Screenwriting : Time to come out of my hidey hole. by Linda Summer

That sounds like a great story.

An interesting mix of events, for sure. Is there a connection between your book research and Lamb targeting you for persecution?

Thanks for your comments, Dan and Phil. There is no connection that I know of. This story has multiple parallel threads that converged into a grenade that pulverised life as I knew it - a case of terrible timing for oblivious me! Another parallel layer involved my emergence from denial about my dad's untimely death in 1980 and personal spiritual 'delvings' into the meaning of death and a possible afterlife. I began to feel an awakening of sorts was happening - it was such an inspiring experience, sadly cut short by the intense stress, terror and trauma that ruined everything. I was further smashed and traumatised by a psychiatrist who later dismissed everything I wrote and said about Channel 9, the bullets etc. She completely missed my PTSD (diagnosed several years later) and prescribed deadly drugs for my grief. Within days I almost committed suicide even though I had never felt suicidal until the drugs kicked in. My then absent mother had an intuition that something catastrophic was about to happen to me and turned up on my aunty's doorstep at the eleventh hour. She took me home, flushed the pills and helped me recover.

I returned to the psychiatrist and told her what happened. She dismissed me once again, so I dismissed her. I had no choice but to leave Adelaide after all that and was fortunate to have a great contact at TCN9 Sydney who hired me as a promo producer (despite Kerry Packer's pay freeze). I have a soft spot for both men. A few months later I was living and working in Sydney. I only lasted a few years and eventually buckled under the stress of the massive workloads. It was a most unceremonious departure - another story for another day - but let's just say, the Adelaide cult experience left me feeling like an AWF - Angry White Female. But that's what can happen when a mental health system fails you.

Not sure how I managed to work again so soon - probably something to do with my dear mum and dad's resilience genes. I have a couple of short film projects happening at the moment and when they are done in a couple of weeks, I am taking myself into the country somewhere to write a succinct eBook to get it all out of my system once and for all. Oh, and in the mid 90's I returned to Adelaide and began investigating the Family murders and wrongful imprisonment of Henry Keogh - and others. I met a paedophile victim of a well-known children's tv host who was a good friend of the media owner. The victim suspected the media owner was part of the tv host's pedophile ring. Also learned that 70's state premier and his men used to select young boys from lineups in a public hall. They'd take them to their luxury homes, ply them with booze, drugs, money etc. I wanted to interview the victims but was informed they were too fearful to speak out. Some victims had already committed suicide while the others were drug addicts, homeless etc. I believe this insidious era marked the beginning of the current paedophile cult. On the same day this information was imparted to me, I returned home to find that it had been broken into. Laptop, cameras were stolen. Strange old town, is Adelaide...the senior crime reporter for the Sunday Mail who covered the Family Murders in the late 80's, also experienced serious death threats.

Adelaide is a cult city? What is that even?

Cherie, cult is the word that first came to mind when I began to revisit that sickening world. Perhaps there is a better word to demonstrate evil? Adelaide is such a pretty city but the undercurrent of high-level, twisted paedophiles responsible for some of the most sickening murders on record, make Kevin Spacey look like the 'lesser evil'. The murderers have never been brought to justice and probably never will be. A 'patsy' has been rotting in prison on their behalf since 1984. In the late '90s, an attempt to 'name names' in court led to the murder of two paedophile victims who found the courage to testify. Two activists and an Independent MP who backed the victims were consequently smashed by the court for defamation and threatened with imprisonment. (I chickened out at the eleventh hour because it was too scary and traumatic.) A screenplay has allegedly been written about the notorious 70s and beyond but the writer was swiftly gagged and threatened with serious legal action. I tried to track down the writer without success and ended up leaving Adelaide again - permanently.

Wow, I had to read it a couple of times. Very shocking.

Hi Gary, yes it is pretty shocking. Turning the experience into a black comedy is the only way I will be able to get the book finished. I don't care if it never gets read. The most important thing is that will be off my list of things to do. Looking forward to getting back to writing about unicorns, fairy godmothers and wakadoos. Spiritual comedy is my new thing...

Do you go to a writer's group Linda? I found a great one in melbourne and they can be really helpful if you find the right people.

