Having left off on the high note of Joburg Org’s Grand opening in 2003, we continue with our story.
Concurrent with the org moving to Kensington, a massive recruit drive was taking place., mainly headed up by the CLO. With the additional staff on post, CLO assistance and ongoing public participation, stats were rising. 4 months after the unveiling of the new org, Joburg won the 2004 Int LRH Birthday Game. Another huge win.
But it didn’t stop there – the next target was Saint Hill Size, and the frantic activity was upped another notch. Yet again, public got behind this new target, working in tandem with the org. Our entire family also played their part in the push – involved in virtually every committee or activity going. Bookselling, Clear Africa Committee, Anti-Drug marches, WTH Campaigns and of course, the Arts Festival. My son Jean was on the team sent to India to assist with the Dec 2004 Tsunami disaster.
The OT Committee at this time consisted of a large contingent of very able and hard-working people who contributed greatly towards Joburg going St Hill Size and winning the 2005 Birthday Game (sadly, most of these people were later nailed in the now-famous “Joburg 18” SP declares).
A little off time-track here, but a story that has to be told is that of the Global VM Campaign. In late 2003 (December if my memory serves me correctly), the VM Campaign was launched, and every org had to send representatives to the Freewinds for a VM convention. I believe at the time Wendy Honnor was the VM I/C Int. Andrew was one of the people “volunteered” to attend (amongst others from JBG North and Pretoria), but the orgs didn’t have the necessary funds to buy all the air tickets needed. A “deal” was conceived by David Lipsitz to put about 8 tickets on Andrew’s credit card, and then reg public over the next few weeks to replace the money. The next thing I knew, I was roped in to reg this money by David, with him helping here and there in amongst other stuff he was doing. In the end, only about a third of the money was ever paid back, ultimately resulting in Andrew’s credit card “going legal” as there was no way we could afford the astronomically increased monthly payments.
Returning to South Africa, Andrew was assigned as the VM I/C for Joburg Org in early 2004 and each org duly took receipt of their own VM Cavalcade Tent. True to type and with the inherent “must be done now now now” attitude, Andrew steadfastly refused to erect the tent in an area where it would be damaged (which is exactly what was being demanded of him). This resulted in both of us being KR’d and Andrew being summarily replaced as the VM I/C. And so ended Andrew’s sojourn with the Global VM Campaign – a major credit card debt to pay off, and taken out by 3P and a very nasty KR. All of this was written up, of course, but we were done with the entire debacle.
Erecting the VM tent for the first time after its arrival in South Africa.
Today, after millions of funds donated by the public to finance the “Grand VM Global Cavalcade Campaigns” – there is not one intact tent left in South Africa – and not one Volunteer Minster anywhere – except for a couple of Sea Org members on “special project” who are using bits and pieces of various tents – cobbled together and being erected in far-flung rural areas for the purpose of schmoozing “African tribal Leaders” in some weird PR Campaign.
In March 2004 my father dropped the body – a devastating loss to me. I bought some intensives in the hopes of being able to handle the loss of my dad and continue up the bridge. Once again, I was confronted with an illegal PC declare (of course AFTER having paid for the intensives). Thanks to many hours of hard work, collating evidence and putting together a very comprehensive petition (done by Melissa Hogarth to whom I will forever be grateful), I received a Senior C/S Int Gold Seal letter stating I was NOT an illegal PC, never had been, and thanking me for my contribution to Scientology over the years.
All set to finally get into session, the first “action” I received was Gaby Ryan taking me into a room next to the Examiners Office and telling me that I was definitely NOT Clear. Again, no e-meter on hand to handle the upset that would ensue – just a “quick R-Factor” and being shown some obscure reference about the fact that what I thought was achieving the state of Clear, was just a “temporary release” or some such garbage. Of course, what I didn’t know at the time was that I was just one of the many victims in the worldwide scourge of non-clear R-Factors being given.
