What's new

Australians in Scientology

Free to shine

Shiny & Free
Re: Sydney faces circa 1973 ....and me, coming out

Vaguely remember some of these folks from the late 70s, early 80s. Definitely remember Tasha, I think she married an irish guy and had a kid. I am pretty sure I also remember Joan when she was Treasure. Strange times.

Update - Oh, I just had a flash back. I was on mission in the Folo back in the 80's and I remember Tasha was the nanny. Don't remember what Joan was doing. I remember walking in the sydney org one day and seeing Steve Stevens play fighting with a redhead boy. Steve had a whip, I think the kid had a ruler or something, I didn't have any business with steve, but he seemed to enjoy playing with the little guy. This is when the folo was over on wentworth ave, and the aosh was on the top floor of sydney org.

Welcome. :)
Another Aussie?
 
Re: Sydney faces circa 1973 ....and me, coming out

Welcome. :)
Another Aussie?


Nope, but spent a fair amount of time there, mainly in the folo/clo/whatever they call it now and some occasional visits to the Ao when it was on the top floor of the sydney org building. This was back in the early to mid 80s, so I recall people like:
Paul Schobel,
Tasha Cramey,
Colin Gow,
Marion Whitta,
Pat Collosimo,
DUncan Grant,
the Rodgers',
a couple Denness's,
the Gillets (Di & Phil), etc

There were others I knew, but all I have now are blurry faces. Beautiful country though, I often think of moving either there or NZ.:thumbsup:
 

JustSheila

Crusader
Re: Sydney faces circa 1973 ....and me, coming out

Nope, but spent a fair amount of time there, mainly in the folo/clo/whatever they call it now and some occasional visits to the Ao when it was on the top floor of the sydney org building. This was back in the early to mid 80s, so I recall people like:
Paul Schobel,
Tasha Cramey,
Colin Gow,
Marion Whitta,
Pat Collosimo,
DUncan Grant,
the Rodgers',
a couple Denness's,
the Gillets (Di & Phil), etc

There were others I knew, but all I have now are blurry faces. Beautiful country though, I often think of moving either there or NZ.:thumbsup:

Duncan Grant was a good friend of mine (and heartthrob) when we were on the RPF together in 1986. I hear he's the I/A at COS now. I can't for the life of me understand why he's still in.
 

letsgo

New Member
Here are some more names:

Odette Lopes
Russell Stockdale
Luigi Paneta
Sue Cartwright
Colm O'leary
Shobes
Rob Ilich
???? Miller .... married Liia
Paul Sarkany (pronounced Sharken) & his girlfriend Tanya ???

Hi Genny, Paul & others - Russell Stockdale reporting in. Apologies for any comm lag.
Living in UK currently, doing okay. Did heaps of solo stuff since leaving Sydney Org.
Currently doing TROM, can't recommend it highly enough to fix things, and it's free ;-)
Cheers for now,
Russ
 

AnonyMary

Formerly Fooled - Finally Free
Hi Genny, Paul & others - Russell Stockdale reporting in. Apologies for any comm lag.
Living in UK currently, doing okay. Did heaps of solo stuff since leaving Sydney Org.
Currently doing TROM, can't recommend it highly enough to fix things, and it's free ;-)
Cheers for now,
Russ

Hello and welcome, Russell!

I don't know you but I am sure others here do. I hope you will come back and explain about your time in and exit from Scientology

I couldn't go past not knowing what TROM is.

Here is it, I think. Am I right? :wink2:
https://tromology.wordpress.com/
 

Panda Termint

Cabal Of One
Russell is a good guy. Most of the Aussies here know him and I've never heard anyone say a bad word about him (and why would they? He's a good guy!). :)
 

jausten

New Member
Am looking for two Australian ex-Scientologists with the last name Stevens, who lived in Los Angeles in the early 70's. They told me they had been close to Ron Hubbard and were on some boat off Britain with him. They were in hiding even in the early 70's but were doing auditing on the side. I dated the brother Norm who apparently also was in Scientology, not an auditor but a "clear". They returned to Australia every certain amount of years to keep up their citizenship. The reason for contacting them is that they kept an heirloom of my family's which I asked for and they said they had given it to Goodwill but it was sterling silver and the husband did collect silver coins. I knew it was not true at the time but would like to ask them again for its return. Maybe they have gained some compassion. My family never forgave my losing it. Any help would be appreciated and I know it is a long .... shot.
 

John McGhee

Patron
Am looking for two Australian ex-Scientologists with the last name Stevens, who lived in Los Angeles in the early 70's. They told me they had been close to Ron Hubbard and were on some boat off Britain with him. They were in hiding even in the early 70's but were doing auditing on the side. I dated the brother Norm who apparently also was in Scientology, not an auditor but a "clear". They returned to Australia every certain amount of years to keep up their citizenship. The reason for contacting them is that they kept an heirloom of my family's which I asked for and they said they had given it to Goodwill but it was sterling silver and the husband did collect silver coins. I knew it was not true at the time but would like to ask them again for its return. Maybe they have gained some compassion. My family never forgave my losing it. Any help would be appreciated and I know it is a long .... shot.