Cherie, I recently connected with a film group here on the Central Coast and they have some produced screenwriters among them which is so timely. I'm currently attending a series of the short film workshops they have been funded to present. Among the teachers is a working filmmaker and TAFE lecturer, so it's certainly a timely find. I have never had formal training in film production but have been undertaking informal screenwriting studies for the past few years. The highlight so far has been attending a series of live-streamed screenwriting workshops run by Jacob Kreuger Studios in New York which included a one on one Skype session with a mentor to discuss the first ten pages of a script I was asked to submit upon completion of the workshops. Exciting! My spirit came back to life that day in a big, happy way!

Perfect. I have done courses both long and short and gone to writers' festivals and film premieres and such. It's important not to just sit in front of your computer. Good luck. you have an amazing story to tell.

Yes, community is vital for all artistic souls. We need solitude in which to write but connection and collaboration to keep the balance. When I moved to NSW a few years ago I connected with an art cooperative and helped them stage a major public event to raise awareness about our defence force veterans and their families. I veered off course for awhile but it was a good cause and involved lots of writing. Now I have found my film tribe I will make the most of their monthly script reading sessions. Time to get cracking on some short film comedy scripts. They have been floating around in my head for too long now...heh heh.

Hi Eric, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I get what you are saying but I'm prepared to push the boundaries as far as I can. Having been on the receiving end of disturbed high level behaviour I naturally believe that cities like Adelaide that protect high level 'evilians' need a damn good shake up. I sometimes wish that I was never informed about the state premier & co's paedophile activities. Just knowing that their victims still live in fear of speaking out after all these years, bothers me. This seems to be a universal problem in high level politics/law and the celebrity sphere. It also bothers me that a journalist has been imprisoned for reporting the truth about high level pedophile crimes in the UK. Australia is a tragic reflection of the UK when it comes to keeping the lid on the activities of disturbed elitists.

Erik, all I can do is write my book and trust that no harm will follow. I'm also hoping the Russian authorities keep their 'spy films' in a safe place and agree to provide me with a copy of my visit to dad's farm in Estonia. I visited Moscow and St Petersburg as well as Estonia in 92 and loved every minute of it. I love Russian people. They are so welcoming and hospitable. My mother was worried that I would be shot in Moscow but I knew that nobody would harm me. South Australian evilites did that.

Ha ha! I could only bribe them with Vodka, champagne, quality chocolates and flowers. Doubt that would get me very far. I intend to point out that it was not only a violation of my privacy to film me at my dad's farm but also an illegal action because Estonia was an Independent state by then. I will also request my dad's KGB files and ask if they still have his Politburo applications from the 60s and 70s requesting permission for his mother to visit Australia. How sad that they consistently rejected his applications and that my grandmother died without ever meeting her daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. However, they did allow my father's sister to visit Adelaide in 1979 and she was under strict instructions to keep a low profile because the KGB would be watching her every move. Dad contacted a photographer friend at the local paper and their happy reunion (after 45 years) story was published the day after my aunty's arrival. My dad was a bit cheeky, I must admit. I am inspired to write a blog about this - or perhaps a friendly open letter to the Russian Government?

Thank you Erik! I tend to approach life like a movie sometimes - wouldn't it be wonderful if I was able to finish researching my father's story and emerge from the adventure alive and well!!

For sure!

good intention. too much text made me lost track of intention.

although last paragraph is a repetition,

it did NOT made me wander to read again...

really loved that you are goint to mix black humour with reality

but I suggest you get focus on what kind of public reader

you want to impress... what king of public you want to get back

Interested.

Thank you for your comments, Roman. This post is a raw, wordy draft - more of a 'thinking out loud' exercise that I decided to share in this community of storytellers. I feel the most compelling story here is my father's journey (based on the chilling stories he told me not long before he died in 1980.) I clearly remember him telling me about being called up to the 'firing line' at the KGB headquarters in Tartu but for some reason, was singled out by a Russian officer and told to 'get on his bike and get out of Estonia as fast as he could.' I asked dad why his life was spared and he said he didn't know but described it as a miracle. I am primarily interested in uncovering the Russian Government's version of events in Estonia, why they filmed me at my father's farm and who was behind the bullets at my workplace. I love my dad very much and am indeed 'my father's daughter'. Even if I am unsuccessful in uncovering the truth, I will be satisfied to know that I gave it my best shot.