Another tailspin. So clearly it was patently clear that I nor anyone else had any idea whether I was clearly Clear – or not. I didn’t even bother asking when I could be scheduled for session, as by this point, my interest in going up the bridge was seriously starting to wane.
To this day, I have never had the death of my father addressed in session. Instead, I have burned through God-knows how many intensives of what I refer to as band-aid auditing – sessions “just to take the edge off” or enough to get me just functioning – all the while stuck in this HUGE non-Clear invalidation.
The amount of end of endlessly endless PTS handlings, wrong items and why’s were insane. Typical example was coming up with item “mother in law” who I hadn’t seen or spoken to for 18 years, and having to phone her out of the blue and “handle”. I am sure she thought I had completely lost my rocker – which I probably had! Yay! PTS situation handled…….in a pigs eye, that was.
The intermittent patch-up auditing “handlings” were endless, including having some weird NED assist where I was having to mock-up total bullshit incidents just to get a flipping F/N and the hell out of the auditing room before I went stark raving crazy – all delivered by a Pakistan auditor who I could barely understand due to his thick accent and every last syllable of his sentences bellowed with such emphasis that it virtually hit me physically – “vas de(re an earlier inciDENT” ?
But no real auditing, no bridge progress. I would get C/S’d for Gr1, then told “no, you need to re-do the Purif” then told (in the parking lot of the Org) I had to redo objectives (having both delivered and received 100’s of hours in the 70’s while on the HQS Course and during other actions). Back to, “no you definitely need to get onto Gr0…… “. And so it went. For 7 long years.
Back to the drive of achieving Saint Hill Size, it was around this time Andrew and I started noting major outpoints. In preparation for the “big event” (March 13) Gold was all over the org filming. Mass phone calls and text messages for “all hands” were being sent out to public to come to the org and participate in set-up photo-shoots. People were being ushered into the academy and pretending to “study” and then re-routed to Div6 to act like new public being introduced to the Div6 Panels, or walking into and out of the org in droves – all to make the org look like it was a hive of activity. My son and other public were used as models pretending to be on the Purif so that a photo of a full sauna could be shot – all of it staged. Of course at all future events of other “Ideal Orgs” we saw similar set-up scenes – Andrew and I would look at each other and smile – knowing full well we were being duped – just like we witnessed in our own org.
In addition to these staged photo-shoots, it became apparent that the CLO/CMO/FOLO was actually running the org. There were SO staff all over the place – in virtually every Division of the org, regging, recruiting, sorting out CF, working in Treasury, pushing booksales, organizing book-a-thons and the like. Personally, I spotted this as a major outpoint and knew this was blatant off-policy in terms of command channels and the relationship between orgs, SO and the public. (HCOPL 22 July 1971R REVISED 22 January 1991 Admin Know-How Series 25R).
Albert de Beer was being bypassed as the ED of his own org and was just acting as CO CLO’s (Ken Krieger) lackey. I also realized that the SO involvement in the org couldn’t carry on forever, and there was going to be one hell of a collapse when they left. In effect, the “Saint Hill Size” declaration was actually a very cleverly camouflaged hole thanks to the SO virtually running the org, and once they all left, the “Saint Hill Size” status was not sustainable. Unfortunately, my prediction turned out exactly right.
Despite the warning bells, I made the decision that I wanted to help and in February 2005 I originated joining staff as a reg (I believe this was a rather rare occurrence – someone WANTING to be a reg). John Gething (then Dissem Sec) was ecstatic. I remember Christie Collbran taking me through the signing of the staff contract and my project prepare, handling me with great ARC and admiration. Obviously I had some cycles to handle before being able to arrive fully on post – this was all written up and agreed to.
And then the bomb dropped. Peach Bokelmann told me that the upcoming LRH Birthday Event (the one where Joburg would be announced as having achieved St Hill size) was a flap. She needed help, as she was almost single-handing the whole thing.
