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ohtobeleah · 11 months

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Goodbye, Goodbye // Jake Seresin

-> A Terms of Endearment Blurb

Summary: Jake & Amilia have been trying for a year, when they do fall pregnant it leads to a much bigger discovery and an even bigger heart heartbreak.

Warnings: Pregnancy journey. Pregnancy talk. Miscarriage. Ovarian Cancer. Jake Seresin x OC reader. PLEASE READE THE WARNINGS

Word Count: 4.2k

Author Note: Day Twenty One of Whumptober. Prompt I chose: Near Death Experience. Thank you to @ailesswhumptober for the prompt list.

Whumptober Masterlist | Main Masterlist

The love between Jake Seresin and Amilia Fisher was as fierce as love could be. It was no secret to anyone around them that they had a love that burned so deep and so profound that they would forever and always be each other’s end game. Each other's soul mates. For all that they had been through and worked on, new love grew in the form of healed wounds and new trust.

They had, for what it was worth—survived The Great War.

“I can’t keep doing this.” Amilia sighed as she crawled into bed beside her husband with yet another negative pregnancy test. “It’s been twelve months of constant let downs.” She frowned at the stupid plastic first response she knew she shouldn’t buy but kept repurchasing anyway. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I can’t keep doing this to myself Jake.”

Amilia laid her head on Jake's shoulder as he sat up in their bed. The two of them had been trying for one whole year. One whole year of negative pregnancy tests. One whole year old preconception vitamins. One whole year of sperm health tables. One whole year of tips and tricks Amilia’s Flo app had given her. One whole year of prime positions and menstrual cycle tracking and temperature monitoring and diet changes.

One whole year of nothing by failed attempts and broken hearts.

“I know, and hey—I know we’re both on the same page about wanting this.” Jake cooed as he took the negative test from his wife’s hand. “But maybe it just isn’t our time?”

“So do we keep trying or do we go see a fertility specialist and try to figure out what’s going on?” They had been told to try and convince naturally for twelve consecutive months before reaching out to a specialist. That was the recommendation. But with every month that passed them by, Amilia grew more and more frustrated and concerned that something could be wrong.

“I think we keep trying, but do that in tandem with talking to a specialist.” Jake cooed. “I love you, I want this yeah?”

“I want this too—so bad.” Amilia could feel her bottom lip quivering. She wanted to be a mother so badly, she wanted to give Jake the chance to be a dad. He was already the best uncle to Odette and Riley, even if he was halfway across the world three months at a time. “I just don't know if I can't handle another negative test, my body is literally designed to have children and I can't even get a stupid fertilised egg to embed in me.” Jake had to laugh sympathetically as Amilia snuggled into his side with a huff. She was doing her best, he knew that.

“For all we know it could be me who's shooting blanks.” He reminded her. “We’ll talk to someone who can help us alright, but for now, let's just appreciate the time we have together before kiddos and prams and family passes and all the sleepless nights we’ll surely have.”

“I know you're frustrated.” Amilia mumbled into Jake's side. His tan torso was hot to the touch, her walking talking furnace. “You don't have to be the optimistic one all the time.”

“Trust me–” Jake admitted in the low light of their bedroom the two shared in Townsville, Australia. ”I am, but I'm not frustrated with you.” Jake felt like he had to make that clear as clear could be. “I think I'm just frustrated that we’re kinda told that if you have sex you get pregnant and die.” It was an over exaggeration of the poor sex education system, but Jake pretty much nailed it. “And now that we’re trying, it just sucks that it hasn't happened the way I always thought it would.”

“Makes me jealous of Fe for getting pregnant so easily.” Amilia felt awful saying it, but she knew her husband wouldn't spill her horrid thoughts. “Riley was a thought and then she was real in the span of a year and Nicky well, we both know Nicky was a little oopsie baby, our children, if we keep going at this rate will have sixty five year old parents in their teens.”

“How do people do it.'' Jake sighed as he sunk a little lower into the bed and pulled his wife into his chest. “Oopsie babies, I mean–I just don't get it, how do you not know?”

“We’re horrible people aren't we?” Amilia chuckled to herself as she curled into her husband. They were ready for the next big phase in life, but something was holding them back from stepping into parenthood. Some divine intervention that was telling them now wasn't their time. But my god did they both want it just as bad as each other.

“Hmm, maybe.” Jake kissed Amilias shoulder softly as he revelled in the scent of her body wash. “But no one needs to know, and all those people out there getting pregnant the first time round? They’re just overachievers.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~

Amilias period was four days late. She initially didn't think much of it because she knew when she got stressed it messed with her cycle, but something deep inside her was telling her to take just one more test. Something was telling her that if she took just one more, that it would be the positive she had been praying for.

“If you’re fucking with me man I’m gonna be pissed.” She wasn’t a religious person, but Amilia believed that there was something bigger than herself out there. So as the little stick sat upside down on the counter of her bathroom vanity—she spoke to whatever the hell that bigger idea was. “I’m serious, I can’t take it.”

The timer felt obnoxious, but Amilia jumped as the silence in her bathroom was broken by the set standard alarm her phone rang with. Three entire minutes had passed and she was standing on the edge of a cliff she knew that she’d jump off if that plastic stick was negative. She couldn’t do it anymore, it was torture.

“Alright, fuck it.” She groaned as she reached out to check the pregnancy test. To Amelia's surprise though it wasn’t what she had originally been expecting. “Oh my god—“ It was positive. Her first positive. “No fucking way.” Two very pink very clear very there lines were looking back at Amilia as she cupped a hand over her mouth and crouched down. Her knees felt weak, she had to remind herself to breathe or else she was going to pass out from the pure joy that was pulsing through her veins.

“Holy shit, I’m pregnant!” Amilia had thought about all the different ways she could have told her husband that they were expecting, she even had one of those ‘Hi Daddy’ newborn onesie tucked away somewhere deep in their closet for a rainy day. But as her feet hit the pavement of the Townville Naval base, Amilia made a B-line for the administration building to get herself a visitors pass.

“Your wife’s looking for you.” Gucci told Jake as he caught up with him in one of the hallways. “She’s in G building.”

“Oz is on base?” Jake replied with caution lacing his words.

“I just saw her, she asked if I saw you to send you her way.” Jake wasn’t about to stick around and play twenty one questions with his wingman. He let his feet carry him over to G building where he’d been told his wife was looking for him. Jake's locker was in G building, so was the canteen he frequented and the rec room he liked the most—so it was only natural for Amilia to assume that would be the easiest place to start.

“Oz?” Jake cooed as he rounded a particular corner and saw the back of his wife’s head. “What are you doing here? Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

Without question or any explanation, Amilia ran towards her husband with a smile so bright and a laugh so full of joy that it nearly knocked Jake to the ground. She jumped into his unexpecting arms that were quick to catch her as her legs wrapped around his wide but muscular frame.

“Babe!?”

“I’m pregnant!” Two words, it took just two words for Jake Seresins heart to implode in his chest. “We’re pregnant Jake we fucking did it!”