Wow. Linda. This is intense! I think you're on the right track with saying you're going to send yourself on a retreat of sorts to 'get it all out' in book format. You also mention writing shorts - but I think that's a side track. This is not your dad's story. This is your story. You need to write something for Netflix. I'm seeing maybe 6 one-hour episodes. Write the book first. That needs to happen just to get it all out. Here you're writing like you're in a hurry, trying to get it all out, and fear and excitement and future-talk are fracturing your thought processes. Blog, sure, but the book format is where you will spell it out in measured and meaningful formats that allow you the time to inspect every emotional, spiritual, and frightening aspect of these experiences. And I'd say forget the 'black comedy' angle. This story is too important to get watered down. Write the book first. Don't get sidetracked. Do this.

Hi Sarah, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I agree with you whole-heartedly. I will clear the decks and write the book.

I have sent the below email to the Russian and Estonian Embassies in Australia, and the Australian Embassy in Moscow. I also discovered a website called 'KGB in The Baltic States - Documents and Research.' The site includes links to helpful organisations located in all three states including the Estonian International Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity. I sent them the same email last night:

To Whom It May Concern

I recently resumed research for a book about my father's life and controversial escape from Estonia in the 1940s. The International Tracing Service (ITS) has provided me with copies of his displaced person and emigration documents. However, the ITS primarily focuses on the fates of victims of Nazi persecution and does not have access to documentation pertaining to victims of Soviet persecution.

I have therefore decided to contact various relevant embassies and organisations in the hope that guidance may be provided about how to obtain and/or view sensitive historical documents related to my father as outlined below. I am well aware of the possibility that the documents I seek have either been destroyed or are still classified, but if I don't ask, I will never know. My book will be written regardless.

My father's name is Karl Summer, born 24 January 1926, Tartu, Estonia. The ITS documentation states that on 10 May 1946, he registered in DP Camp Altenstadt (district Schongau) and emigrated to Australia on 24 January 1949 via Naples, Italy, on the Hellas Nea. My father died when I was 17 and never had the opportunity to finish telling me stories about his life and how he came to be blacklisted by the Soviet Government.

The information I seek is as follows:

1. My father's rejected Politburo applications in the 1960s and 1970s requesting permission for his mother Linda Summer to travel to Adelaide South Australia to spend time with us. Sadly, my grandmother died in 1977 but surprisingly, my father's sister Helvi Oissar was granted permission to visit us in 1978 or 1979.

2. My father's KGB files pertaining to his alleged crime in Estonia. About a year before my father suddenly died in 1980, he told me he was involved in a forest 'incident' involving two older Estonian soldiers and a Russian soldier that left him traumatised. He was consequently called up to the firing line at the KGB Tartu Headquarters but was singled out by a concerned Russian officer who asked him what he was doing there. The officer told my father to 'get on his bike and get out of Estonia as soon as possible.' I asked my father why his life was spared and he didn't have an answer other than it being a 'miracle.' (This is a unique light in my father's story and central to my intentions for writing about it.)

My father was consequently blacklisted by the Russian Government which is probably why the Politburo never allowed his mother to visit Australia. Further research has uncovered extensive KGB activity in Australia from the 60's to 90's. (According to newspaper reports, Australian politicians are allegedly too 'traumatised' to speak about it. I believe it's time for them to speak about it. And call a truce, perhaps. But that's another story.)

3. In 1992 I travelled to Estonia to visit relatives and my father's childhood farm and lake he often spoke about. He told me he could never return to his homeland because he would have been shot. Sadly, his dearest wish was to return to his farm and 'dip his toes' into the lake he loved so much as a child. Thankfully, I was able to do this for him.

However, my sister visited our father's farm in 2018 for the first time and met the owner. He said he remembered my visit to the farm because the KGB was inside the house filming me. It was brave of the owner to reveal this information, although my blood ran cold when I heard the news.

Spending time at my father's farm was a sacred, healing moment for me because I struggled to come to terms with his death for many years. To be honest, I did wonder whether I was being 'watched' but chose to let go of that thought and not let is spoil my special day.

