South African or Zimbabwean forum members?
- Thread starter Chris.O
- Start date
Mike Holland
Patron
I was involved in Scientology in Johannesburg from 1955 to about 1963. Did HPA and B.Scn courses, Then broke away and was declared as SP. Took me several years of studying science, psychology, philosophy and religion to sort out my ideas, and am now a sceptic and atheist.
Mike
Mike
Mike Holland
Patron
Hi Chris, I hit an error when I replied to your message, so I am pasting my reply here.
Sorry, I can't improve on "around 1960".
Here is the story of my involvement with the cult. In 1955, my final year of school (Jeppe Boys High) I read "Dianetics: the Evolution of a Science" in Astounding mag, and got hooked. I found "Science of Survival" at the library, and got more hooked. Then I saw an ad in the paper for a course in Dianetics and Scientology, by Keith Gerry. I didn't know what Scientology was at this stage. Anyway, I visited Keith at his office in Safric House, Eloff street, and started to learn about Scientology. Keith gave me a free course of processing because he wanted to practise "Six Levels of Processing" before using it on his paying customers. Another Scientologist, Ken Cameron Gunn, had his offices in the same building.
In September 1956 I attended a Hubbard Professional Auditor course run by Jack Horner and Margaret Scholtz. This was at 27 Hancock street, which was then the offices of Tom Gormley, a naturopath. Margaret later married Tom. Other HPAs at the time included Ray Stout, Ron Colley, Jerry and Lila McGillicuddy. Over the next couple of years I did some refresher courses, and then Jack and Alison Parkhouse and Harriet Yeller came out and ran a B.Scn course which I attended. This was in late 1959. Shortly after this they set up the HASI , and all the local Scientologists were upset and felt that would ruin the scene.
About this time Keith Gerry went to Saint Hill to do a D.Scn course, and when he came back he declared that Hubbard was insane, and he started making plans to go to India and look for a Guru. But I don't think he ever went. He is now in the UK, involved with the NorthConnex railway scheme and wind flow around tall buildings (He was an aeronautical engineer).
In 1963 I had a argument with a friend undergoing psychoanalysis, and suddenly realised that all my arguments against psychoanalysis applied equally to Scientology. So I went to HASI and asked to see some evidence. They immediately declared me to be an SP, and sent a letter to all my Scientology friends telling them not to communicate with me and to use any opportunity to do me down. My friends just laughed this off. I guess I was one of the first, if not the first, SP in South Africa. But I still have my Founding Scientologist certificate! Before HASI messed up the scene, most of the Scientologists were searchers, still involved with Yoga, Theosophy, and other spiritual techniques. All "squirrels" in Scientology lingo.
I once saw Hubbard in person, having a conversation outside 27 Hancock street. I heard he was in South Africa trying to buy land in Rhodesia.
That's about all I can recall. Hope some of it is of use to you.
Cheers,
Mike
Sorry, I can't improve on "around 1960".
Here is the story of my involvement with the cult. In 1955, my final year of school (Jeppe Boys High) I read "Dianetics: the Evolution of a Science" in Astounding mag, and got hooked. I found "Science of Survival" at the library, and got more hooked. Then I saw an ad in the paper for a course in Dianetics and Scientology, by Keith Gerry. I didn't know what Scientology was at this stage. Anyway, I visited Keith at his office in Safric House, Eloff street, and started to learn about Scientology. Keith gave me a free course of processing because he wanted to practise "Six Levels of Processing" before using it on his paying customers. Another Scientologist, Ken Cameron Gunn, had his offices in the same building.
In September 1956 I attended a Hubbard Professional Auditor course run by Jack Horner and Margaret Scholtz. This was at 27 Hancock street, which was then the offices of Tom Gormley, a naturopath. Margaret later married Tom. Other HPAs at the time included Ray Stout, Ron Colley, Jerry and Lila McGillicuddy. Over the next couple of years I did some refresher courses, and then Jack and Alison Parkhouse and Harriet Yeller came out and ran a B.Scn course which I attended. This was in late 1959. Shortly after this they set up the HASI , and all the local Scientologists were upset and felt that would ruin the scene.
About this time Keith Gerry went to Saint Hill to do a D.Scn course, and when he came back he declared that Hubbard was insane, and he started making plans to go to India and look for a Guru. But I don't think he ever went. He is now in the UK, involved with the NorthConnex railway scheme and wind flow around tall buildings (He was an aeronautical engineer).