“You’re pregnant?” Jake never thought his heart could get any bigger, but he knew in that very moment his heart grew—it imploded and grew back twice the size it originally was to cater for the little life the two of them had created. “Are—are you sure?”

Amilia Fisher couldn’t be sure until she had a blood test done, but when the ten pregnancy test she took all from different brands came up as fat as fuck positives—she knew they couldn’t be lying. She was pregnant.

“I’m sure, I’m so sure Jake, we’re gonna be parents!”

Jake sat his wife back down on the ground but he never let her go. He kissed her with enough passion and love to have her heart fluttering inside her chest and her lungs burning with desire. His hands cupped her flushed with heat cheeks so she couldn’t pull away—and through the entire embrace, Amilia couldn’t stop smiling against her husband's lips.

“Holy shit we’re pregnant!” Jake let his forehead settle against his wife’s. “Oz, I love you so very much.”

“We’re gonna have a baby Seresin.” Amilia laughed as she ran the pad of her thumb across Jake's cheek. “Us, you and me, with a baby.”

“Half you half me huh.” Jaked cooed, he was over the moon. Amilia widened her eyes in response before she laughed, they were having the baby they had dreamed of having.

“Oh god what a combo—“

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~

“You’ll need to make an appointment with an OBGYN for an ultrasound at around six to eight weeks.” With a single blood test, the pregnancy that Jake and Amilia had been waiting for had been officially confirmed. “But congratulations, you are very much pregnant, Mrs Seresin.”

“You hear that Oz?” Jake cooed as he squeezed Amilias hand in the doctor's office. “Very pregnant.”

The two were keeping everything on the downlow, Amilia, albeit very excited and full of joy to finally experience her biggest wish—wanted to wait till she was out of the first trimester until her and Jake started telling the people closer to them. However, that didn’t stop Jake from telling you, his closest friend, his sister, his person.

“Amilias pregnant!?” You shouted down the phone. “Oh my god congratulations! How far along is she?”

“Uh—we just left the doctors office like five minutes ago, four weeks?” Jake looked over to where his wife sat in the passenger's seat, beaming at your reaction over the loudspeaker. “She’s here with me.”

“Oz! You’re pregnant oh my god!” You wanted to cry, Jake was going to be an amazing dad and Amilia was going to be the best mum. That kid was already so loved at conception. “I’m so happy for the two of you, I’m gonna have to tell Rooster you know that right?”

“I never thought this day would actually come but yeah, we’re pregnant.” Amilia reached out for her husband's hand before he brought it up to his lips. “And yeah, that’s fine, but don’t tell the cowboy alright I wanna tell Rhett myself.”

“So he can tell you that you’re an idiot?” You laughed as you sat in the livingroom at midnight, feeding little Nicky. Bradley was on a mission which left you outnumbered three to one.

“Yeah, but I know he cares.” Amilia and Rhett Abbott were quite close for two people who pretended like they couldn’t stand one another.

***~***~***~***~***~***~***

The happiness didn’t last for very long. Seven weeks into Amilias first and what would ultimately be last, something went wrong. The kitchen was buzzing with music as she chopped up a quick garden salad to go with dinner, sausages Jake was cooking on the barbecue. She hadn’t changed out of her pyjamas all day, and had barely gotten out of bed. But as six o’clock rolled around on Saturday afternoon, Amilia felt a little more like herself and hoisted herself up.

“Almost finished with these bad boys.” Jake called out over his shoulder through the window that led back into the kitchen, he could see his wife, the love of his life in the corner of his eye. “How’s that salad looking?”

“Diced and chopped daddio—“ Amilia teased as she flicked the rest of the cherry tomatoes off the chopping board into the bowl. “I’ve just gotta add the—“ Oh, that didn’t feel good.

“Add the what babe?” Jake thought he just didn’t hear what Amilia had said, he thought he had just missed the tail end of her sentence, but she’d stopped mid sentence at the feeling of her lower abdomen cramping, like a bad period pain. “Oz?” Jake frowned as he cut the gas and took the sausages off the hot plate.

“The cheese.” Amilia clenched her jaw as she tried to breathe through the pain, it only got worse with every breath she took. “I just have to add the—Ahh!” It felt like someone had stabbed a hot knife into her and had begun to drag the aerated edge across her body. “Ahh—“

“Amilia!” Jake had all but forgotten the tray of sausages he was carrying in when he saw his wife on the floor in a heap, curling into herself to try and stop the pain. “Hey, what’s wrong, hey—?”

Breathe, in out, in out. She was fine.

“Babe I can’t help if you don’t te—“ The blood told Jake all he needed to know before Amilia could even begin to get her words out. “Oh god—no.”

“Jake—“ Her husband's name was the only thing Amilia could will herself to speak as she saw the blood between her legs, seeping into her pyjama pants. The same pyjama pants she’d been in all day because she just hadn’t felt well. “I’m fine, we’re okay, we’re fine, we’re, aaahh—!”

Everyone needs just one person in their lives who say things like ‘You got this’ ‘I believe in you’ and ‘You will find courage and energy in yourself that you normally wouldn’t have had before.’

But more importantly, that person needs to also say the things that no one wants to hear. And if things were to go wrong? They would be there in the mud for whatever reason.

Jake was that person for Amilia Fisher-Seresin. He had the ability to say something’s wrong when she couldn’t bring herself to believe it.

“Honey, I think we need to get you up to the hospital.” He had the ability to worry, to care and understand that something was horribly wrong and that there shouldn’t be this much blood or this much pain when it came to implantation bleeding and spotting. Amilia was having what Jake could only assume to be a miscarriage and all he could do in that moment was put his own feelings of grief and sorrow aside to help the only woman he’d ever truly loved. “It’s alright, I’ve got you.”

“No no no no no—“ Amilia cried as she bawled her fists into the cotton of Jake's t-shirt before her tears strained the white fabric. He could smell the iron in the air. “Jake—“ She sobbed. “Our baby, somethings wrong.”

“Let me take you to the emergency room sweetheart.” Jake had to hold his own tears back, this wasn’t what he pictured would happen when Amilia had told them they were gonna have a baby together. “Please? I have to make sure you’re alright baby, your bleeding and—“ Jake knew he had to say it. “You are what’s important right now, you and your health baby because I can lose that baby, I can deal with that grief but I can’t lose you both alright.” Jake felt his wife’s heart shattering as she screamed into his embrace right there on the kitchen floor. “I can’t lose you both alright so I need you to let me get you some help.”

Jake thought he was a pretty tough guy, but as his wife cried in his arms bleeding as she lost their baby on the kitchen floor, he knew he wasn’t strong enough to handle this without a support system. He needed you. He needed your strength and resistance and your determination and strength to get through this. He needed you to hold him up because his knees felt weak but he had to get up. He needed to be there for his wife through everything.

“I’m sorry—“ Amilia sobbed as Jake carried her out to the car koala style. He was going to be covered in blood but that didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered besides getting Amilia the care she needed. “I’m so sorry.”