I was promised that if I just worked on this one cycle, I could go back to handling my project prepare and be posted in Div2 as a reg. Stupidly, I agreed. And my fate was sealed.
I suddenly found myself virtually 2 I/C on the entire event, organizing the venue and catering issues, attending meetings with the “top brass” (Ken and others) as well as having to run the call-in – day and night. Any thought of slowly “phasing in” was very quickly squashed – before I knew it, I was virtually on a Sea Org schedule.
An interlude here – having been a very active public participant in field activities, I had worked on many projects with Peach and I always fondly called her “Peaches” – as I believe many others did. No sooner had I joined staff, she told me that from now on, I had to refer to her as “Sir”. I blatantly told her that joining staff was NOT a downgrade or demotion, I wasn’t in the army or the Sea Org, and that she was either going to be “Peach” or “hey you” – but I would NEVER call her “Sir”.
Once the “great 2005” event was over, I was told that I had to remain in Div6 as, being SSII, it was against policy to move me (musical chairs). Besides which, the org needed a full-time Event I/C due to the number of events being held. By this time, there was virtually an event every weekend (IAS, Freewinds, WISE, Field Expansion etc etc).
And then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, the Field Control Sec blew her post and I was suddenly in charge of the entire Div6C Division. John Gething was livid (he even KR’d the situation to higher Management). I felt utterly betrayed, and yet helpless. And so, here I was, stuck running Division 6C.
As the Div6C Sec, I constantly had one or another CLO terminal (I-Help, WISE, CO SMI, IAS) and the like giving me verbal and direct orders or quota’s. These people would just arrive at my desk and start speaking to me – all without going via my senior or minimally, the ED. Most of these encounters were not exactly friendly – I was having orders “barked” at me with ZERO tolerance for non-compliance. Once, when I did pluck up the courage to enquire why the pattern of the Org Board wasn’t being followed by going via my senior, I was written up for “flashback” of a Sea Org terminal.
I wrote numerous reports on this and other outpoints. Having been on staff before, this new “off policy and ignoring the pattern of the Org Board” was foreign to me. Here I was, in 2005 feeling like I had landed on some weird spaceship where policy was “optional” and only necessary for the purpose of punishment. I wrote numerous reports – all were either ignored or thrown in file 13 because nothing changed. The barrage continued, and I spent many times in HCO on the verge of tears explaining that I couldn’t take this insanity much longer. My senior at the time was in her own hell with extreme pressure being exerted on her of insane quota’s and the like. We were both absolutely spinning.
And then came the 2005 MV events. This was in the days of the events being spread over 4 weekends in a row. None other than Alex Faust (then the Chf Of AF) was dispatched to the org to personally run me on making sure these events were the “highest ever attended” (I swear to God if I ever hear another person saying “highest ever” I will not be responsible for my actions).
And so a whole new level of insanity ensued. Run call-in all day, have dinner, then return for the FDN shift. THEN do all the admin of confirms and re-print the lists ready for the next day’s call-in – and this went on for close to 8 weeks. There were some nights I didn’t even leave the org, I just curled up on the couches in the Div6C area and got a bit of sleep before having to get back onto post in the morning. It was insane.
Whether due to sheer overwork, constant stress or long-term screwed up and weird auditing actions, I started getting sick – which of course resulted in more screwed-up weird auditing and useless PTS handlings. (How could I say I was PTS to my senior/post/overwork/lack of sleep/the org?) And so, one day in November 2005 I left the org, went home and back to work with Andrew. Albert and Belinda came to visit me, and I told them I wasn’t coming back – my health and sanity were just not worth it. They didn’t put up much of a fight – I think they could see my resolve and determination that I would not return on post. I was done.
