Indigenous man fronts man after assaulting former work colleague

A furious Indigenous man who was preparing to bury acclaimed singer-songwriter Archie Roach assaulted an Aboriginal trust employee after being refused keys to a ute.

Geoffrey Wayne Clark assaulted two people at the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust property after he was refused keys to a trust vehicle.

An Indigenous man who threatened a site manager with an Aboriginal weapon called him and another man “white f---ing peasants” after they refused to give him the keys to a ute to attend the funeral of singer-songwriter Archie Roach.

Geoffrey Wayne Clark, also known as Possum, pleaded guilty in the Koori Court last month to charges of conduct endangering persons, aggravated carjacking, causing injury recklessly, causing injury recklessly, common assault, theft, burglary and damaging property.

The Gunditjmara man, 44, was sentenced by the County Court on Thursday to a two-year community corrections order.

Judge Amanda Chamber said in 2019, the government put the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust into administration due to allegations of mismanagement and appointed Ian Baker as the site manager.

Clark’s employment was terminated in May 2022.

On the morning of August 18, 2022 an agitated Clark went to the trust’s office and asked Mr Baker for the keys to a trust-owned Holden Rodeo.

The Archie Roach funeral motorcade makes its way along Fitzroy St. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Mr Baker refused, saying Clark was no longer an employee and was not covered by insurance.

Clark again asked for the keys, saying he needed to go to the cemetery to dig the grave of Uncle Archie.

He raised his fists and said “Gimme the keys you white f---ing peasants” before assaulting Mr Baker and another employee.

Mr Baker eventually handed over the keys after Clark picked up a boondi — also known as a waddy, a wooden Aboriginal weapon — and threatened him, saying ‘I’m going to jail and don’t give a f---, give me the keys c---, or I’ll hit you with this’.

Police were called and saw Clark return to the office on three occasions. He baited and taunted police on each occasion, including waving the boondi in a threatening manner.

At one stage, he accelerated towards a police officer who attempted to stop him with a hand signal.

The Archie Roach funeral motorcade makes it was through Melbourne. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The ute was found deep in the Framlingham Forest that evening.

Clark handed himself to the Warrnambool police station on August 30 after Mr Roach’s funeral.

Judge Chambers said Clark’s offending took place in the context of emotional distress and grief associated not only with Mr Roach’s death but also the anniversary of his mother’s death in 2020.

“I accept your offending in the office was unplanned and impulsive. However, once in the ute, you had time to calm down but rather you continued to drive erratically and dangerously in the presence of police over the next few hours,” she said.

Judge Chambers imposed a custodial sentence of five months on the lead charge of conduct endangering persons but Clark won’t serve any of that, given he had already spent 178 days in custody.