In 1963 I had a argument with a friend undergoing psychoanalysis, and suddenly realised that all my arguments against psychoanalysis applied equally to Scientology. So I went to HASI and asked to see some evidence. They immediately declared me to be an SP, and sent a letter to all my Scientology friends telling them not to communicate with me and to use any opportunity to do me down. My friends just laughed this off. I guess I was one of the first, if not the first, SP in South Africa. But I still have my Founding Scientologist certificate! Before HASI messed up the scene, most of the Scientologists were searchers, still involved with Yoga, Theosophy, and other spiritual techniques. All "squirrels" in Scientology lingo.
I once saw Hubbard in person, having a conversation outside 27 Hancock street. I heard he was in South Africa trying to buy land in Rhodesia.
That's about all I can recall. Hope some of it is of use to you.
Cheers,
Mike
Enthetan
Master of Disaster
Good to hear from you Mike! If you're still in South Africa, all I can say is get out while you can.
When I was at Flag Bureaux, I happened to meet a South African girl. Fell in love with her, but it was not to be, as she got shipped back to South Africa. I'm now wondering whatever happened with her.
Mike Holland
Patron
I migrated to Australia 30 years ago. All the family here now. No contact with Scientology in any way except an occasional visit to this message board.
Just a little anecdote. After I was declared Suppressive, I wrote a letter to one of the newspapers denouncing Scientology. A couple of weeks later I had a visit from the police to cross-examine me on the subject. Seems they were investigating Scientology. I couldn't tell them much - Scientology was only just becoming the evil beast it is today.
Just a little anecdote. After I was declared Suppressive, I wrote a letter to one of the newspapers denouncing Scientology. A couple of weeks later I had a visit from the police to cross-examine me on the subject. Seems they were investigating Scientology. I couldn't tell them much - Scientology was only just becoming the evil beast it is today.
F.Bullbait
Oh, a wise guy,eh?
Makes me think of a 1955 letter to the editor of the magazine The Aberree:
How to be a Scientologist
"1. What to Wear -- a Scientologist must never be seen when not wearing a smile. The purpose of the Perpetual Smile is two-fold: (a) it implies a superior state of being to that of the ordinary aberree (Ed. Note -- there is no 'ordinary' ABERREE) who is fortunate enough to be honored by the presence of such a personage; and (b) It is one of the best defenses against invalidation.
"2. How to Handle Invalidation -- (a) Preventing invalidation before gets a chance: Having just chanted to a layman the customary litany, 'Scientology is wonderful, scientology is wonderful, scientology is wonderful', the layman might be low-toned enough to invalidate the invalidator before he has a chance to ask embarrassing questions. The moment you spot a look of curiosity... remark, in calm conversational tone, that you were up on Mars all last week-end. This not only changes the subject but, if the layman happens to be a dianetic auditor who cured a case of cancer in a few minutes, even he will be made to feel pretty small.
"(b) How to invalidate after the fact: If the layman is aberrated enough to ask a direct question, such as, 'Have you cured any psychosomatics lately?' all you have to do is turn the Perpetual Smile on one your colleagues, and -- this is important! -- widen the smile. Do not make the mistake of answering your questioner; the widened smile speaks for you. It says, in effect, 'Dear, dear. These aberrees. Oh, well...'
(c) How to cope with persistent invalidation: If the layman will not accept on faith your statement that scientology is wonderful (which should be proof enough for anybody), then go ahead and be specific. You'll always be perfectly safe as long as you speak only about a case you treated and say nothing whatever about the processing. For example, suppose he asks what you've cured. All you have to do is describe the horrible condition one of your cases was in. Then stop. If your questioner grows more insistent, describe the case in more detail. It will seldom be necessary to do this more than three or four times before he gives up. But we live in an aberrated society and that means there are a number of people who still must have some evidence in order to form an opinion. And so, it's best for the aspiring scientologist to learn the next step. And in this step we tell our overly-curious inquisitor: (a) 'I cleared up the case!; or (b) 'He felt better'. Remember, keep it vague!
3. What to Do When in the Wrong -- That this is a catch question will be obvious to any alert student who hopes one day to become a scientologist. The answer, of course, is that there's nothing to do when wrong, because a scientologist can't be wrong...
"4. How to Handle a Dissenter -- -Infidels, blasphemers, nonbelievers must not be allowed to speak out..."
https://www.aberree.com/v01/n10p14.html
J. Warbler
Patron
Many years ago, pre-internet, I took a long bus ride in the U.S. with a woman from Zimbabwe. I have long since forgotten her name, but I do sometimes find myself wondering how she got on after she returned. The one thing I remember is that she was the widow of the last White Police Chief of Harare ( Salisbury. )
This has nothing to do with Scientology, of course. But if there are people here from Zimbabwe, and if they happen to remember the name of Harare's last White Police Chief, I'd love to hear from you.
This has nothing to do with Scientology, of course. But if there are people here from Zimbabwe, and if they happen to remember the name of Harare's last White Police Chief, I'd love to hear from you.
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