Andrew was by this point having to salvage the org’s IT problems which were plenty as the original “IT Guy” (Valdi Serjenko) had supplied inferior equipment and total overt products which were failing all over the place. The work that Andrew did for the org in handling this mess was free – he only ever charged direct cost for equipment supplied. In the last 12 years, Andrew has delivered (donated) hundreds of hours of free IT support to both the Org and the CLO. We estimate the value of free labour to be in the region of R80,000.00
Despite my aborted staff attempt, Andrew and I never stopped supporting the org. We attended every event (at which I often assisted on call-in and other set-up activities). We donated money and supported virtually every campaign going. . Andrew became a Sponsor of the IAS. I continued my work with the Arts Festival, Clear AF Committee, Anti-Drug campaigns, bookselling etc. I would often get SOS calls from Albert to help with some or other cycle which I would gladly help with. Andrew of course, continued his “free” IT support for the org on an ongoing basis. My entire family joined in on many of these activities.
In 2006 the org had a 14-strong TTC team consisting of mainly young Scientologists, including my daughter who was 13 years old. Within short order, she became a fast-flow student and I remember experiencing one of the proudest moments of my life as she had her “wings” pinned on her by Albert at graduation.
My daughter receiving her fast-flow student “wings” at the age of 14 – such a proud moment.
I will do a separate article on the Joburg TTC tragedy in the future, but the upshot of the story ended in the TTC being systematically unmocked and destroyed to the point of non-existence, ending in a totally off-policy mass-comm-ev of young children – including my daughter who was summarily offloaded and put through ethics hell, including having to do 5 Liability Formulas (no kidding). At the time of her comm-ev, her student points were in screaming affluence, and she was in the middle of her Pro-TR’s Clay Table Processing – a state she was left in for 5 years until my mother eventually completed this cycle with her in 2012. Today, only 1 member of that TTC remains – and it took him nearly 5 years to finally get in the chair.
Around this time, Andrew and I were spotting more and more outpoints. Despite MAJOR IAS fundraisers being held virtually very weekend, every time any money was needed for a special project or one of the 4D Campaigns (VM, WTH, Psych Busting, etc) – this was separately funded by one-on-one regging from the public. If additional regging was necessary, then where was all the IAS money being raised at the fundraisers going to?
I was constantly being called on to “help” with some or other flap including having to buy intensives I didn’t need or want because the “GI was a flap” or donate money for booksellers T-Shirts or donate towards bookselling venues etc. It was evident things were not going well at Joburg Org. I had also noticed that the staff numbers were dwindling – hence the necessity of Albert constantly phoning me and asking me to come help out with various cycles.
Andrew was also being phoned daily – sometimes numerous times a day for some or other help, IT assistance, donation and the like. Understand, he was on the road and servicing clients – such is the “bread and butter” nature of our business, and the constant Dev-T emanating from the org on his lines eventually resulted in him getting another phone and leaving his old one with me at the office to fend off the calls.
From Andrew’s point of view, the fact that the org never had any money to upgrade IT equipment they sorely needed was an outpoint. Despite all claims to the contrary (rave successes of expansion and rising stats being given at graduation and various events) we could SEE that things were not as they were being made out to be.
I was often involved in doing the head-count for a number of org events (having previously done this when I was on staff, I was hatted and thus trusted to handle this cycle – but I was always accompanied by a SO member – usually Kim Brandle). If Alex Faust (by now CO CMO) wasn’t satisfied, we would have to count and re-count – even resorting to counting the catering company and waiters delivering the food, the kids playing outside, nannies supervising them and the guard sitting in the guard hut. This carried on until “Sir Faust” was happy and could claim “highest ever” attendance. He knew, and I knew it was a blatant lie and false stat. This was probably one of the reasons the civil tolerance between the two of us worsened over time until in 2013 when he flatly refused to acknowledge my very existence.
And then ……….The Basics hit us. Oh boy. A whole new kettle of fish – and one we will take up in the next chapter!
NEXT: DOWN THE SLIPPERY SLOPE
So well written, Shelley. What a story. Unfortunately, it is all insanity, lies, out ethics, franticness, desperation. Hardly a reflection on ‘the sanest group on the planet’ or ‘the most ethical group on the planet’. It’s obvious that there is a feeling of sheer terror amongst the SO members. However, I do not excuse them one bit. They’re spinelss to stay on and live the lie. There’s not an once of integrity amongst any of them, sad to say.