“You haven’t done anything wrong sweetheart.” Jake cooed. “Not a damn thing.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***

“We had to give her a sedative in order to examine your wife, Mr. Seresin.” Time was a fickle thing, it was neither here nor there. “She’s asleep, but for what’s it worth she’s incredibly lucky to be alive right now.” Jake could feel his phone ringing in his back pocket—you had been calling non-stop for updates ever since Amilia was taken back for an ultrasound to confirm what everyone already believed to be a miscarriage.

But he’d never remember just how he ended up standing outside his wife’s hospital room in oncology just four hours after he’d brought her into the emergency room. Jake hadn’t even had a chance to change his shirt.

“It’s critical—if we don’t get in there and operate soon, it’s hard to tell how much time she’ll actually have.” The Doctor didn’t sound like he was making any sense, Jake couldn’t process anything he was telling him. This didn’t make sense, none of it did.

“Ovarian cancer?” Jake tried to wrap his head around how his wife, how Amilia, could have ovarian cancer. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s aggressive, from the scans alone I’d say critical.” Again, nothing Doctor Thomas was saying made any sense to Jake. “Mr. Seresin, has your wife ever experienced any pain during intercourse? Painful cramps outside her normal period or—“

“Not that I’m aware of, no.” Jake knew Amilia like the back of his own hand, so the news of her diagnosis on the back of losing their child was far too much for him to handle. “What does she need? Treatment wise?”

“I can't say for certain without exploring her reproductive system more closely but if the ovaries are too far gone, we’re recommending a full hysterectomy.” Jake's brain was trying its best to compute all the little bits of information being given to him as he watched Amilia sleep. She looked as peaceful as she could be. “If the cancer is as aggressive as we believe it to be, if we leave behind any viable tissue it could spread–the miscarriage was a direct result of the tumours constricting her reproductive organs, it's a miracle she was able to convince to begin with.”

“We’d been trying for a year–” Jake explained softly, his entire world was crashing around him. All that he knew, all that he hoped for in the future was crumbling. “We had an appointment with a fertility specialist the month she fell pregnant, we never ended up going because we ended up pregnant.”

“I'm very sorry for your loss–” Doctor Thomas sympathised as he placed his hand on Jake's shoulder. The mullet kinda took away from the seriousness of his tone. “But I truly believe the miscarriage your wife suffered saved her life.” It was a take Jake never thought he’d have on such a horrid situation. “It would have killed her, she’s a very lucky woman, the blood she lost wasn't just from the miscarriage but from one of the worst ovarian torsions I’ve ever seen.”

There was so much blood, far too much blood for Jake to ever forget. He grew up on a farm, his uncle owned an abitur, he knew that humans held a lot of blood but when you physically see that much blood coming from someone you love it's hard to comprehend the magnitude of the destruction until after the fact.

“Your wife is scheduled for surgery earlier tomorrow morning, it's after visiting hours but given the circumstances i've already organised for a cot to be bright up so you can stay with her.”

“If you can't save her life without the hysterectomy, I want you to do it.” Jake nodded as he let a few stray tears fall down his cheeks. “Yeah–yeah if it's all or nothing just do it.” He pressed his lips into a fine line to try and stop his bottom lip from quivering. “But if there's even a slither of hope that you don't have to, please–just try and give her a chance, she wants to be a mum so bad.”

“I understand Mr. Seresin.” Doctor Thomas replied. “This isn't my first rodeo.”

“Unlucky for you.” Jake tried to chuckle as he crossed his arms over his chest. “It's mine.”

“Everyone I ever meet for these types of cases is their first, and if I can offer one piece of advice I’d say that there are other ways to be parents, adoption, foster care.” Doctor Thomas knew by the gaze in Jake's eyes that he was mentally checking out of the conversation. “Go be with your wife, i'll be by in the morning for post ops.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***

By the time Amilia was coming to in her groggy and drugged out state, Jake had already had a good cry in the dark. The hospital room was dimly lit, Jake didn't want his wife to wake up to the harsh fluorescent lights. Hell he didn't want her to wake up in general. He wanted her to stay sleeping peacefully forever, blissfully unaware of the horrors that awaited her when she woke.

“Hey there Oz.” Jake cooed as he brushed Amilias hair from her face. “I've got you baby, I'm here.” It felt like time had stood still since she first screamed out in pain in the kitchen. Jake knew when he got home that ants would be everywhere from the sausages that had fallen from the tray he carried in and the salad you never put away. “Shhh i've got you Amilia, I’m here.”

“I lost our baby.” Amilia hadn’t even opened her eyes properly and she was already incredibly aware of the heaviness in her chest. The grief she felt inside her soul. “Jake–I lost our baby.”

“It's not your fault sweetheart.” Jake sat as close as he possibly could to his wife's bedside. “We lost our baby, I know, I know and it hurts, it hurts so much but Amilia, it's not so simple.” Jake had been dreading having this conversation, he didn't know how to tell his wife she was going in for surgery. That she was sick, that she had ovarian cancer and that they may have to perform a full hysterectomy just to save her life. “The doctors figured out why it took us so long to conceive.”

“It's me, isn't it.” It broke Jake's heart to nod, but that didn't mean he thought his wife was broken. “What's wrong with me?”

“You uh–” Jake couldn't stop himself from sobbing as he stood to climb into the hospital bed to hold his wife. “You're okay, that's the main thing okay, and you're gonna be fine once the surgery is over and I'm gonna be by your side through everything.”

“I just lost our baby, I don't think I'll ever be alright again.”

“You didn't lose our baby sweetheart, you have ovarian cancer–that's what caused the miscarriage, that's what, that's what stopped us from conceiving earlier.” Jake explained as simply and as slowly as possible as he held Amilia close to him and kissed her forehead. “Losing our baby saved your life.”

“Jake, I don't have cancer.” Amilia scoffed as she shrugged him off. “Why would you even say that right now?” Jake was caught between a rock and a hard place, he didn't know what to do or what to say. “What are you even talking about right now?” That's when it hit, Jake physically saw the moment Amilia was able to process what he had said. “Oh–” Her shoulders slumped as she settled back into him. “Oh no, no no no no I can't, I can't, I don't–”

“Shhh.” Jake cooed as he wrapped his wife back into his arms. “I'm here, I've got you, you're okay.” For everything the two had been through this was certainly about to be their biggest battle, but Jake Seresin was adamant that he would be there every step of the way. “Our baby saved your life, and I'll never be able to thank them enough.”

“How bad is it?” Amilia sobbed into Jake's chest. “The cancer? And be honest Jake, please dont lie to me.”

“It's bad enough.” Jake sobbed as he held Amilia closer than he ever had before. “I'm just grateful you're alive.”

***~***~***~***~***~***~***

Whumptober Tags 🏷️ @xoxabs88xox @oldermenaremyreligion @slut-f0r-u @emma-is-cool @armydrcamers @topguncortez @topgun-imagines @kmc1989 @els-marvelvsp @blindedbythelightt

#ailesswhumptober2023 #terms of endearment// bradley bradshaw #terms of endearment // jake seresin #jake seresin x female oc #jake seresin whump #tw: miscarriage #tw: ovarian cancer

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taz-clark · 2 months

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YOU WERE 11??!?!?1 FORGET "why would you give your newborn to a stranger" HWY WOULD YOU HAND YOUR NEWBORN OFF TO A STRANGE **CHILD** that tag anecdote has me shook

lemme just link that post for peeps who missed it coz it sounds even worse out of context XD forgive my lack of details, coz i was 11yrs old at the time. im 35 now. yikes.

