For decades the Rev Stephen Bligh has been ministering to one of Sydney’s most maligned and misunderstood communities. He gives an insider’s perspective on the way the Christians in the midst of the ‘Bra Boys’ of Maroubra have responded to the violence of the past ten days…

The violence that erupted at Maroubra on Sunday night (December 11) was a sudden attack against a local community at peace. Whilst the Cronulla riot was raging in the evening, workers at the Botany Bay wharves noticed masses of vehicles stopping, gathering, then proceeding along Foreshore Road towards Maroubra. Shortly after, violence was unleashed.
Along a two kilometer stretch, residents' cars that were parked near Maroubra Anglican Church, down along Maroubra Road, through to the beachfront, suffered smashed windows, dented bodywork, and slashed tyres. Thugs banged on the doors of residents' homes, yelling "Where's those ****ing Bra Boys???"

The Bra Boys were doing what they normally do - living as members of the local community. There are dads with wives or partners, raising children. Singles and youths are involved. Some have tattoos, some don't. Some are wealthy; others struggle. Some have healthy family upbringings; for others, the local community is their family. All age groups are represented. The local boardrider's club - which the Bra Boys are most involved in, the Maroubra Surfers' Association - is arguably the most multicultural in Australia. The local shopkeepers along the main meeting place, McKeown Street, are Australian, European, South American, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, and Lebanese. They are part of the community, and are treated with respect and acceptance. Being older and well-travelled, the Maroubra community leaders work hard at instilling respect for other ethnic groups, especially amongst the younger members.

So what had the Bra Boys been doing whilst Cronulla fired up? From Maroubra Surfers Association, members and families were celebrating the end of the 2005 competitive season at a presentation barbeque in South Maroubra park. Subsequently, the Brazilian Ju Jitsui academy provided a public display and awarded qualifications outside the Maroubra Surf Lifesaving Club. As the evening meal time approached, some celebrated Christmas dinner at a local café, before moving on to the Maroubra Bay Hotel.

Around 9pm, one of the surfers ran into the bar shouting that a mob of armed thugs were swarming down Marine Parade assaulting anyone and smashing anything. Some ran outside, at least two forging into the middle of the pack. Within a second the first had been dropped to the ground, being repeatedly battered around the head by thugs with baseball bats. Unconscious, his friends dragged him out. He eventually came into the Prince of Wales Emergency Unit with a fractured skull and suspected broken jaw. The incoming thugs stabbed a Brazilian and king-hit a young girl in the face. By this stage, police had arrived, but were too few in number to stop the initial violence. Whilst police struggled to bring about order, local people started to consolidate and oppose the roaming carloads of thugs. For a brief period residents had to defend themselves with force. Eventually peace was restored but a sense of tension pervaded the community.

The next day, the mood at Maroubra was uneasy. Squads of police patrolled in car and on foot. Helicopters buzzed overhead. Media crews tried to move in. The surfing community rejected the media presence, blaming them for fuelling supposed racism between Maroubra surfers and Lebanese people by falsely reporting the Bra Boys were racist. By mid afternoon, a substantial group of local surfers had gathered by the beachfront shops. Peacefully, plans were discussed for an end to the violence. By 6.00pm, a large group of surfers had quietly converged at a local park in order to get away from police and media. Amongst a growing and tense gathering, a number of us sought a non-violent approach urging speaking, listening, and cooperating with Lebanese leaders who have influence with those involved in the violence. Not everyone agreed, saying the Maroubra community needed to defend itself. Eventually the police and media arrived and the gathering dispersing as police searched for weapons.

Constructively, leaders from the Maroubra surfing community sought to dialogue with Lebanese leaders, including Australian Islamic Friendship Association president, Keysar Trad. A Lebanese member of the Maroubra community acted as an intermediary between surfing leaders and Lebanese leaders from Sydney's southwest. The main messages being communicated were that the Maroubra community had nothing to do with the Cronulla violence, did not support it, were not racist, and wanted to be left in peace. On Tuesday morning, further talks were held with Lebanese leaders closer to those involved in Sunday’s rampage. So far, the outcome of these dialogues is peace.

For Dannie Boyd and myself, who currently provide the main Christian leadership in the Maroubra surfing community, we ask for your prayers in a number of areas:

1. That Jesus' great commission to all nations, whatever a person's ethnicity, will be characteristic of the Maroubra surfing mission.

2. That the Biblical commands of Romans 12 be lived out in the community- "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

3. That the members of Maroubra Surfers' Church will be clear about dealing with tension and violence, and that we will provide Christ-like influence in the community.

In Christ's Service,

Rev Stephen Bligh.