A fighter, a protector, a figurehead, a jailbird, a son, husband and father, who started a brotherhood and has stood by it ever since

We were about to get into it when the other soldiers pulled us apart. I didn’t care about squaring off against a Major, I was going home.

I didn’t really even know what I was saying, I was just seeing red. ‘I’ll start my own army when I get home.’

And that’s exactly what I did.

Living by his own rules has always been the way of Phil ‘Ugly’ Mawson. A boxer, a soldier, a bikie, a killer, he has played many roles in his life. After a yearlong stint in Vietnam, he returned to Australia feeling let down by the military and society at large. Seeking brotherhood and belonging, he found what he was looking for when he founded one of the first Australian chapters of the Gypsy Jokers motorcycle club. In his own words, Ugly explores the ups and downs of a life lived on the fringe and spent chasing the freedom of the open road.