So! i was on vacation with the family at a theme park. i dont recall which one exactly but i think it was Dream World (QLD, Australia). It was me, my baby brother and my mother and i think my aunt? there was another adult with us who was NOT my father.

The adults wanted to go on a rollercoster and left me and my lil bro (he was maybe 3yrs old?) to wait on this bench kinda near the entrance.

this happened alot. i did not have good parents. babysitter? who needs one, Taz has been old enough to be the babysitter since she was 8.

So like the good lil whelp i am, i wait with my baby bro and a woman; aka a total fucking stranger, walks up to me with her pram and asks me to watch her baby for her while she goes on the ride too.

i dont remember agreeing to that but i guess i must have?? or maybe this stranger didn't care either way. but i was now in charge of a very small, very squishy looking baby.

NOTHING HAPPENED. thank fuck. the adults all came 5mins later. the stranger took her child back and i never seen them again.

but somewhere in this world is a 24-ish year old, and to that person, your mother just gave you to a random 11yr old girl to look after in a theme park. for a solid 5 minutes i was your protector.

im so sorry.

#milkshakebattlecat #early 2000's was a wild time #weird shit like that happened all the time to me #i'll never find who that person was #but can you imagine if i could?#hit me up. we need to talk about your parents terrible choices

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olympic-paris · 19 days

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THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more …

September 5

1912 – John Cage (d.1992) was an American experimental music composer, writer and visual artist. He is most widely known for his 1952 composition 4'33". The score instructs the performer not to play the instrument during the entire duration of the piece—four minutes, thirty-three seconds—and is meant to be perceived as consisting of the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed.

Cage was an early composer of what he called 'chance music' — music where some elements are left to be decided by chance; he is also well known for his non-standard use of musical instruments and his pioneering exploration of electronic music. His works were sometimes controversial, but he is generally regarded as one of the most important composers of his era, especially in his raising questions about the definition of music.

Along with painters Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, John Cage and his life partner choreographer, Merce Cunningham became a part of a circle of young gay artists whose ideas challenged the macho, self-expressive Abstract Expressionists, who were to dominate the 1950s New York art scene. They developed an alternative creative process that has become the hallmark of post-modern art.

On August 11, 1992, while preparing evening tea for himself and Cunningham, Cage suffered another stroke. He was taken to the nearest hospital, where he died on the morning of August 12 The composer's death occurred only weeks before a celebration of his 80th birthday organized in Frankfurt by the composer Walter Zimmermann and the musicologist Stefan Schaedler was due to take place. However, the event went ahead as planned, including a performance of the Concert for Piano and Orchestra by David Tudor and Ensemble Modern. Merce Cunningham outlived his partner by 17 years, and died peacefully in his home, of natural causes, on July 26, 2009.

1943 – Jack Charles is an Australian Aboriginal actor, musician, potter, and Aboriginal elder. His screen credits include the landmark Australian film The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978), Bedevil (1993), Blackfellas (1993), Tom White (2004) and Pan (2015), among others.

Born to a Bunurong mother and Wiradjuri father at Cummeragunja Mission on the Murray River, Charles was a victim of the Australian Government's forced assimilation programme which took him from his mother as an infant. He was long of the mistaken belief he was a Koori. He was raised in the Salvation Army Boys' Home at Box Hill, suburban Melbourne, where he was the only Indigenous child and where he was sexually abused.

Charles received a Christian education from the Salvation Army and continued to observe Christian values into his 70s when he told Geraldine Doogue,

"I've employed my Aboriginality as my religion now ... instead of God, I've found that the Godhead is within me ... I'm solely directed towards making an accommodation between Black and White."

In 1970, the director of the New Theatre Melbourne, Dot Thompson, cast Charles in Athol Fugard's The Blood Knot and this was followed by a non-Aboriginal role in Rod Milgate's A Refined Look at Existence.

Charles was involved in establishing Indigenous theatre in Australia. In 1971 he co-founded, with Bob Maza, Nindethana ('place for a corroboree') at The Pram Factory in Melbourne, Australia's first Indigenous theatre group. Their first hit play was called Jack Charles is Up and Fighting, in 1972, and included music composed by him.

In 1972, Charles auditioned for the role of the Australian Indigenous title character in the television show Boney but was declined because they were "looking for an actor with blue eyes". The job went to New Zealand-born James Laurenson who wore black face make-up for the role.

In 1974, Charles played Bennelong in the Old Tote Theatre production of Michael Boddy's Cradle of Hercules which was presented at the Sydney Opera House as part of its opening season. Also in the cast was a very young David Gulpilil.

Stage work includes Jack Davis' play No Sugar for the Black Swan Theatre Company in Perth.

Charles was the subject of Amiel Courtin-Wilson's 2008 documentary Bastardy which followed him for seven years. The film's tagline describes him as: "Addict. Homosexual. Cat burglar. Actor. Aboriginal." The film was in the official selection for Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney and Sheffield Doc/Fest film festivals.

In 2010, Ilbijerri Theatre staged Charles' one-man show called Jack Charles v The Crown at the Melbourne Festival. Charles was nominated for a Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Play for this performance. Jack Charles v The Crown has since toured across Australia and internationally. In 2012, he performed in the Sydney Festival production I am Eora.

Charles played Chief Great Little Panther in Joe Wright's 2015 film Pan.

In 2016, Charles played the role of Uncle Paddy in two episodes of the television horror drama series Wolf Creek. Also in 2016, he played the role of Uncle Jimmy in the television drama series Cleverman.

Charles was for most of his adult life a petty thief and drug addict. He was sentenced to imprisonment 22 times and convicted twice as many times, mainly for burglary and drug offences. His first conviction was entered when he was 17 for the offence of leaving his foster home without the permission of his foster parents. In breach of a forced assimilation order, driven by curiosity about his race, he had been seeking out members of his tribe in Melbourne. He later commented, half-jokingly, that his cat burglary endeavours in luxury districts such as Kew, Melbourne, were rent-collecting missions on Aboriginal land.

1944 – Dario Bellezza (d.1996) was an Italian poet, author and playwright. He won the Viareggio, Gatto, and Montale prizes.

Dario Bellezza was born in Rome on 5 September 1944. After his studies at a liceo classico in his native city, from which he graduated in 1962, he worked for several Italian literary and poetry magazines: Paragone, Carte segrete, Bimestre, Periferia, and Il Policordo. He was known for various poetry collections and novels reflecting his homosexuality. He first came to prominence in the mid-1960s as a contributor to the periodical Nuovi argomenti, where he proved himself to be what a Times Literary Supplement critic called "a very young and very daring poet who unashamedly describes his homosexual exploits."

