Matt Henderson Mission - ANZO
Hi Mike,
I've read your comments/questions on the mission your brother Matt did in ANZO in 83. I don't know when you posted them, but am now giving you some data in the hope it will reach you. I'm sorry about the content, as it's probably not what you would want to hear.
I was a staff member in Sydney Day at the time, and that mission is something many of us still talk about to this day. It wasn't such a good thing.
In 79/81 we had a big staff and a big booming org (we moved into a bigger and better building early 1980). It was all good mostly. Academy was full, we had a lot of HGC auditors who were flat out, 10 in the TTC, and staff were all on hatting or training (we had three auditors dedicated to auditing staff, a staff C/S, an SSO and STO at that time). We we were a team, and despite gripes we felt we had at the time, all was good.
Around 81/82, that broke down a bit. Bill Franks was kicked out, David Mayo was labelled, and the mission holders conference happened (it was pushed in our faces - even though we didn't have a clue as to what it was about at the time). We lost some staff - they were transferred up lines with no replacements (like our CO Pat Bloomberg) and some left - like Ethel Mackay and Nick Cramey. David Graham our lead C/S was transferred up lines, Snr C/S ANZO Jan Mullane, left, Genny Gray (another C/S) also left. Three C/Ses gone without replacements, in short order. Also three different Qual Secs within a twelve month period, and two key qual/cramming staff - gone! Two key HCO terminals left and went up lines. It wasn't great but we were holding our own and still doing OK.
Then Matt Henderson arrived. We weren't threatened by his arrival. Most of us hadn't ever before experienced a mission from up lines, and when he arrived, he seemed a nice enough guy.
That changed though. In short order, our CO/ED (Jo Watterson/Pollard/Reid) was routed out and declared. Several staff were decked, blew, or declared. Many of our key tech and admin personnel were decked, and black PR'ed. Some staff just blew. Many staff had to pay $500 for an ethics handling (or be declared), which consisted only of o/w write ups and mest work. We were running scared. Our key tech and admin personnel (except Jane Devlin/Whitta/Jentszh - who somehow got promoted to CO ANZO/CO CLO), were falling, left right and centre.
When interrogs came out on some of the staff who were standing up to Matt Henderson, we were seen individually, and harrassed/threatened if we didn't give data on what these terminals were saying/doing.
There were a group of people charged with mutiny and conspiracy (mainly Shane McSweeny a key Exec, and Carmel Underwood the C/S - the only C/S out of four, left). They were to be declared. We were interrogated individually for data on Shane and Carmel, and we knew that they were going down.
During this time, we had insane orders. We had to stay back, risk our moonlight jobs, pay for ethics handlings, and do unusual things to "get the stats up". Life on post became bizzarre.
For example: One day before two on a Thursday, I saw our C/S fighting with Matt Henderson in the hallway of the HGC. They were in a physical struggle. I saw the C/S end up on the floor. Later I found out that she was trying to stop Matt from knocking on an auditing door, because he was intent on stopping a session in order to get an intern out of the chair and through lines on an internship before 2pm. The C/S was decked after that, and I didn't see her for a few weeks. The intern told me later that Matt stopped the session by knocking on the door, "signed off" her intern checksheet (which was usually the C/Ses job), and told her it was time to attest to her internship. She did.
In the Div 2 area, where there were public, I saw Matt face rip staff members on two occasions (in front of public) about down stats and Counter Intention.
I was face ripped for "backflash". I was trying to explain, but he promptly said to me "How dare you question me, I am a Commodore's messenger, you are talking to LRH!". That was weird.
After two months of his presence in ANZO, my friends and I were fearful of his wrath. We didn't want to be declared or decked. It seemed that anyone who objected to orders or the out KSW being ordered, was decked or gone. It was a horrible time.
Apparently the staff comm ev'd for mutiny and conspiracy, had compiled bulk reports of what was going on (under Matt's mission), and sent them up lines via courier. We were told Shane and Carmel would be declared and that the other mutineers (currently on the decks program) would not be coming back. Things were pretty dire at that time. Most of those we looked up to, were gone. But next thing, Matt Henderson was gone and an AO opened on the third floor of our building. It was quite strange. It seemed all was forgotten. But we were left with a much depleted staff, and a previous enthusiasm and comradery was gone.
I know nothing about an upgraded air fare paid for Matt Henderson. None of my fellow staff members would have had a bean to contribute to it (nor would they have wanted to). I do know that Jane Devlin (our staff member who was all of a sudden the CO ANZO), was thick as thieves with Matt, and did everything and anything he asked.
During the mission many staff at the time got credit cards or increased their credit level to pay for "ethics handings" ($500 was a lot for staff members, who worked full time for little or no pay in 83). Many also bought books for donation purposes as "amends" - not on their origination.
If Matt's flight was upgraded, it wasn't gifted by Syd Day or Fdn staff in my opinion. It may have been gifted by Jane, with commissions on "book sales" from ethics handlings - who knows.
When Matt left, we did get an AO - but by the time he left, the Syd Orgs staff numbers decreased big time.
In early 81, we had around 200 staff. By the end of 82, after staff left, or were sent up lines, we had around 120. When Matt arrived, we still had around 120 staff. After the couple of months of Matt's mission, within a week of him leaving, we had about 40 staff. It was a shocker!
Sorry not good info, but better to have it than not.