The fact that my privacy was violated by the KGB is a serious issue. I consider this to be an illegal action due to the fact that Estonia was an independent state when I visited. However, since learning that unnamed Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian political figures collaborated with the KGB until the early 90s, for all I know, the KGB may have been given permission.

That said, I have a basic understanding of KGB training rituals and how spies the world over are under oath to obey the government directives. So I would naturally be interested in viewing the film footage - if it still exists - and find out why the decision was made to spy on me in Estonia. (The KGB could have just asked me questions in person and I would have happily answered them.)

In closing, I am approaching this writing project in a peaceful, apolitical manner. I also resonate with both Estonian and Russian people and don't wish to cause any trouble or upset to political figures on either side of the border. If anything, I would like to revisit Estonia and Russia again one day and enjoy a 'spy-free' holiday.

My father was a wonderful, loving man who was sadly caught in the crossfire of a dark historical era. He was a mere teenager who felt called to defend his homeland. In some circles, it is alleged that the Russian Government is of the view that the Baltic States agreed to the terms of the 1939 Molotov/Ribbentrop Pact. My research has revealed a counter view but I am interested in learning both sides of the story to ensure I capture an accurate account of events.

I look forward to your response. If you are unable to provide any assistance, I will understand and continue my search for the truth via alternative channels.

May peace between the Baltic States and Russia prevail, and diplomatic relations be cultivated. As idealistic as that sounds, one can only live in hope.

This is a helpful thread to keep 'all of the above' in one place as various story elements are crafted into blogs.

A Screenwriter Couldn't Make This Up

Old memories keep bugging me to say something. So here goes.

In (dim) light of George Pell's conviction, Michael Jackson's posthumous fall from grace and Channel 7's recent national report about Adelaide's renegade pedophile hunter, I feel compelled to share some disturbing information that's been following me around since the early 2000s.

To protect myself from the possibility of being sued by the notorious South Australian establishment for telling the truth, I have executed a self-imposed suppression order and am therefore bound to (bleep!) certain names. Just to be sure.

I also wish to advise that my intention is not to speak ill of the dead. My intention is to speak on behalf of South Australia's dead, and living dead, child sex abuse victims who were sworn to a tortured life of secrecy.

Rumours of Corruption and Personal Impropriety

If you haven't heard of (bleep!), he was the South Australian Premier in the 1970s, championed by many as a colourful, bold reformist who brought many progressive and exciting changes to staid, stuffy, South Australia (much like it is today). He died an equally glorified death in 1999.

Here's a Wikipedia snapshot of the closing days of the (bleep!) government:

"After four consecutive election wins, (bleep!) administration began to falter in 1978 following his dismissal of Police Commissioner Harold Salisbury, as controversy broke out over whether he had improperly interfered with a judicial investigation. In addition, policy problems and unemployment began to mount, as well as unsubstantiated rumours of corruption and personal impropriety. (bleep!) became increasingly short-tempered, and the strain was increased by the death of his second wife. His resignation from the premiership and politics in 1979 was abrupt after collapsing due to ill health, but he would live for another 20 years..."

Takeaway Children

As I stumbled through life in search of answers to crimes committed against me by an insidious band of powerful Adelaide men in the late 1980s, my frail quest for justice led me to child abuse activist Ki Meekins, a former state ward and 'takeaway child' victim of multiple perpetrators including TV host Ric Marshall. Ki fought long and hard to bring him to justice and eventually won. Conveniently, Marshall was sentenced to home detention instead of a gaol cell due to ill health.

I showed Ki a document that named the perpetrators in my wretched story and he immediately recognised the name of a media owner. Said he was a long-time associate of Ric Marshall and highly likely to be part of his depraved pedophile world. Then he proceeded to tell me about the victims of the (bleep!) pedophile ring and how 'takeaway boys' were rounded up and paraded at secret late-night gatherings at Centennial Hall, Wayville Showgrounds. The boys were hand-picked according to personal, lurid preferences, whisked away to luxury homes, plied with alcohol, drugs, dollars and other temptations in exchange for sex and a vow of life-threatening silence. It not only shocked me to learn that these elite men led twisted, secret lives, it infuriated me.