Bellezza entered the Roman intellectual world in the mid-1960s when, thanks to literary critic and writer Enzo Siciliano, he became increasingly close to Sandro Penna, Aldo Palazzeschi, Attilio Bertolucci, Alberto Moravia, and Elsa Morante, who eventually became a confidant.

The difficulty of homosexual life in Rome, particularly the requirements of secrecy and clandestinity of the love act, is a staple of Bellezza's poetic and prosaic writing. In Bellezza's first novel, L'innocenza (Innocence, 1971), Nino, the protagonist, consciously chooses the perdition and corruption of a living homosexual hell. In Bellezza's infernal world, homosexuality can be nothing else but prostitution and neurotically masochistic obsessions: in Lettere da Sodoma (Letters from Sodom, 1972), his conclusion is that everything is Hell and that the only salvation is the systematic refusal of the self.

He died of AIDS in Rome on 31 March 1996. That year, a poetry prize was established in his name.

1946 – Stephen Crohn (d.2013) was known as "the man who can't catch Aids" despite being a homosexual with a high-risk lifestyle in Los Angeles; as a result was able to make a huge contribution to scientific understanding of the disease.

In March 1982 Crohn’s partner, Jerry Green, with whom he ran a restaurant, became one of the first people to die of Aids, though the disease only acquired its name six months later. In the years that followed, Crohn lost, by his own estimation, more than 70 friends to the disease. Yet even though he had taken no special precautions and remained sexually active, every time he went to be tested the results were negative.

In the early 1990s his case came to the attention of Bill Paxton, a scientist at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York who had been looking for gay men who seemed resistant to infection. With a colleague, David Ho, Paxton exposed Crohn’s blood cells, and those of another volunteer, to HIV.

HIV causes infection by penetrating a type of white blood cell known as CD4, locking into two receptors on the outside of the cell. But the scientists found that the HIV, even at concentrations thousands of times higher than those that occur outside the laboratory, could not penetrate Crohn’s CD4 cells. The reason, they discovered, was that one of the cell receptors, known as CCR5, was genetically flawed, preventing HIV from getting through. The variation, which appears to have no other effect on health, positive or negative, is known as the “delta 32 mutation” and occurs in less than one per cent of the population.

The research into Crohn’s immune system led to the development of maraviroc, a drug that blocks the CCR5 receptor and is used to prevent infection spreading in patients who have contracted the virus. In 2006, an Aids patient in Germany was pronounced cured after receiving bone marrow transplants from a donor who had the mutation.

In later life he ran support groups for Aids patients and made sure that the lives of all his friends who had died of the disease were commemorated with a square on the huge Aids Memorial Quilt, which now consists of more than 48,000 hand-sewn panels.

But despite his contribution to scientific knowledge about Aids, according to his family Crohn suffered from an all-consuming sadness about friends who had died. On August 24 2013 he took his own life.

Crohn was the great-nephew of Burrill Crohn, a gastroenterologist who first described the inflammatory bowel disease that carries his name. Crohn himself felt that by helping scientists he was carrying on the family tradition.

1946 – For two decades, Freddie Mercury (d.1991) was the front man of one of the world's most popular rock groups, Queen. That he was able to maintain this status in spite of continued critical hostility, his flamboyant gender-bending androgyny, and questions about his sexuality is one of the more impressive accomplishments in the history of popular culture. He was also, arguably, the first Indian international rock star.

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in the British colony of Zanzibar, East Africa (now part of Tanzania) on September 5, 1946. His parents were Parsees and his father was employed in the British civil service. From the age of six, he attended boarding school near Bombay, India, and showed a considerable aptitude for art and music. It was here that he was first called "Freddie" by his classmates.

In 1964, the Bulsara family moved to England, where Freddie completed his education, graduating in 1969 from the Ealing College of Art with a diploma in art and design. Around this time he adopted the surname Mercury, naming himself after the messenger of the gods.

After college, he sold second-hand clothes in trendy flea-markets, where he met future bandmate Roger Taylor, and joined Ibex, a local London group, as a vocalist and keyboard player. In 1970, he formed a group with Taylor and Brian May (joined in 1971 by John Deacon) for which he chose the provocative name Queen.

Even in its earliest days the band was notable for its stage performances, replete with light shows, flamboyant costumes, theatrics, and loudness. The group's first album, Queen (1973), was greeted with critical hostility, as were its early live performances, a result, no doubt, of the implied queerness of its name and Mercury's effeminate, long-haired, heavily made-up stage persona. The group's breakthrough came the following year with the album Queen II, and the first big hit single, "Killer Queen," a tribute to a fabulous individual "just like Marie Antoinette" who may or may not have been female.

Within a year Queen was one of the most popular bands in the world and began a series of world tours that drew crowds often in the hundreds of thousands. From 1975 until 1983, Queen enjoyed a long string of successful best-selling recordings. These include "Bohemian Rhapsody" from the album A Night at the Opera (1975), "Somebody to Love" from A Day at the Races (1976), "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" from News of the World (1977), "Bicycle Races" and "Fat-Bottomed Girls" from Jazz (1978), "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust" from The Game (1979), and "Under Pressure" (with David Bowie, 1981).

In 1980, Mercury underwent a drastic image change that demonstrated his talent as a gender shape-shifter. Gone was the flaming, campy, "queeny" persona, replaced by a macho one, mustachioed, muscular, short-haired, and attired in an undershirt and tight-fitting jeans (he had an impressive package). The new image was not without its own camp elements, which many fans took at face value.

Mercury nevertheless continued to confound gender assumptions, performing with the rest of the band in complete drag - and full moustache - in the video I Want to Break Free (1984).

During his lifetime, Mercury made no definitive statements about his private life or sexuality, leaving the interpretation of his public image up to the individual imagination; accordingly, many fans were shocked when events made some sort of revelation inevitable. In Queen's early years, Mercury lived with a woman, Mary Austin, with whom he subsequently maintained a significant friendship; in 1980, however, they separated, and he lived thereafter until his death with Jim Hutton, supposedly his gardener.

On November 23, 1991, Freddie Mercury released a statement confirming that he suffered from AIDS, as had long been rumored. He died the following day.

Jim Hutton, who himself was tested HIV-positive in 1990, lived with Mercury for the last six years of his life, nursed him during his illness and was present at his bedside when he died. Hutton claimed that Mercury died wearing a wedding band that Hutton had given him. Hutton died from cancer on 1 January 2010.

Since Mercury's death, many tributes, including an AIDS benefit concert and a ballet choreographed by Maurice Béjart, have honored him. In 2001, he was posthumously inducted as a member of Queen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 biographical drama film about Freddie Mercury. It follows the singer's life from the formation of the band up to their 1985 Live Aid performance at the original Wembley Stadium. It was directed by Bryan Singer from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten. It stars Rami Malek as Mercury, with Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech, and Mike Myers in supporting roles. Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor served as consultants.

Bohemian Rhapsody received numerous accolades, including a leading four awards at the 91st Academy Awards for Best Actor (Malek), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing; it was also nominated for Best Picture. The film also won Best Motion Picture – Drama at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, and was nominated for the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture and BAFTA Award for Best British Film, while Malek won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA for Best Actor.

