Dear friends, neighbours and fellow Australians,

Please throw your support behind David “Brave Dave” Jamieson, a 66-year-old Gunnedah truck driver who ran to the aid of his neighbours in a moment of crisis last May wearing nothing but his underwear. Despite hearing screams and the discharge of a shotgun he didn’t hesitate to act - without thinking of his own safety - to protect others.

The whole incident was captured on CCTV and reveals a terrifying scene: neighbours fending off intruders, a baseball bat raised, and a shotgun discharged during the struggle. Despite running into the chaos Dave didn’t hesitate to intervene, trying to separate the men before being king-hit and tackled to the ground. 

Instead of being hailed a hero by police, almost a year later he was charged with affray - accused of conduct that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety. We feel this is a massive injustice against a man who ran toward danger, in his own words he was “just doing what I was brought up to do—help your friends.” 

That’s the kind of neighbour, the kind of man, Australia should celebrate—not criminalise.

Dave and his family are facing not just the emotional stress from this incident but also a huge financial strain. His legal team have told him he is staring down the barrel of a $50,000 legal bill to fight the matter in court this October, or else he might prefer to consider pleading guilty to a crime he didn’t commit to save on court costs.

We are calling on the authorities to drop the affray charge and acknowledge Dave for what he truly is: a good man, a caring neighbour and a community hero. Please sign our petition and help us show that in our society, courage and compassion are not crimes.

You can watch the full story on A Current Affair here: https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/brave-dave-charged-after-running-next-door-to-help-neighbour-fend-off-intruder/d7786209-0750-4531-8765-d6f6d3e389e2