I wanted to help the victims tell their stories but Ki said they still lived in fear of being killed if they went public. My heart went out to these suffering men and those who tragically saw death as an easier way out of a life lived in tortured silence.

I never saw Ki again but never forgot that meeting. Or the silenced victims.

When I returned home that afternoon, it was a rude welcoming. The house had been broken into. A highly professional job, might I add. Gone was my laptop, photography equipment and silver jewellery.

Joining Forces with Child Abuse Activists

After meeting Ki, it would have been wiser to tend to my own festering wounds, but I was so fired up that I joined forces with three South Australian child abuse activists - Peter Lewis MP (now deceased), Wendy Utting and Barry Standfield.

During a meeting at Parliament House, we vowed to knock South Australia's pedophile plague on its head.

I listened in silent awe as Wendy recounted late-night knocks at her door and fighting off 'henchmen in suits' who attempted to forcibly enter her home. From memory, this was quite possibly the straw that broke my fragile mind. Long story short, I ungraciously bailed out of this most worthy cause at the eleventh hour because I simply didn't have the capacity for any more stress or horror. How much post-traumatic stress can a human realistically endure?

Utting, Standfield and several informants soldiered on and caused a mighty stir with allegations of sex offences against underage boys by two politicians and senior police. The outraged establishment predictably joined forces to shut them down and a dirty, legal assassination ensued.

I observed the unfolding drama from a distance, relieved that I jumped ship when I did. Utting and Standfield were dragged through court but thankfully, both were acquitted of criminal defamation charges and made it out alive. Two of their reliable informants weren't as lucky. Robert Woodland was found bashed to death on 8 December 2004 in the South Parklands. Shaine Moore died under suspicious circumstances in February 2005.

Ki eventually wrote a book called Red Tape Rape, the harrowing true story of his life as a sexually abused state ward and beyond, of South Australia's 'takeaway children' who were picked up from government institutions by known pedophiles for 'weekend outings'. Kids repeatedly drugged and raped. All under the blind watch of depraved South Australian governments devoid of child protection policies.

Ki's turbocharged pen would also force the hand of the Rann Government to reluctantly call the South Australian Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry. Commencing in November 2004, the $13.5 million inquiry led by Ted Mullighan QC encompassed 1592 allegations of sexual abuse dating from the 1930s against 1733 perpetrators.

The 600-page report was tabled in Parliament on 1 April 2008 and the government also extended a public apology to the victims.

However, an 80-year suppression order was put in place by the then Attorney General Michael Atkinson with then Premier Mike Rann. This essentially means that 1733 identified evilite pedophiles will never go to court, or be charged.

How Do Evilites Sleep At Night?

Calls to remove the suppression order have naturally fallen on deaf ears. The same deaf ears that forced Henry Keogh to suffer in prison for 20 years. The usual story in South Australia. One wonders how pedophile protectors and evilites can sleep at night.

Sadly, the sordid, secret legacy of the (bleep!) government lives on. And the present-day establishment is hellbent as ever on keeping South Australia's rotten carpet from exploding with scandalous historical truths for all the world to see.

A screenwriter couldn't make this up.

Funny I should mention that. I am also on the lookout for a silenced screenwriter who penned a knockout screenplay about South Australia's controversial (bleep!) Government era. The mystery writer was brought to my attention in 2014 by an old -chool filmmaker at a networking do in Adelaide, although his name was never mentioned.

The screenplay allegedly rocked the establishment to the core, resulting in the writer being threatened with serious legal action (and probably gaol time) if the proposed film was ever produced. Given that Adelaide has a penchant for gaoling innocent local folk, it's fortunate that the writer not only bypassed the slammer but got out of the scandal alive. Phew! They sure don't like true stories being told in that there great southern land.

I suggested that we track down the writer and urge him to resurrect his screenplay. To my surprise, I was met with an indignant response from the filmmaker that went something like this:

'Oh no. South Australians aren't interested in historical truth. It wouldn't do them any good to see a film about the (bleep!) era. They would rather mind their own business and pretend it didn't happen.'

And that was the end of that conversation.