I’m so glad for you that you’re out. I felt everything you were experiencing while I was reading this – the exhaustion, the craziness, the need to falsify the stats so ludicrously, the unreasonable expectations, blatant breaking of promises, violation of policy – the total treachery is HUGE.
As for Peach Bokkelmann, so status conscious! So full of herelf that she felt entitled to belittle and/or patronise anyone she felt ‘deserved’ it. I, for one, am so pleased the Bokkelmann’s are out of the country and just hope that it stays that way.
Well done to you and Andrew for all that you’ve done and even more so for speaking up and getting out. I’m sure the two of you and your families are much happier and doing much better in life as a result!
Thanks goodchoices, for your ack and lovely comments. The reason we are doing this is (a) to let people know what is REALLY going on behind those Wizard of Oz curtains and perhaps help nudge them further out the door and (b) to let people know they were not “the only ones” experiencing and seeing the things we were. The amount of running self-guilt on oneself thinking “something is off here, but I can/t say anything for fear of recrimination or accused of being critical and have O/W’s” is unbelievable, and if our story helps to blow that charge for people, then we will have achieved our aim.
Shelley, this is hilarious. “Hey you” – I love it. I literally went exterior reading this while hearing music in my head building up to a crescendo. I think it was the soundtrack to ‘Jaws”. When one hears the truth one instinctively knows it. This fact, more than anything else, makes me wonder what is going through the minds of the KA drinkers when they hear BS they instinctively know is BS. Of course, I did the same for years (hearing BS) but step by step stopped going to events and participating. You know that – because I used to piss you off not returning your calls!
Ha Ha Maven – NOW I know exactly who you aren’t ……… trust me, there were many many people who never returned our calls or had the org’s number on “auto reject”! I remember posting some time back that I became quite adept at predicting who would/wouldn’t answer their calls, and who would/wouldn’t confirm for an event. And then those who would confirm, but had no intention of pitching. The confirm/arrival percentage of SCN’s actually arriving for an event was about 30% – to me this was a neon-light flashing warning sign that we had a highly ARC Broken field.
Wow what an article. Well-written Shelly.
It never ceases to sadden me every time I hear of veteran and long-time Scientologists being mistreated (which of course, will always be skewed to mean that they are motivating, and thus that the perpetrators of this mistreatment will never take responsibility for their overts). It also saddens me that this pattern of chronic bypass, now-now-now, crush-sell, no sleep, etc. repeats itself from org to org, continent to continent, and is only getting worse. Trust me, I have first-hand experience of this too.
Hi Just Me – thanks for the ack. It is very sad that the Church has, over time, managed to alienate their field as they have. Keep reading, because I had another sojourn on staff at a later stage (I know – shoot me for being a total sucker). If you think 2005 was bad, this was another kind of hell entirely. In fact. looking back, this was the major contributing factor to me realising our Church had been hi-jacked and was no longer practising Scientology.
Wow, the deception is truly gargantuan. Thank you for sharing your story – as many people should know about it as possible.
Great post. Thank you.
Thanks MJ :)
” I wasn’t in the army or the Sea Org, and that she was either going to be “Peach” or “hey you” – but I would NEVER call her “Sir”.” LOVE this Shelley! My goodness, what an idiot Peach was. Her methods of fundraising were something else – stalking people in their homes way past midnight. Parking outside their homes, honking and phoning and refusing to go away until the person had let her in. She possessed not an ounce of compassion or gratitude for contributions made in the past. Good riddance.
Your story is riveting! And I can relate to all the angst and terror of being there and being ordered to do things you know are just NUTS! Still have the odd nightmare of being back in the SO.
