Tinnie “rats“ take on fisherman claiming petition will only encourage them to act out
GOLD Coast teens labelled “tinnie hoons” have hit back at claims they are a menace on our waterways, saying a recent petition to have them banned will only “provoke them.”
Beaches & Fishing
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AN all-out war on the water is brewing between fishermen and teenage tinnie hoons.
The group, labelled the “tinnie rats”, have hit back at a petition by local fishermen to have them banned, claiming they are the ones being abused and threatened.
One teen, Zac, said he and others receives threats on social media daily, with some fishermen threatening to “smash their skulls” with lead sinkers.
“The younger people get frightened and are scared to go out because they fear for their lives,” he said.
“I’ve had people also hit golf balls at me once,” he said.
Rock Kernaghan from the “Tinny Bashings” Facebook group contacted the Gold Coast Bulletin to also have his say.
“The people fishing on the water aren’t all innocent — I was driving normally and wasn’t doing anything wrong when a fishing boat started to chase me, so I pulled up,” he said
“The man on the boat jumped off and pulled a knife on me and the other started threatening to drown me.
“People fishing on the side of the river or on boats also throw sharp objects at the kids in tinnies.
“A little bit of spray or a snapped line isn’t as bad as a sinker in the head.”
The feud is showing no sign of settling down with the hoons saying the petition would only provoke them.
“I think it’s stupid,” said Zac.
“It’s only going to provoke us.
“We do these things for fun and any people that threaten us makes us laugh.”
Another teen, Kieren, said people were only calling them dangerous because they were having a good time.
“I bet when they were kids they were doing stupid and dangerous things,” he said.
“Wouldn’t they prefer us out on the water enjoying ourselves than walking around the street doing drugs and hurting people?”
Kieren also defended the teens against claims about spraying people, claiming it was “only water.”
“They say we assault people by spraying them, yet there’s only a few tinnie rats who spray people and it’s only water, so it’s not going to hurt them.”
Gold Coast Water Police Senior Sergeant Gavin Peachy said while he was not aware of any tensions between groups on the water, there was increasing congestion.
“What it probably boils down to is there’s more people using the limited water that we have and everyone needs to understand that we need to share it,” he said.
“The roads are more congested now but the road is different in that we can widen them or build tunnels but we can’t create new water, so what we’ve got is what we’ve got.
“Being out on the water is about enjoying yourself and having a good time, so it surprises me that it’s got to the stage where people are so frustrated that they’re behaving like this.”
Sgt Peachy said the water police were working with Marine Safety Queensland on strategies to tackle the issue.
In the meantime, he urged members of the public to report any incidents to Policelink on 131 444.