This Makes 'Don's Party' Look Like A Tea Party

In closing, now that increasing numbers of child abuse victims are emerging from the shadows to share their harrowing stories in the public domain, I hope the mystery South Australian screenwriter comes out of his hidey-hole if he is still on this earth. And if the establishment has another hissy fit, let them. Every writer has the right to write the truth. Lest we forget.

Otherwise, perhaps an accomplished screenwriter can be funded to take on this intriguing project. Funded? In Australia? Yes. It's been way too long between factual Australian political films and this will make 'Don's Party' look like a mundane, 70's sex and power romp.

I envisage that rather than focusing on the lewd sex crimes committed against children by South Australia's secret pedophile rings, the film would primarily explore the exciting reforms, arts revolution, scandals and boisterous rumour mills of the day. It would also shine a subtle spotlight on how and why certain power-drunk, elite individuals the world over have a tendency to succumb to the disturbing mental illness known as pedophilia - and failure to see anything wrong with having sex with children.

It is a heinous crime to have sex with children.

Truth Heals

Here we are in 2019. Pedophile victims of elite South Australian evilites still live in fear of being killed if their stories are told. A concrete 80-year suppression order protects hundreds of pedophiles named in the Mulligan Inquiry and the police department still refuses media interviews about the existing pedophile scourge.

Worse still, South Australian politicians still avoid the truth like the plague and go about their business as if none of it ever happened. Reminiscent of avoiding the truth about the shameful, wrongful imprisonment of Henry Keogh.

Time for the 'political class' to stand up for the protection of children and justice instead of pedophiles and judicial systems bought by powerful monied men and women.

It's time, South Australia. The truth heals.

In closing, if you happen to cross paths with the mystery screenwriter in question or an accomplished screenwriter looking for a gobsmacker of a true story to write, please let them know that they can safely direct their pitch to Netflix, Amazon or Apple. It has been reported that these companies are champing at the bit for compelling political true stories.

Woo hoo.

What is about the Aussie gov and its poorly covered-up coverups? You've stirred up some long forgotten memories: Ever hear of the "Cochin Connection"? I became involved in this saga as a very minor bit player through a series of very strange, almost impossible coincidences.

Hi Paul - good question - they're not the brightest buttons on the global political scene, are they? And no I haven't heard of the Cochin Connection. Growing up with upsetting politics concerning my Estonian dad turned me into a political obliviate for most of my life. In fact, it was only a couple of years ago that I decided to un-obliviate myself. I will research the Cochin Connection. Are you going to write about your experiences? Sounds intriguing.Thank you for sharing.

This story doesn't appear to have made Australian headlines - but that's not unusual. The Channel 9 scandal and wrongful imprisonment attempt in Adelaide that wrecked my life for awhile, didn't rate a mention either. The perks of being a media owner, I guess. All I could find was a Feb 1984 article by India Today and an Oct 2018 New Indian Express article, 'A Drug Bust Revisited'. Turns out about five Hollywood screenwriters had a crack at adapting the Cochin Connection book but author Brian Milgate wasn't satisfied with any of them. He has since written his own screenplay and is in talks with 'Mollywood' producers (thought it was Bollywood?). It will be a bilingual production, in Malayalam and English. Good on him. Perhaps you can contact him about your experiences.

Jeepers! The floodgates have really opened up. The 80's were drug-fuelled years with a prominent Mafia stranglehold the world over, it seems. In the late 80's when I was labelled a 'Mafia Godmother' by South Australian law enforcers and accused of running a heroin and major theft racket, alongside many other character assassinating, baseless accusations, I could never figure out why. Especially the heroin bit. In fact, it wasn't until I had a conversation with family members last year about being filmed by the KGB in 1992 that I realised why that may have been suspected.

I had a childhood friend who became a heroin addict/mule and prostitute with ties to some of Australia's most notorious crime bosses. I tried to help her get off the stuff for a couple of decades. She kept turning up for help from time to time and reappeared on the scene in the midst of the unfolding Channel 9 scandal. I even had messages from local Mafia identities asking if I was writing a book about them. I sent a message back assuring them I wasn't, but ended up with a dead blackbird on my doorstep anyway. Phew!

As for the bullets fired through the radio station window during that time, I couldn't work out where they came from either but now suspect they were Mafia related - probably linked to me trying to rescue my heroin friend.