1998 my brother B.M. was a 16 year old… I guess your average boy growing up looking at what he was missing out in the so-called evil world….
Concluding already at this age of 16, that there was already so much hypocrisy with-in the GRC my brother started to buck the trend of conformity.
He then faced fierce & stern discipline from mum & dad at home & the ministry, this caused him further to rebel & not comply with a hypocritical culture that says do one thing & then they do another.
We often passed sporting fields on Sunday mornings & see people with their children playing netball, rugby league & soccer.
B.M. would always make some comment under his breath in the back of the car & say, “Look at those people they have a life & are happy”
He would often get reprimanded for such comments & told, “All those people are going to hell”
And that he should feel privileged that he was saved from an eternal death (all fear & morbid comments to make him feel honoured of being apart of a elite society known as the GRC, Gods one & only chosen body to make it to heaven.)
As time passed in 1998 B.M. was more & more disassociated & unhappy with hypocrisy at the functions within the Sydney GRC affiliated regime.
Often told not to take communion, ostracised from group activities, told not to attend young peoples.
So now looking back at all this you can see the perfect example how they can push people away that don’t fall into conformity.
Eventually… B.M. still didn’t want to conform pressing on with his desire to just live a normal life in which mum & dad kept trying to tell him he had a more then normal life repeating the same old propaganda of GRC totalitarian leadership.
So eventually Mick Brydon had placed a decision upon my parents that if B.M. didn’t want to conform or be there.
That they should not provide him with a roof over his head any longer & kick him out on to the streets if this is where he wanted to belong.
So in 1998 B.M. at 16 years of age he was forced out of the family home & told if he doesn’t want the Lord he can live on the streets.
Faced with nowhere to go it was here B.M. began his life as a kid on the streets.
In his unwillingness to conform B.M. stood at the prospects of living on the street & having to fend for himself at 16.
Now before we start to judge, I don’t condone the activities my brother did as a street kid but when a child is forced to live upon the streets with no help he turned toward some criminal activities to survive & started with the use of illicit drugs use such as Marijuana & Ice.
He led a lifestyle of complete lawlessness & stole to clothe himself & to eat.
Eventually the law caught up with my brother, he was charged with auto theft & looked at the possible sentence of prison term.
The turn around
B.M. sat in a Parramatta gaol cell awaiting a court hearing it was here he was sitting with some serious & hardened criminals & he realised that he wasn’t a hardened criminal & was hoping for a way out.
He was appointed a Salvation Army Officer representative who told the courts they would like the court to show him some leniency & give them (Salvation Army) time to rehabilitate him.
So he was lucky enough to be given sometime to change his way & get some assistance.
It was here B.M. was placed in temporary boarding housing & took on casual employment tasks affiliated with Salvation Army operations (charitable activities feeding homeless etc) Anyhow B.M. now had a roof over his head & had ceased criminal activities & kicked the habit of regular drug use.
In 1999 B.M. was introduced to a man Jeff Gambin a Multi millionaire who gives a tremendous amounts of time toward charitable work.
It was here B.M. spent a lot of his time helping Jeff Gambin’s daily operations through the organization he runs called Just Enough Faith ( www.justenoughfaith.org )
Now I have met this man Jeff Gambin in person & found him to be one of the most compassionate & sincere persons I have ever come across who gives generously & has so much time for those much more unfortunate then us.
This person has more heart & compassion then most of those that I knew in the GRC pty ltd.
This Man Jeff Gambin helped my brother & shaped him into a better person he also introduced him to 2 more interesting people Don & Margie McIntyre http://www.dicksmithfoods.com.au/dsf/index.php?d=news&p=47 )
It was here B.M. found himself working as deck hand on the Ice Breaker ship The Sir Hubert Wilkins which was co owned by the McIntyres & Dick Smith.
B.M. was asked in 2000 when a position fell vacant to go on an Antarctic Expedition.
By now he was rubbing shoulders with some influential people ( Daily Telegraph Editoral writer PIERS AKERMAN …. TV presenter SIMON NASH…. Australian Entrepreneur DICK SMITH…..
My Brother was well & truly a different person as his life was taking shape & re-educated & helped by those who cared to help him as he helped himself.
So here it was my brother travelling to parts of the world that we may never goto, venturing out with film crews to make documentaries & going on diving expeditions in remote places.
Certainly a remarkable turn around for someone who was considered to be a misfit within the GRC & was expelled at the age of 16 when its so important when developing into a young man & still in need of love & caring.
But he was dumped on the scrap heap he was ridiculed as those who attended the Sydney Gospel Truth here in Sydney spoke of B.M. as he was some piece of garbage who was a thorn in the side.
I am proud of my brother B.M. he has achieved a lot more being outside GRC pty ltd & he done it with the help of his new friends but most of all he helped himself & has reached goals to most unreachable.
He now resides on the other side of the country in Perth he met a lovely Girl & is buying a house & runs a small business there & he is only 25… He has a bright future & doesn’t look back at anything lost.
But most of all he is truly happy and has chosen to move on positively.
One thing is B.M. has been urged to write a autobiography of his rise from tragic events being expelled by a Cult (GRC) & his own family & forced to live on the streets… & how he had risen above all this to make achievements & how he overcome adversity being told he wouldn’t be blessed without God in his life.
I hope one day if he has spare time that he will write of his experience within the cult & being expelled at 16 living on the streets & rising to a better life with the help of people who are criticised as men pleasers.
I just wish I was more supportive of him back then as I also was guilty of ostracising him I’m just glad we are close now.
That’s the story in a nutshell about my brother B.M.
Robust_18@yahoo.com.au