1975 – (John Paul) J. P. Calderon is an American professional volleyball player, model and reality television participant. In 2006 he was a contestant on Survivor: Cook Islands, the 13th season of the CBS reality show.The following year he became a regular member of the The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. As part of his experience he was the February 2007 cover guy of Instinct magazine. He did so again in 2008, becoming the first man to be featured on their cover twice.

He attended California State University, Long Beach, where he played for the school's nationally ranked men's volleyball team. His family is into soccer so it was a point of stress from his father that he played volleyball instead, until he started winning volleyball awards. From a young age he wanted to be a model but got negative feedback from his dad, so he stuck to sports instead. His dad was won over when Calderon modeling career took off.

Calderon was offered a pro volleyball opportunity in 1998 in Barcelona, Spain but decided instead to finish his degree. He was offered the assistant coach position for the Long Beach State University women's volleyball team. He did so for five years, first as a volunteer for three years, then paid for two more years. He credits the time as learning the differences between men's and women's volleyball styles. At the same time he got a local club coaching position at Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club, and began coaching for Junior Olympics. He began his professional volleyball career in 2004 and became a nationally ranked Association of Volleyball Professionals player.

He credits his time on Survivor: Cook Islands (2006) with opening his eyes than he controlled his choices and had options.

In 2007, Calderon began his modeling career when he joined the cast of The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. Stating that he had for a long time wished to model, Calderon came to an open casting call held in the first episode of Season 2. He said the process, and Dickinson, were fun, but they did have the models drop their modesty, and be naked, and in their underwear constantly. He was called back in episode 2 and eventually signed to the agency.

The third episode saw Calderon being approached to appear on the cover of Instinct magazine, a publication that requires that its male cover models be openly gay. Although he had been "in and around gay people and nightlife", he had not publicly talked about his sexuality to the media. He knew he was gay since high school, and even worked as a bartender in a gay bar. There were rumors that he was gay but he avoided addressing them, as well as invitations to interview with gay publications like Instinct.

Calderon came out as gay on his appearance in the February 2007 issue, their swimsuit edition, which included the cover, a photo spread, feature story and interview. He said he wasn't pressured into the decision and was supported by Dickinson. "All of my fears, everything that I was scared of… it was the complete the opposite," he said. "It's been great. All of my friends, the volleyball world, absolutely everybody has been supportive. No one has shut me out."

Dickinson, in particular, has been very supportive, and told him that her role models for being tough, driven and ambitious, were all gay men. He credits his coming out as helping him reprioritize his life. In 2009, he was also a cover model for the popular French gay magazine Têtu.

In 2012 Calderon modelled for the NOH8 Campaign created by celebrity photographer Adam Bouska, to oppose California Proposition 8 which attempted to change California's constitution to forbid same-sex marriage. Proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional in 2010, and confirmed in June 2013 following the conclusion of appeals in Hollingsworth v. Perry at the U.S. Supreme Court.

In October 2013 he became engaged to his longtime boyfriend Julz Heaney, in Hawaii. They have been together since 2007.

1987 – The Homomonument, dedicated on September 5, 1987, this gay monument is located in down-town Amsterdam, near Westerkerk and the Anne Frank Huis. This monument is a symbol against denial, suppression and discrimination. The monument also commemorates those who were victims of persecution because of their sexual orientation.

The planners also wanted to make sure that the monument didn't just honor those whom the Nazis killed, but gay and lesbian men and women who have suffered throughout the centuries and who continue to suffer today. Discrimination and oppression of the LGBT community is hardly a recent phenomenon and people still suffer greatly around the world for no reason other than being born the way they were born. The Homomonument recognizes and honors this.

As it is meant to honor both men and women, the designers were adamant that the monument wouldn't be tucked away in some dark alley, the location of which known only by those with a keen interest. It was always the intention of developers to place the monument in a central spot in Amsterdam, and the Westermakt is indeed the perfect location.

The monument was designed by Karin Daan and consists of three 10 x 10x 10 meters of triangles forming a large imaginary triangle 36 x 36 x 36 meters. A triangle is located on the Prinsengracht and it is often normal to put flowers close to it. At street level there is a triangle of granite with the text "Naar een vriendschap zulkir mateloos verlangen" ("a desire as limitless as friendship), a quote by gay poet Jacob Israel de Haan ,born in Amsterdam, who was killed in WWII. The third triangle is located near Westerkerk and is often used as a stage. The triangle was chosen because homosexuals had to wear this symbol in pink for the concentration camps. Since the seventies the triangle is often used by people proud of being gay at Gay Pride Parade.

1991 – On this date a group of ACT UP AIDS activists called "Treatment Activist Guerrillas" (TAG) accomplished one of the funniest and most outrageous bits of public activism when they literally put an enormous condom over the home of homophobe and antii-AIDS research and education Senator Jesse Helms in Arlington, Virginia. The activists knew they only had 7 minutes before the police showed up.

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#Youtube

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lihyot-am-chofshi-beartzeinu · 10 months

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how do I continue to go out into the world and behave normally? how do I take my daughter in her pram to the shops, wondering if the people around me would be silently wishing for my death had I been born in Israel instead of Australia? how do I enjoy books by my once-favourite authors, knowing that they hate the nation my mother was born in, simply because it it's a Jewish state? how do I watch my favourite movies with once-favourite actors, knowing that they blame Israel for the October 7 attacks, knowing that they refuse to condemn Hamas, knowing that they actively peddle in antisemitic conspiracy theories and repeat antisemitic dogwhistles under the guise of "Anti-Zionism"? how do I go back to my left-leaning place of work when my maternity leave is up and exist alongside colleagues who attended Pro-Palestinian rallies shouting a slogan calling for the eradication of Israel and Jews from our ancestral homeland?

I have never felt more connected to my grandparents, who felt all of this in Egypt in the 1950s. I have never felt connected to my people who felt all of this in Europe and the Middle East, again and again and again. I can't even call it bittersweet, because they surely imagined and prayed for a better future for our people, where in the more "enlightened" era of the 21st century, we would not have to face this again.

I know there are good people out there, who are as shocked and horrified by the insanity and antisemitism that has the Left in a chokehold. I hope that their voices will eventually win.

But for now. for now, I am I staring at my bookshelf of my favourite books, wondering which of these authors has called for my peoples' annihilation.

#antisemitism #leftist antisemitism

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maximumwobblerbanditdonut · 10 months

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We are beyond excited to present for the first time in Australia a tribute to the cast of Outlander... Hublander - A visit to the Highlands!

This is a convention style event, with one day each full of fun, festivities and fantastic guests not to be missed, in both Sydney and Melbourne.

Hublander will feature Sam Heughan and other Outlander guests live on stage for stories and anecdotes as well as Question & Answers. Purchase merchandise and exclusives from the dealers, or pick up rare items from the amazing raffles and auctions. Do not miss out on your chance to meet the guests and acquire autographs and professional photographs! Along with the main event, there will be an exclusive VIP panel and guest meet & greets plus so much more!

