ello, my name is Cathy Roberts/Bird, and here is a little bit about myself:

     I had the extreme fortune to be born into a family where we were encouraged to think for ourselves. My father came from well-to-do middle class stock, but early on showed those rebellious signs that were to take his life so far from the self satisfied world of the Croydon suburbs. He married my mother in what was then Palestine, where I was born, came back to the UK, where he worked for the BBC World Service, then impulsively joined the Colonial service to go out to Africa, inspired by the dreams of a close friend who was a student from the West Indies.

     We were, in the midst of Central African colonialism, brought up to regard all races as equal and this did not make our life easy with the White population. But our parents had friends in all communities of the Colony and meetings of the Inter- Racial Association were held in our house, so that nothing dented our certainty in this belief. At boarding school I constantly harried the Anglican priest with questions because I had watched white people turn away from the Communion rail, rather than share the cup with a black man.

     I mention this because it prepared me for some of the attitudes I found in later life when I became a Scientologist. When African countries gained their independence in the 60’s and became republics, I watched people who had been dyed-in-the-wool racists all their life, suddenly changing their views because there were black people in power in the government. Suddenly they were boasting of an invitation to cocktails with “the minister!" I learned a lesson then about the nature of prejudice that has stood me in very good stead: Public opinion can veer and change with astonishing swiftness.

     Having spent my childhood in government circles, I married a Statistician and spent my young married life amongst young economist and others in central and West Africa, who were ostensibly leading the developing world towards prosperity. The problem was, I couldn’t see that what they were doing was particularly successful. Even more distressing was the sight of the Pan-African dream that educated Africans had created in the 50’s disappear into a whirlwind spiral of violent dictatorships, repressive ethnic wars and all the unholy mess that characterizes Africa today.

     In my late 20’s, I started to read about Dianetics and was intellectually impressed with the concept that one should change society by helping INDIVIDUALS to change, because the individual is the building block of society. This was in direct opposition to political theory where it was thought that sweeping social change would somehow solve the problems.

     People almost always get me wrong about Scientology - they think that I had some deep emotional need for a religion or some such idea like that. It is not true. I was intellectually convinced by certain things I read (this in my late 20’s) I decided to try it out. It was like an adventure for me - I wanted to see if what Ron Hubbard was saying bore up under close inspection! I decided to give it a couple of years of my life - I’m still here, more than 20 years later! I am still intellectually convinced - I still occasionally find concepts that I want to test out in my own life before taking them on board 100%. I have also gained by expanding the spiritual side of my life - this was an unexpected bonus!

     Well that’s me - at least it’s not my dogs, cats, favorite food, not even the loves of my life - but that’s why I am where I am!