me any support, but can offer support for a group of people that live in a totally different jurisdiction in another part of the World, something is foul in Denmark, to quote The Bard, something stinks. Something stinks really badly. And it's ultimately that narrative that underpins everything, whatever you do, wherever you move, whatever you say.

We leave it to the reader to decide whether it's actually anti-Nazi to make the suggestion that white people can't organise because of a narrative that something happened to six million people (and it may or may not have happened). We spend a bit of time talking to anti-fascists and it's not an argument we've heard before.

Today, Saturday November 8 2025, NSW National Socialist Network (NSN) members held an antisemitic rally outside NSW Parliament House under the banner of “White Australia”. Their photographs have been generously forwarded to our team by members of the community, and although we have an impressive inventory of details already, we are now appealing for more information about these men.

For the purposes of this article we have only included the names already in the media – see relevant articles at the links beside their names.

Does one of them work at your workplace? Has one of them given you a haircut? Trained at your gym? In classes with you at school, TAFE or uni? A known gronk in your local music scene? We're particularly interested in those working with government contracts or the legal sphere, and with access to major infrastructure, but any tip-off, no matter how small, helps.

Individuals are numbered 1-60 for ease of communication. Help us out by sharing any verifiable information by securely dropping us a line at thewhiterosesociety@protonmail.com. We will protect your anonymity.

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2 – Oscar Tuckfield – article

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4 – Adam Carrig – article

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7 – Jacob Cooper – article

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9 – Martin Przybylek – article

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16 – Christopher Carrig – article

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19 – Matthew Gruter aka Matthew Grüter – article

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26 – Christien James Mutton aka Christien Mutton – article

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28 – Gabriel Seymour – article

29 – Jack Eltis – article

30 – Joel Davis – article

31 – Sean Roberts – article

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34 – Alex Volvach aka Alexey Volvach – article

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40 – Dean Alessi article

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43 (note – refers to the man behind 42)

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52 – Cooper Stephens – article

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54 – Alexander Gabriel 'Gabe' Mare – article

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On 6 September 2025 we revealed in The Age that Victorian dentist Ian Lomax is a member of the National Socialist Network.

Lomax previously practiced dentistry in New South Wales. We first saw him training at Elwood with the National Socialist Network in February this year, in footage taken by The Age:

White supremacist bootcamp takes over Elwood beach

Lomax has also featured on a National Socialist Network Telegram channel, in a training photograph for the Victorian Rural West chapter, alongside Hamish Cameron and Gus Hartigan:

Lomax attended the March for Australia rally in Melbourne on 31 August. Blair Cottrell badly blurred him in a video he published, attempting, “This man is a dentist so we can't show you his face on video. Morning Ian.”

We spotted Ian Lomax throughout the day on 31 August. He and some other National Socialist Network members were photographed at different points of the day wearing mouth guards, showing they came to the rally to participate in violence.

Photo: Lens of Compassion

Lomax at the March for Australia, wearing a white wristband that signals his membership of the National Socialist Network. “Patched” members wear either white or silver wristbands. Standing in the foreground are European Australian Movement and National Socialist Network leaders Thomas Sewell and Tim Lutze.

Photo: William West, AFP

Lomax actively participated in the neo-Nazi attack on Camp Sovereignty. Most of the victims of the neo-Nazis were women, including a school teacher. Ian has been training for street violence with the National Socialist Network, who believe they are preparing for race war.

We found him in the footage recorded during the attack, throwing a punch:

If you're concerned about Ian Lomax practicing dentistry, there is an official avenue to complain to the Dental Board of Australia, through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

If you know Ian Lomax and have any helpful information to share, you can e-mail us securely at thewhiterosesociety@protonmail.com

We, as Nathan Bull’s family, are utterly devastated and remain in disbelief at his decision to join this group. From the very beginning, we made it clear that if he chose this path, we could no longer be an active part of his life. Sadly, that is the decision he made.

We are deeply concerned about the continued spread of misinformation and incorrect assumptions about our family. For clarity:

Nathan’s father has not been a member of Victoria Police for more than three years.