All Guests will be appearing

- in SYDNEY on Saturday 24th February 2024 - approx running time 9am to 5pm (plus at the special Platinum event on the evening of Friday 23rd)

- in MELBOURNE on Sunday 25th February 2024 - approx running time 9am to 5pm (plus at the special Platinum event on the Sunday evening)

*Note: All guests appear health and work commitments pending.

Tickets will go on sale on this website, on the following dates:

MEMBERS PRESALE: On sale 27th November 2023 - 12pm AEDT

GENERAL TICKET SALE: On sale 28th November 2023 - 12pm AEDT

This event is not recommended for persons under the age of 15, based on noise, long periods of sitting, and mature language and/or topics.

All attendees require a ticket if over the age of 2. If under the age of 2 they can sit on your lap, however you will need to contact us after purchase so we can seat you in a special section that allows easy exit from the venue. No prams are allowed in the venue.

TICKETS - ON SALE SOON

This is a seated event. All tickets include access to all general panels, including Sam Heughan's general panel. All tickets allow you the opportunity to purchase photos and/or autographs with every event guest (until photo and autograph allocations are sold out).

Please make sure to read all ticket inclusions for any ticket type you’re considering. All ticket types and prices are listed below.

Tickets are posted by mail approximately 2 weeks before the show. International ticket orders are to be collected at the door.

Payment is by Credit Card only. A $5.95 ticket handling fee and 1.74% credit card transaction fee applies to each order. There will be no manual payment options available for this event.

Tickets will go on sale on this website, on the following dates:

MEMBERS PRESALE: On sale 27th November 2023 - 12pm AEDT

GENERAL TICKET SALE: On sale 28th November 2023 - 12pm AEDT

Please note - Seating is allocated by when you purchase your tickets, so the earlier you book the better your seats will be.

The Members presale is limited for this event to 4 tickets per member. You can purchase membership via the menu on this website.

This event is not recommended for persons under the age of 15, based on noise, long periods of sitting, and mature language and/or topics.

Ticket purchases are non refundable. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for more information.

—-SYDNEY Standard Day Ticket - $200

These are ONE day tickets for the HUBLANDER event on Saturday the 24th February 2024 in SYDNEY.

Standard Day Tickets include:

– Entry to the event for full day of programming and panels on Saturday, including Sam’s general panel (no VIP panels are included in this ticket)

– Access to merchandise vendors at the event

– Opportunity to purchase autographs and professional photographs on the day for all guests.

Please note that Standard Day tickets will be seated behind the VIP ticket section. Seating is allocated based on when you make your booking.

As photograph and autograph opportunities may be sold at the event on a row by row basis, early booking is strongly recommended.

+ SYDNEY VIP Ticket - $1,100

+ SYDNEY Platinum Ticket - $1,800

+ MELBOURNE Standard Day Ticket - $200

+ MELBOURNE VIP Ticket - $1,100

+ MELBOURNE Platinum Ticket - $1,800

Sydney, Australia - TBA

Melbourne, Australia - TBA

Please note: Venues are announced after tickets have gone on sale. All event venues are typically close to the City Centre and easily accessible by public transport.

SYDNEY

HUBLANDER SCHEDULE – TBA

To see an example of a typical Hub Event schedule please click here

Approx running times for a typical event are between 9am and 5pm for Standard Day ticket holders.

VIP and Platinum ticket holders may be asked to arrive anytime between 7am and 8am.

VIP Panels are scheduled during the day.

Platinum evening events generally start anytime after 6pm and can run between 1 to 2 hours.

MELBOURNE

Can't get to an event? No problem! We can provide absentee packs of autographs from the actors appearing at our events. Absentee packs will be made available within one month of each event after any preceding events have finished.

This is a great opportunity to have your photograph taken with the guests! Each photograph token purchased is good for one photo opportunity and includes a physical copy of your photo which will be made available on the day for collection before the autograph sessions start.

Please note that photograph tokens are limited and there are no other photograph opportunities with the guests.

Photograph Opportunities are purchased at the event on the day, and are sold on a row by row basis! You can purchase tokens using cash (no additional charges) or by Credit Card (1.74% surcharge applies)

Photograph Token Prices:

- Sam Heughan - $190

More guests coming soon...

Autographs are a great opportunity to say a quick hello to your favourite guests and get a piece of memorabilia signed! Each autograph token purchased is good for ONE autograph and you may either bring a personal item or photo to be signed, or choose an 8x10 print provided by Hub Productions at the autograph tables to have signed.

All Autographs are signed in person by the guests and are sold on a row by row basis at the event on the day. You can purchase tokens using cash (no additional charges) or by Credit Card (1.74% surcharge applies)

Autograph Tokens may be limited and guests may, or may not, choose to personalise their autographs.

Autograph Token Prices:

- Sam Heughan - $160

More guests coming soon...

———

ABOUT US

DCA Enterprises’ The Hub Productions is an Australian owned company based in Sydney, that provides opportunities for fans to meet the actors, artists and behind the scenes stars that contribute to the TV shows, films and comics that we all so love and adore. more

———

The non-stop flight from the UK to Australia takes over 16 hours. A visit just for two days in Australia, He’ll need more a day to recover for each time zone crossed 🥴🛫

THE HUB PRODUCTIONS

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dailyunsolvedmysteries · 1 year

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Australia's 'female Hannibal Lecter'

Knight’s father Ken was an alcoholic who openly used violence and intimidation to rape her mother up to ten times a day. Barbara in turn often told her daughters intimate details of her sex life and how much she hated sex and men (Later, when Knight complained to her mother that one of her partners wanted her to take part in a sex act she didn’t want to do, Barbara told her to "put up with it and stop complaining"). Knight claims she was frequently sexually abused by several members of her family (though not by her father), which continued until she was 11. Although they have minor doubts about the details, psychiatrists accept her claim as all her family members confirmed the abuse did happen.

Katherine first met hard drinking co-worker David Stanford Kellett in 1973 and completely dominated him, if Kellett got into a fight at the hotel Knight would step in and back him up with her fists without fail. In Aberdeen she was renowned for offering armed combat to anyone who upset her. Knight married Kellett in 1974, at her request, with the couple arriving at the service on her motorcycle with a very intoxicated Kellett on the pillion. As soon as they arrived Knight’s mother Barbara gave Kellett some advice:

"The old girl said to me to watch out. 'You better watch this one or she'll fucking kill you. Stir her up the wrong way or do the wrong thing and you're fucked, don't ever think of playing up on her, she'll fuckin' kill you.' And that was her mother talking! She told me she's got something loose, She's got a screw loose somewhere."

On their wedding night she tried to strangle him. Knight explained it was because he fell asleep after only having intercourse three times.

The marriage was particularly violent and on one occasion a heavily pregnant Knight burned all Kellet's clothing and shoes before hitting him across the back of the head with a frying pan, simply because he had arrived home late from a darts competition after making the finals. In fear for his life, Kellet fled before collapsing in a neighbors house and he was later treated for a badly fractured skull. Police wanted to charge her but Knight was now on her best behaviour and talked Kellet into dropping the charges.

