Bjelke "Bilkey" van Heeder was a career criminal who regularly did jobs with his crew consisting of Ted West, Lefty Munroe, Bert Thompson and Phineas O'Driscoll. He was their point man, attending to the details and often keeping lookout on jobs. Bilkey was a closeted homosexual, which few suspected as he was always in the company of pretty ladies.
In his later years, he became a worker at Pascalle West's company Best Bag Ever, where he ran a scam with longtime acquaintance Ngaire Munroe.
Biography[]
Background[]
Bilkey was of South African origin.[1] At some point in life, he joined up with Lefty Munroe, Bert Thompson and Phineas O'Driscoll and started doing criminal jobs, and in 1962 they were joined by Ted West who became their leader.
1970's[]
Around Christmas 1970, Bilkey and the crew broke into a Smith & Caughey's department store to get to the safe of the jewellers next door, which was filled with krugerrands — South African gold coins. After loading the coins into the van, they went back in for some Christmas shopping, during which someone stole and got away with their van. (Unbeknownst to the lads, it was Ngaire Munroe, Rita West and Carol O'Driscoll, wanting to secure themselves an inheritance as crime wives.) The police arrived at the scene as someone had narked, and Bilkey did time in prison.
While Ted still stayed in prison and the rest of the crew were released, Lefty took over as their de facto leader. Detective Sergeant Mike McCarthy would visit them, trying to stir trouble in the crew by making them suspect each other for narking. Under Lefty's leadership, they did things differently, which caused Ted to momentarily depart from the crew until he re-instated himself as leader.[2]
Season Four[]
Ted West learns that his deceased wife Rita had an affair while he was in jail and he suspects Bilkey. He confronts Bilkey in The Rusty Nail but Bilkey denies the rumour and reveals he is gay.
Season Five[]
Pascalle hires Bilkey for her Best Bag Ever business after Ngaire's suggestion. Bilkey participates in the scam Ngaire runs and when Pascalle finds out, she fires him.
Personality and traits[]
Bilkey was a sociable man and had plenty of connections. He was a closeted homosexual, but he would always have a pretty girl on his arm, which gave him a reputation with the lads as a ladies man.
Bilkie is 'outed' to the gang as a homosexual by a disgruntled boyfriend when the gang rob the boyfriends workplace in Westside season 2. Rita had known of his homosexuality for some time, they had discussed this in earlier episodes.
Behind the scenes[]
Todd Emerson, who portrayed Bilkey in Westside, previously appeared in Series 3 of Outrageous Fortune, as Wayne Judd's lawyer Martin.[3]
Appearances[]
- Westside — "All That Impedes Thee from the Golden Round"
- Westside — "Is't Far You Ride?"
- Westside — "Instruments of Darkness Tell Us Truth"
- Westside — "Our Poison'd Challice"
- Westside — "Dire Combustion"
- Westside — "But for a Wayward Son"
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Bilkey van Heeder on westsidetv.co.nz
- ↑ Westside — "All That Impedes Thee from the Golden Round"
- ↑ Outrageous Fortune — "Contagious Blastments"