He is not “Luke Bull,” the officer charged and found guilty in relation to a separate matter last year.

He is in no way racist, nor did he have a negative influence on Nathan growing up.

We would also like to address a photo of Nathan shared publicly from his 21st birthday, where his father expressed pride in him. At that time, we had no knowledge of any association Nathan may have had with this group, nor any understanding of the meaning behind the T-shirt he wore. At that point, Nathan was working, engaged with his family, and we believed he was becoming a fine young man. Not long after, our trust in that belief was sadly shattered.

We respectfully ask the community and media to stop contacting us. I personally have received abusive phone calls today, including many from private numbers that I have not answered. This is deeply distressing.

We are embarrassed to see Nathan continually featured in the media and saddened by the possibility that he may never leave this group. His choices are his alone.

We hope this statement clears up some of the misinformation currently circulating, and that we can now be allowed to live our lives without harassment, due to the actions of someone who is no longer a part of our family.

Sincerely,

The Bull Family

You may have landed here because you want to talk about neo-Nazis without helping them. Excellent.

You have an important role in combatting the rise of these groups. You must remember at all times – however they present themselves – the underlying ideology of all neo-Nazis is murderous.

Remember: They are a cult that want journalists to help launder their image and legitimise their movement and beliefs.

Above all – don't be fooled

Neo-Nazis look “normal”. They have families, friends, work colleagues. They shop at the same places you do. They go to the gym. They go to university. They work on building sites and in offices. They have respectable careers. This isn't “Romper Stomper” – most do not have shaved heads, swastika tattoos and broken teeth.

Don't be fooled.

Remember: All neo-Nazis share the same murderous beliefs. They want an extremely conservative white-only Australia. Anyone else “must go,” a euphemism that oscillates between deportation and mass murder. Never lose sight of that.

1. Do not assist their media strategy.

Neo-Nazis have a simple strategy when it comes to media:

If they can't get an opportunity to appear in the media, they create one.

They perform public stunts to create opportunities. They confect outrage (singing “Waltzing Matilda” in Adelaide on Australia Day, pretending to be “regular blokes” getting kicked out of the Shrine of Remembrance etc).

They revel in and celebrate the attention they receive whether it is positive or negative. They do this because reporting on their actions almost always leads to more support for them. That's why you're here and that's why this guide exists.

The attention is all they are after.

That doesn't mean “Don't report on them.” It means “Don't do their dirty work for them.” The rest of this guide will show you how to best do that.

2. Ask yourself: what is the story they do not want me to tell?

The best way to answer this question is to ask “What is the story they do want me to tell?“, which are stories like:

• Scary black masked militants – this makes them look competent and scary
• “We represent fed-up mums and dads” – this legitimises their views
• “We're just everyday Australians”
• Their latest shocking pamphlet – this advertises their group, views and operations
• Their most recent stunt – this advertises their group, views and operations
• How the curious can contact them and join their group – mentioning their Telegram presence helps increase their membership
• Free speech issues (for the white man only) – this legitimises their views
• How to donate to their cause through crowdfunding

These groups are deeply invested in reputation management and “optics” and they want to recruit journalists to help them.

Neo-Nazis hate being embarrassed and made to look weak, so instead, tell these stories:

• Grooming of children and young adults under 18
• The role of women in their groups (vehicles for breeding, isolation from their families, financial coercion and other tell-tale signs of family violence)
• The wedge they drive between recruits and their families
• Their desire to marry minors (leader Joel Davis says marrying 14 year old girls should be legal)
• That despite the surge in media reporting on antisemitic incidents, neo-Nazis get very little coverage in the media
• Their cult-like structure and tendencies (membership fees, pledges, 'tiers' of membership, rituals, banning of certain behaviours)
• The ways their adherence to these beliefs and involvement in the movement negatively impacts their position and standing in their families, workplaces and wider community
• That there are credible threats of violence made by these groups
• That they have links to extremist groups overseas
• Quote their racist chants and comments from protests – display their actual rhetoric, not their polished media answers.
• Report on Jacob Hersant's father working for Israeli Defense Force contractors
• Report on them 'running away' at protests – make them look weak
• Report on police 'protecting them' from other groups at protests – make them look weak
• Report extensively on previous legal troubles by members
• Interview their parents – many of them are young and still live at home

Remember: These are not “One Nation”-era racists. They are not complete idiots. They aren't upset about “Cheer” cheese. They understand they can gain power and influence and are willing to exploit opportunities to do so. Do not help them.