In May 1976, shortly after the birth of their first child, Melissa Ann, Kellett left her for another woman and moved to Queensland, apparently unable to cope with Knight's possessive, violent behavior. The next day Knight was seen pushing her new baby in a pram down the main street, violently throwing the pram from side to side. Knight was admitted to St Elmo's Hospital in Tamworth where she was diagnosed with postnatal depression and spent several weeks recovering. After being released, Knight placed two month old Melissa on a railway line shortly before the train was due, then stole an axe, went into town and threatened to kill several people. A man known in the district as "Old Ted", who was foraging near the railway line, found and rescued Melissa, by all accounts only minutes before the train passed. Knight was arrested and again taken to St Elmo's Hospital but, apparently recovered, signed herself out the following day.

A few days later Knight slashed the face of a woman with one of her knives and demanded she drive her to Queensland to find Kellett. The woman escaped after they stopped at a service station but by the time police arrived Knight had taken a little boy hostage and was threatening him with the knife. She was disarmed when police attacked her with brooms and she was admitted to the Morisset Psychiatric Hospital. Knight told the nurses she had intended to kill the mechanic at the service station because he had repaired Kellett’s car, which had allowed him to leave, and then kill both her husband and his mother when she arrived in Queensland. When police informed Kellett of the incident he left his girlfriend and along with his mother, they both moved to Aberdeen to support her.

Knight was released on 9 August 1976 into the care of her mother-in-law and along with Kellett, they now moved to Woodridge, a suburb of Brisbane, where she obtained a job at the Dinmore meatworks in nearby Ipswich. On 6 March 1980, they had another daughter, Natasha Maree. In 1984 Knight left Kellett and moved in, first with her parents in Aberdeen, then to a rented house in nearby Muswellbrook. Although she returned to work at the abattoir, she injured her back the following year and went on a disability pension. No longer needing to rent accommodation close to her work the government gave her a Housing Commission house in Aberdeen.

Knight met 38-year-old miner David Saunders in 1986. A few months later he moved in with her and her two daughters although he kept his old apartment in Scone. Knight soon became jealous regarding what he did when she was not around and would often throw him out. He would move back to his apartment in Scone and then she would invariably follow and beg him to return. In May 1987 she cut the throat of his two-month-old dingo pup in front of him for no more reason than as an example of what would happen if he ever had an affair before going on to knock him unconscious with a frying pan.

In June 1988 she gave birth to her third daughter Sarah, which prompted Saunders to put a deposit on a house, which Knight paid off when her workers' compensation came through in 1989. Knight decorated the house throughout with animal skins, skulls, horns, rusty animal traps, leather jackets, old boots, machetes, rakes and pitchforks. No space, including the ceilings, was left uncovered.

After an argument where she hit Saunders in the face with an iron before stabbing him in the stomach with a pair of scissors, he moved back to Scone, but when he later returned home found she had cut up all his clothes. Saunders took long service leave and went into hiding. Knight tried to find him but no one admitted to knowing where he was. Several months later he returned to see his daughter and found that Knight had gone to the police and told them she was afraid of him. They issued her with an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) against him.

In 1990 Knight became pregnant by a 43-year-old former abattoir co-worker, John Chillingworth and gave birth the following year to a boy they named Eric. Their relationship lasted three years before she left him for a man she had been having an affair with for some time, John Price.

John "Pricey" Price was the father of three children when Knight had an affair with him. Reputedly a "terrific bloke" liked by everyone who knew him, his own marriage had ended in 1988. While his two-year-old daughter had remained with his former wife, the two older children lived with him. Price was well aware of Knight's violent reputation and she moved into his house in 1995. His children liked her, he was making a lot of money working in the local mines and, apart from violent arguments, at first "life was a bunch of roses".

In 1998 they had a fight over Price’s refusal to marry her and in retaliation Knight videotaped items he had stolen from work and sent the tape to his boss. Although the items were out of date medical kits that he had scavenged from the company rubbish tip, Price was fired from the job he had held for 17 years. That same day he kicked her out and she returned to her own home while news of what she had done spread through the town.

A few months later Price restarted the relationship although he now refused to allow her to move in with him. The fighting became even more frequent and most of his friends would no longer have anything to do with him while they remained together.

In February 2000, a series of assaults on Price culminated with Knight stabbing Price in the chest. Finally fed up, he kicked her out of his house. On 29 February he stopped at the Scone Magistrate's Court on his way to work and took out a restraining order to keep her away from both him and his children. That afternoon Price told his co-workers that if he did not come to work the next day, it would be because Knight had killed him. They pleaded with him not to go home but he told them that he believed she would kill his children if he did not. Price arrived home to find that Knight, although not there herself, had sent the children away for a sleep-over at a friend's house. He then spent the evening with his neighbors before going to bed at 11pm. Earlier that day, Knight had bought new black lingerie and had videotaped all her children while making comments which have since been interpreted as a crude will. Knight later arrived at Price's house while he was sleeping and sat watching TV for a few minutes before having a shower. She then woke Price and they had sex after which he fell asleep.

At 6am the next morning the neighbor became concerned that Price's car was still in the driveway and when Price did not arrive at work, his employer sent a worker to see what was wrong. Both the neighbor and worker tried knocking on Price's bedroom window to wake him but after noticing blood on the front door alerted the police who arrived at 8am. Breaking down the back door police found his body with Knight comatose from taking a large number of pills. She had stabbed Price with a butcher's knife while he was sleeping. According to the blood evidence, he awoke and tried to turn the light on before attempting to escape while Knight chased him through the house, he managed to open the front door and get outside but either stumbled back inside or was dragged back into the hallway where he finally died after bleeding out. Later, Knight went into Aberdeen and withdrew $1,000 from Price's ATM account.

Price's autopsy revealed that he had been stabbed at least 37 times, in both the front and back of his body with many of the wounds extending into vital organs. Several hours after Price had died, Knight skinned him and hung the skin from a meat hook on the architrave of a door to the lounge room.

She then decapitated him and cooked parts of his body, serving up the meat with baked potato, pumpkin, zucchini, cabbage, yellow squash and gravy in two settings at the dinner table, along with notes beside each plate, each having the name of one of Price's children on it; she was preparing to serve his body parts to his children.

A third meal was thrown on the back lawn for unknown reasons and it is speculated Knight had attempted to eat it but could not and this has been put forward in support of her claim that she has no memory of the crime. Price's head was found in a pot with vegetables. The pot was still warm, estimated to be at between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius, indicating that the cooking had taken place in the early morning. Sometime later Knight arranged the body with the left arm draped over an empty 1.25 litre soft drink bottle with the legs crossed. This was claimed in court to be an act of defilement demonstrating Knight’s contempt for Price. Knight had left a hand written note on top of a photograph of Price. Blood stained and covered with small pieces of flesh the note read:

Time got you back Johathon for rapping [raping] my douter [daughter]. You to Beck [Price's daughter] for Ross — for Little John [his son]. Now play with little Johns Dick John Price. (sic)

The accusations in the note were found to be groundless.

#katherine knight #hannibal #cannibal #true crime #crime #murderers

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