The Snitch: Mark Buddle’s wife Mel Ter Wisscha was once an NRL Tigers cheerleader

A deep dive into the photo files has revealed Mark Buddle’s maybe-wife, maybe-ex-wife Mel Ter Wisscha was a successful cheerleader before hooking up with the Comanchero boss.

Mark Buddle’s wife Melanie Ter Wisscha (then Terwisscha) proudly shows her winnings from the Big League 2005 Cheer Girls of the Year contest. Picture: Justin Lloyd

While many questions have been answered about Comanchero bikie boss and now officially-accused drug-smuggler Mark Buddle, several still remain about his maybe-wife, maybe-ex wife Mel Ter Wisscha.

For example, will she also be deported to Australia from her current housing in a Turkish detention centre?

And if she does, what will she do once she is back in Australia?

One short-odds bet is that Ter Wisscha won’t go back to her old job, despite the record showing she was pretty darn good at it.

Snitch’s eagle-eyed photographic editor, Jeffrey John Lawrence Teddy Darmanin, spotted pics deep in The Tele’s photo archive that reveal Ter Wisscha used to be a cheerleader for the Wests Tigers.

Big League 2005 Cheer Girls of the Year winner Melanie Terwisscha. Picture: Justin Lloyd

In fact, Ter Wisscha was so good at cheering for the Tigers that she won Rugby League Week’s Cheergirl of the Year contest in 2005.

Pics from the time showed Ter Wisscha holding aloft an oversized winnings cheque for $1000 after taking out the contest.

Prior to shacking up with Buddle and starting a family, Ter Wisscha also worked as a Hooters waitress.

WHERE IS SAM IBRAHIM?

So what has become of former bikie boss Sam Ibrahim, who has been facing deportation for the better part of a year?

Turns out the older brother of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim is still on Christmas Island fighting his deportation case, but is making productive use of his time.

Sam Ibrahim is taken into the custody by the Australian Border Force in April 2015.

The former senior Nomads bikie is scheduled to go under the knife in the near future in the form of government-funded shoulder and knee surgeries.

We’re told the process will require Ibrahim to be flown to Perth.

In 2018, Ibrahim was jailed over a gun and drug supply network that involved former Rose Tattoo drummer Paul DeMarco.

While he was serving his sentence, the federal government moved to have Ibrahim deported, claiming that he never became a full Australian citizen after arriving here from Lebanon in the 1970s.

Australia wants to deport Ibrahim to Lebanon, but Lebanon hasn’t exactly welcomed him with open arms.

So it means Ibrahim is stuck on Christmas Island indefinitely while it is sorted out in what appears to be the world’s slowest legal process.

At least it seems he’ll be in good nick by the end of the process.

IF YOU CAN’T JOIN ’EM, BEAT ’EM

One-time Australian Taxation Office deputy commissioner Michael Cranston has a new job.

He’s working with a Sydney law firm that specialises in tax disputes.

It seems odd given that Cranston is not a lawyer, and a perusal of his profile on the firm’s website specifically states Cranston “is not a lawyer”.

So what does he do?

Michael Cranston leaves the Downing Centre Courts after being found not guilty. Picture: AAP Image

Given that he worked for the ATO for 40 years, he apparently knows a thing or two about how the joint works and can help negotiate a deal for taxpayers who find themselves in a bit of strife.

“Michael’s strong mediation skills allow him to negotiate and achieve the best result possible for taxpayers,” the profile says.

Cranston made national headlines in 2017 when he was arrested and charged for misusing his position.

He fought back tears in the Downing Centre District Court in 2019 when he was found not guilty.

“I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong and I’m just so happy the justice system prevailed,” Mr Cranston said outside court at the time.

The ATO didn’t give him his old job back, so Cranston has now moved into advisory roles.

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