3. Do not interview them.

We understand interviews are handy filler on tight deadlines and the desire to 'get the story from both sides' – but it actively makes things worse.

There is no gotcha. There is no smoking gun. There is no nuance. Even if you 'control the narrative', they still win. They will clip their interview and use it to generate more support and make themselves out to be heroes fighting against the “Jewish media”

They are well-practiced in making themselves look polished and reasonable. They couch their extremist ideas in 'acceptable' talking points around immigration and the like.

Remember: By interviewing them you are giving them a stage and a megaphone for their message. You can't win.

4. Blur their banners and their flags. Do not advertise for them. Recognise their euphemisms.

Ask your photogs to blur out banner messaging.

Do not report their presence on Telegram or other social media – it makes it easy for 'interested' parties to find and join their group.

Do not name the organisation if at all possible. Instead use generic names “right-wing extremist group”, “neo-Nazi organisation” etc.

When they say “Mass deportations now” they don't just mean recent migrants. They mean every one of their perceived enemies. When they say “Australia for the white man. Everyone else must go” – they don't mean on holiday. They mean 'by any means necessary up to and including death'.

5. Call a spade a spade

When it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it's a duck.

Neo-Nazi and other right-wing groups realised they had more success when they minimise the “unpalatable” parts of their ideology. They may disavow Nazism and fascism, but they do not mean it. They may couch their 'ideas' in more palatable terms or with more palatable movements (ie they try to present themselves as being supportive of Australia's war dead) – but they are still the same murderous ideas at heart.

Call them what they are. Neo-Nazis. Right-wing extremists. Violent racists. Failures.

6. Do not denigrate anti-Nazi/anti-fascist responses.

There is no equivalence between neo-Nazis and anti-fascists. They are not 'two sides of the same coin'.

Virtually everything Australian journalists know about Nazi groups comes from anti-fascist researchers and organisers.

Anti-fascists have consistently shown up with limited resources to respond to these threats. They are groups and individuals helping Australians understand and identify the threat posed by neo-Nazis.

Despite being hung out to dry by the media on many occasions, anti-fascists continue to help the media. Support them, don't denigrate their efforts.

7. Do not look to laws and police as the (only) solutions

• Increasing police presence and enacting more laws is largely ineffective.
• Legislation is not agile enough to keep up in the digital age.
• Police are unable or unwilling to utilise laws already in place against these groups. New laws don't change that.

Symbols bans just cause these groups to find new symbols. For instance, while the Swastika is banned, the symbol the NSN use for their Victorian branch logo is a questionably-legal single lightning bolt, taken from the Nazi SS insignia, and the notched shield of the Waffen SS Panzer division. If that's banned, it will become something else.

Anti-hate laws are rarely prosecuted and if they are, it's for straight-forward cases. When cases do proceed to trial, the judicial system seems unaware of, or downplays the role of ideology as motivation for the crime. More laws aren't the answer. Court appearances serve as advertising for the groups, too.

De-radicalisation programs are under-funded, under-resourced and run by people who aren't qualified to run them. Parents are advised to report to the National Security Hotline, which takes a heavy handed approach. Police seem more interested in gaining intelligence from young members rather than helping them to escape their situation.

8. Community is the answer to neo-Nazi threats

Communities have the ability and responsibility to respond to neo-Nazis, but they need your help.