The whole JHB St Hill size thing – nice to hear what was going on on the inside. I remember sitting in the audience looking at all the “Jhb Staff” come down the aisle to the front; everyone clapping and whistling and going crazy. And amongst them I saw SO members, Pretoria staff, JhbN staff etc. St Hill size indeed…do tell what, if anything those “other orgs” staff had to say about being paraded up there as Jhb staff? Did the lie even bother them? How did they justify this?
As for your auditing…I thought there were only a few of us that had a rough time like this, with so much inval and eval going on all the time. As for Gaby – she once PHONED me with an R-Factor re my auditing! She also said a FULL FES was done of all my folders (which were not even all in the same place) – all I could think was “I wonder how many hours that took off my balance of hours left.”
Please continue with your story – I am finding it very interesting and enlightening! As public we usually get the PR face of Scn – most people have no idea of the degradation and hardships staff go through in order to try and service them. How can someone go free when the person supplying that service is beaten down like a starving dog. Open your eyes and look, people! LOOK at their rotting and missing teeth. LOOK at their clothes that don’t fit properly and often are dirty. LOOK at the bags under their eyes. Watch them when they aren’t aware you are watching and you will see some of what they try to hide. What price freedom, hmmm?
Hi Draco, thanks for all your comments – it sure is a relief to be getting this off our chests after sitting on it for so long. Although I was on staff which was bad enough, the people I used to feel really sorry for were the SO guys – I cannot tell how many times Albert actually fell asleep during product conference or meetings I attended – the guy was physically and mentally exhausted. My sympathy was short lived though, when his true colours came out towards the end of my affiliation with the org and the way he so quickly turned on me – after all that I had dome for him – personally and other-wise.
Shelley, Wow, you and your husband deserve high kudos for sharing your stories so that others can learn from them and hopefully wake up. I commiserate with you. I saw what you described about SO staff manning up the new Ideal Org when Las Vegas went Ideal, and it was just as you describe: a camouflaged hole that sank when all the SO left to go do the same for the next Ideal Org. Nashville, TN was same way and so many others too. I hope you get good auditing on the outside to handle your loss and also the Clear cycle and other stuff too. And not surprising that your friend, Albert, threw you under the bus to save his own neck. It is the modus operandi of all KA drinking staff and public — anything to save their skins.
Wow Shelly, thank you. This is so well written and does really give the picture of the real scene of what was going on. I do thank you for letting us share this story and I am glad you are out now.
Thanks SILVIA :)
Beautifully written Shelley! What a mess. I had a good chuckle at counting the waiters, the caterers, the security guard and the nannies supervising children. This is almost as bad as a previous post where the bricklayers were dressed up in staff uniforms for a photo shoot. All the stories put together from various sources support the picture of an insane and false scene. The truth will out.
Interesting too how important events were/are (how to put the sheep in a pen for extreme regging – you don’t leave until you’ve been sheared) and how the TTC was shot down. Priorities are completely reversed. I’m looking forward to reading your TTC instalment – it never ceases to amaze me how the most important aspects are scuppered. Methinks there must be an SP somewhere (duh).
Thanks Wendy. The worst part of falsifying these and other stats is that one is “forced” to do so “or else”, but doing it then becomes YOUR overt, for which you will be hammered when it comes up in any future sec-check. It’s a crazy scene indeed.
Thank you Shelley, for another harrowing and riveting chapter of how the Co$ spins. I am happy that you are out of that mad house. Sharing your story will help others tremendously. THANK YOU! Our family sends you and your family our love and support!
Thanks very much IM, we really appreciate the positive comments and support. Our love to you and yours too. :)
Fantastic post. Thank Andrew and Shelley for sharing further truths further exposing the lies and BS. I look forward to the next installment :)
Thanks Daniel. Hope we wont disappoint ! :)
Thank you for telling your story, it’s well written and so interesting!
I was wondering, you mentioned receiving a gold seal letter from Senior C/S Int in 2004. Was it signed by Ray Mithoff?