I think you may be talking about brothers, Ward and Brett Stevens? They are Australian scientologist Chiropractors and have a practice in Dublin, Ireland
 

Rock Slam

Deadbeat, Hermit
Jon Martinsen died about a week or two ago. He would've been around 86 years old. A long time resident of Newtown, N.S.W. It was always good to see him walking along King St.
 

Rock Slam

Deadbeat, Hermit
I underestimated Jon Martinsen's age in the previous message. He was born in 1924, making him 91, or close to it, at the time of his recent death.

His funeral will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 9th, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Bedford St., Newtown, from 1pm to 2pm. His burial will be at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Camden Valley Way, Leppington, at 3.15pm.
 

scooter

Gold Meritorious Patron
John was a lovely man at all times when I knew him. And a very great artist. I had him as a student in the Academy for several years until he left with the Great Exodus after 1983.

:rose:
 

Rock Slam

Deadbeat, Hermit
Jon Martinsen's obituary from his funeral service leaflet:

"John Martensen was born on the 22nd of September, 1924, at Collingwood Hospital in Victoria. His father was an engineer who emigrated from Norway. His mother was said to be very beautiful.

"Tragically, John's parents died in a car accident when he was 5 years old. Unable to live with his grandmother John spent 8 years at an orphanage in Geelong. In 1942 John enlisted in the Australian Airforce by overstating his age. He served off the coast of Papua New Guinea, reporting on the movement of enemy warships. After the war John worked on the Snowy Mountains hydroelectric project. Living in Melbourne, John chanced upon a book featuring the artwork and writings of Rosaleen Norton. He was inspired to move to Sydney and become a painter and lived in Woolloomooloo during the 1960s, later in Newtown. In 1996 John moved into the Alpha House artists' co-operative at its new location in Erskineville.

"With his wit and wisdom and indomitable spirit John made a wonderful and welcome contribution to his community and to the streets of Newtown. He will be fondly remembered."

Here Jon is everywhere referred to as 'John Martensen.' In Scientology I'm sure he was known as 'Jon Martinsen.' Which is the correct rendering I do not know. Perhaps both are correct but at different times.

One of the speakers at the funeral said that in his final months Jon became very apprehensive about death and felt that hell was reaching out for him. This caused him to become involved in the Catholic Church of his childhood, and from this he apparently derived some peace. He had an easy death, attended to by his many compatriots-in-art at the artists' colony.

His pall-bearers were all young women from the artists' colony. His coffin was of a plain construction, painted turquoise, with all manner of messages and symbols painted on it, one of which read, "From clay to clay."
 

Panda Termint

Cabal Of One
Thanks for posting that, Rock Slam. Jon was a wonderful character when I knew him in the 70s. I'm glad that he's at peace now. :)
 
TTC Sydney (early 80s)

I was in the TTC in Sydney Org. It was around 1982 or thereabouts. The place was full of young, enthusiastic staff with the best intentions from around Australia. I have often wondered what happened to them, and if any are still in.

I have fond memories of that part of my life ... even though the following years of the Ethics Missions, were nothing but living a nightmare.

Is anyone here from that time?
 
TTC Sydney (early 80s)

I was in the TTC in Sydney Org. It was around 1982 or thereabouts. The place was full of young, enthusiastic staff with the best intentions from around Australia. I have often wondered what happened to them, and if any are still in.

I have fond memories of that part of my life ... even though the following years of the Ethics Missions, were nothing but living a nightmare.

Is anyone here from that time?

Yeah I was a young enthusiastic Syd Day staff member in the early eighties.
 

nahatsu

New Member
Re: Sydney faces circa 1973 ....and me, coming out

Dug up some old photos of some friends from back in Sydney.
Back row Left to right: William Holman with Vivienne Deyes (Later Vivienne Lowe),Margaret Tidy, Noel O'Donnell, Sue O'Donnell, Andy Milne, Irenie Sanderson, Peter Zimmatore, (can't remember), Cyril Holman, (Cyril's wife), Alan Wright and child.

Front Row Left to Right: Ian Lazenby, Natasha Cramey, John Brownlee (me), Erin Wright (nee O'Donnell then later Milne) and child
! (-_-|
 
Last edited:

Free to shine

Shiny & Free
A funny thing, just last night I had a wander through Facebook looking up people I knew in Sydney and Melbourne all those years ago. It's a very long time since I felt any real interest in those times, places and people and it wasn't really a happy wander. Some people in Melbourne seem to have survived better than others, seeing their children grown, grand-babies and businesses, seeing who is still friends with who was really interesting though. Melbourne always was very clique driven and I can see that hasn't changed. I had a good long think about my role back then, how I fitted in, or mostly didn't, and a bit of sadness at the loss of the social life that drove all our connections back then, lightweight as it was.

Because the truth is that we could never really all be friends. People would get reported at the drop of a hat though if one of the inner circle was in trouble there did tend to be a bit of wagon circling unless it became too personal.

I can only hope that some day some of those past friends of mine wander this way. Seeing how entrenched they are in the way of life though, I doubt it. Tomorrow I'll post some old photos I have, I may have put some up before and they are no doubt lost in a decade's worth of posts. :)
 
Top