Talk about:

• The lack of resources available to families whose children have fallen prey to the grooming tactics of neo-Nazi groups
• The unclear pathways for people seeking help – current advice is to report to the “National Security Hotline”
• The lack of resources for communities in combatting neo-Nazi groups
• The impact of neo-Nazi groups on communities
• The imbalance in how some groups are demonised for 'antisemitism' while literal neo-Nazis pass by unscathed
• Identify and name the reasons fascism emerges – anti-immigration rhetoric from politicians, economic conditions, wishy-washy responses to racist behaviours etc
• Encourage targets to stand together. An anti-immigration stunt by neo-Nazis is also an anti-LGBTIQA+ stunt. It's also an antisemitic stunt. It's also an misogynistic stunt. It's also an anti-disability stunt.

9. Ensure safety

Your sources, their families and friends, may be victims and survivors of cultish reputation management. By speaking openly your sources chose courage over fear, but they are vulnerable to harassment campaigns and violent attacks. Make sure they are prepared appropriately.

You and your sources should:

• Consider your safety BEFORE things go too far along
• Lock down your social media accounts.
• Staying off social media after a publication goes live
• Plan for them to come for you and your identity (ie doxxing).
• Make sure everyone involved understands the risks
• Consider concealing identities. A 'pseudonym' is not enough.
• Have safety plans in place for all phases of your reporting:
  • Safe houses or a plan to 'get away' for a few weeks
  • Security details
  • Mental health support

Further resources:

Feel free to share this with your colleagues.

The White Rose Society welcomes inquiries from media and journalists and we encourage you to contact us if you need advice.

Whitney Phillips' 2018 report “The Oxygen of Amplification” examines how news media inadvertently amplifies extremist messages by reporting on them. Through interviews with journalists, the report reveals the struggle to balance informing the public with the risk of normalizing harmful ideologies. Phillips identifies “information laundering” tactics used to spread radical content and proposes “better practices” for journalists to minimize manipulation and harm. Ultimately, the report highlights the need for journalists to adapt their strategies in the evolving digital landscape to combat the spread of extremism.

Online Harassment Field Manual Whether you’re experiencing or witnessing online abuse, this Field Manual offers concrete strategies for how to defend yourself and others. We wrote this guidance with and for those disproportionately impacted by online abuse: writers, journalists, artists, and activists who identify as women, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQIA+. Whatever your identity or vocation, anyone active online will find useful tools and resources here for navigating online abuse and tightening digital safety.

On the 26th of January 2025, 17 people were arrested in Adelaide over a public stunt organised by members of the National Socialist Network (NSN).

We've provided a list of the 16 adult arrestees as an open call-out for any further detail you might be able to provide:

• Do you know one of them through work?
• The local shops?
• Are they mates with your mates?
• Did you go to school together?
• Anything else of interest no matter how big or small.

Help us by sharing any verifiable information by securely dropping us a line at thewhiterosesociety@protonmail.com. You'll remain anonymous.

The information we're providing here is not exhaustive and is only given as an identification aid. We've omitted some information we already possess, but don't let that deter you from sending us a tip. Suburbs listed below are retrieved from either court or police reports, and may not exactly reflect the person's home suburb.

There will be a follow-up to this piece in the near future, similarly seeking any community contributions of information on a range of NSN members and associates aside from those arrested in Adelaide on January 26. Please consider subscribing to our blog to get an email notification once this follow-up has been published.
1 – Shannen George Bartel 24, Brompton, SA (inner-north Adelaide)

Known bonehead (right-wing skinhead) in Adelaide. Has attended Adelaide NSN rallies in the past, however it is claimed that he is not a member.
2 – Gavin Begbie 58, Woodburn, NSW (Northern Rivers area)

Long-term neo-Nazi who runs the Woodburn Amateur Boxing Club (previously Hammer & Tongs Fitness out of the same business address.)
3 – Logan Boucher 25, Sandford, TAS

Also pictured being detained in Sydney on January 26, 2024.
4 – Nathan Bull 23, Sunbury, VIC

Often spotted barefoot in public. The son of a former Victoria Police officer.
5 – Graham Connolly 41, Newcomb, VIC (Geelong area)

Irish migrant with family still living in Ireland. He lives in the Geelong area but regularly travels to various locations across Melbourne.
6 – Jacob Glen Cooper 29, Kingswood, NSW (Penrith area)