Hi MJ – to be honest, I cannot remember – it was long ago. I know I have a copy around somewhere but it would take some concerted digging…… but it definitely was from C/S Int….
Hm, I was wondering if he was still on his post then. Or, if not, who would have signed it. He is one of the disappeared, never-seen-again persons.
Now that is the Scientology that I quit. It reminds me of the LRH comment about ” a self treating asylum” or some such. It’s like a bunch of nuts got together and decided to play a game called “save the universe”. All the while butchering each other up. What a madhouse and you depict it so well.
Incredible enough this kind of thing has been going on for YEARS and all over the globe. It really is a study of how much insanity people will allow themselves to be part of before saying NO!!
I’m glad that you and your husband are out and I really hope that you can get some good auditing outside of the nut house and get some wins. I think you deserve that.
Hey Tony – it reminds me of something Marty said in the BBC Documentary – it went something like “we were all kids then, – we grew up and Miscavige didn’t”. My only regret is that seeing all the outpoints, we didn’t speak up sooner – maybe there would have been something to salvage then, but I believe the Church has tipped over too far to be righted again.
So well written Shelly and I really hope this wakes
Oh Shelly and Andrew so pleased
you are no longer part of the insanity!
Look forward to the next installment!
So well written and so true – I also hope
this encourages some of our readers to
WAKE UP and leave the Church!
Thanks Goldie. Is it our fervent wish that people will read our story and get them to wake up. I have already successfully FSM’d quite a few people OUT – I hope our story will help increase that stat. All we have to do is keep telling the truth.
Shells and Andrew thank you for sharing your story. It needed to be told. It so resonates with me and in so many ways echoes my history within this movement. I salute your bravery in sharing this tale. Xxxx
Thanks D Me – I am glad our story resonates – it’s means we’re on the right track in getting others to wake up. It was high time for us to come forward, and we shall keep going forward as long as there are others out there who need our help to get out of the maelstrom.
I loved reading your story. Thank you for sharing. I am sure it feels like u just did an O/W write up. Lol. I was there and experinced all that madness. All those cross orders and the words I never want to hear are “noone goes home until this is done”. Andrew and his team were always there doing IT installations and solving network problems. Thank you for all you have done for mankind. I hope u never had to do some night duties too. You are such an amazing family including Caleb who had to do some IAS donations before he was born. Welcome to the true freedom.
Thanks Sophy – you were one of those who contributed so much, and I shared the strain and insanity you did. SO glad we are both out of that madness! :) Oh, and on the night duties – yes, I had to do night-watch way back in the 70′s when I was 16 years old. Pretty scary experience. What the hell was a 16 year-old girl going to do in a possible police raid????
Hey Sophy. You were one of the bright hard-working ones. Which is why you are out I guess! Thanks for the ack!
Very nicely told, Shelley! The thing is, you could have been far more ‘brutal’ about it all, had you chosen to, but clearly, that’s not in your nature! And that speaks volumes for the compassion you intrinsically have in you! :)
Another strange facet about the entire CO$ ‘experience’, is that ordinarily, one ‘not-is’es ——that one is willfully interacting with INSANITY!
Jeez man, what occurs within the confines of the SO, or sometimes even as staff, can be compared to what happens in a mental institution ( plain madness!) What actually happens, though, is one tries to handle it via some justification like, “oh well, he/she just has some case in restim, I’m sure they will get it handled.” ..And as we invariably find out,….they don’t!
This is shocker though: We simply PERMIT this/these situations to continue, unchallenged, because we are simply AFRAID of the consequences of ‘rocking the boat’.
Little did we realize, that the ultimate weapon/control mechanism of the CO$, is simply, and remains simply,……… FEAR!
One could accurately rename this (CO$), the ‘church of FEAR’. :)
I guess fear was definitely a component factor, but the truth is I think the majority of us did it because we truly hoped (and believed) we were “doing the greatest good for the greatest number”. I reckon there are VERY few Social Personalities left IN the Church – the ones who aren’t jumping ship are either too afraid to (heavily PTS) or don’t want to, in which case they haven taken on the colours of SP – controlling and punishing bodies.
