A small town’s nightmare

Published date14 August 2021
A normal Saturday for this tight-knit bevy of Timaru teenagers, like many teens across the country, indeed many parts of the world, meant hanging out.

Phones dinged. Hook-ups and hang-outs arranged. Promises made to be good and home for tea.

They often hung out at Javarney Drummond’s place. A cruisy kid whose house in the hilly suburb of Marchwiel was a social hub, for about 15 close mates, all different in their own ways, but together formed that close friendship group they thought would be part of for life.

But about 3.30pm, Javarney got his mum to give him a lift down the hill.

The 15-year-old was meeting mates at Caroline Bay skate park, a “sick park” with concrete bowls and quarter-pipes, down at the turn of the century European-style resort waterfront. Timaru: “Riviera of the South”.

The boys were hanging out at the Caroline Bay skate park earlier that day.

There, among the boardwalks, popular with babies in buggies and dogwalkers, through the lines of cabbage trees and cultured gardens, they would scooter, skate, bike, pull tricks and faces, pump tunes and plot parties.

Hours would be whiled away filming stunts, downing energy drinks, riffing on school — some went to the Catholic college, Roncalli, others Timaru Boys’ High School, Mountainview High, and Aoraki Alternative Education.

Normal. Normal teenage stuff.

Javarney, who was always keen on sports, especially soccer when he was younger and then rugby, loved his scooter.

But the real star of the park was Tyreese Fleming.

At 19, Fleming was older than the others, and one they looked up to. Popular, with an easy smile. He was good enough to get sponsored gear and on his social media account, where he advertised himself as being the “best scooter rider in Timaru”, would post video after video of nailed tricks — tail whips, grabs, bunnies, stalls.

Fleming also shared several videos on Snapchat on Saturday, including one where he appeared to be drinking alcohol. The photo would disappear the next day.

Meanwhile, the phones dinged. Niko Hill, 15, was sprouting up and with his sudden growth, was starting to really enjoy his rugby. Cheeky, outgoing, “Hillsy” played under-16s for Roncalli College on Saturdays but was keen to hook up with the crew later.

Joseff “Joey” McCarthy, 16, Jack “Jacko” Wallace, 16, and 15-year-old Andrew Goodger were also around, and up for it.

Javarney said he would be home for tea about 6pm. But a few of them decided to wander over the highway to the Burger King by the petrol station for a quick feed and some...

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