Simply the truth Shelley.
Wow !!! what a long and arduous story.
Black panther, I liked this pseudo,
but I am happy to congratulate you, Shelley and Andrew also, to have brilliantly survived all this mess.
Things are easier and more funny outside. So enjoy fully!!!
Thanks Florence! :)
Thank you. I am enjoying your story.
BTW, what is Peach Bokelmann’s actual rank in the SO?
1984 – I actually have no idea regards Peach’s rank. She and her husband Rob are now in the USA – I saw a picture of her recently – all dolled up in her new Flag uniform – she is obviously regging there now.
Andrew and Shelley,
You bring joy and tears to my heart.I have never seen two people look more happy and more in love than you two.
thank you for sharing.
your courage and compassion and honesty stun me.
SCREW YOU LITTLE FISTS
Thanks outraged – your validation certainly makes telling our story easier :)
Wow – What a riveting story! So similar yet so unique to what others have suffered at the hands of the morons running Jo’burg org!
I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of it – I await it with bated breath! :)
It is so great to hear from someone who has hands on experience with in the org for so many years. The Truth Must Be Known.
I need to say it: Shelley did so well and so much for the org, and (we believed ) for Scientology and the planet and mankind. The shit would strike the fan (as it always does there, about each week or so) and she would get a call from Albert or Peach or Elmien or anyone. And she would leave her post at our company and go help. And haul out the cheque book. She would transport people or things. Fetch money. Reg donations for the latest urgent bankrupt project.
And they knew she would help and do a damn good job of it. The more things went insane the more her help was needed. It was like “holy crap! Who can we rely on to handle this? We need A real OT person. Let’s call Shelley. ”
But like in the book “Animal Farm” where the go to guy was the plough horse: where more and more demands are made of him (and Shelley) it finally happened one day that the unkillable, unstoppable, reliable powerhouse who is your last hope for dumping the hard jobs on, literally has no more to give. And actually has the bad manners to die in harness. You should know that Shelley died in the harness called Joburg Org.
Probably the biggest ARC break the org has with her is that she is no longer available to be abused. I am slowly getting my wife back and it’s a good thing.
Thanks Shelley and Andrew.
Andrew, thanks for all your help, for so long, and for the hope that the scene improved.
What a crazy scene in Div 6. This is echoed in other orgs around the world.
I remember in Zurich, a friend of a friend working her guts out as ED and ending up with a SH size org. She sent a bunch of guys for OEC FEBC, who later returned, found her to be the “who” and removed her. The org collapsed and has not returned to anywhere near the size it was. Echoes around the world.
Munich org? Same same.
How many new guys come into London org? What about Joburg North, nearer you? They have trashed those who once helped.
Your help is accepted, offered willingly, give freely, given without any real hope you will be paid, with literally hundreds of hours and hundreds more of work and contribution, and this help is finally trashed. Wasted.
The combined waste of talent and willing help that has occurred with you two good people, along with hundreds of others in similar positions, is simply astounding.
I wish you both well and your stories are helping, so please, please continue.
I am amazed at your tenacity. You just wanted to help. And that part of you was exploited. I am thankful you and Andrew are free now and for telling your story. My best wishes to you both.
Thank you for standing up and telling your story. You are the kind of hard working, decent people Scientology loves to eat up and wreck! Stay strong and all the best to you and your family
Thanks so much for the informative account. Look forward to more.
For a concise look at the Scientology organization during the late 1960 and throughout the 1970s, here another link, in additional to the two David Mayo links:
http://www.xenu-directory.net/critics/ambry1.html
Don’t be mislead by the negative sounding title. There is much that is positive in this e-book, and it ends by optimistically affirming the positives.
Only by fully confronting all aspects of Scientology can the *good* in Scientology be saved.
And there *is* good to be saved,
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