5 Dec 1944 to 3 Mar 2013

by Bernie Wimbush

Kingsley was my next younger brother. There were 4 brothers each 3 years apart and not only closest to me in years but spirit. I remember vividly Dad cleaning the car in preparation to picking him and mum up from the hospital.

He and I were very competitive. I remember him coming home from school with a bag of marbles that I promptly won off him.

But I remember doing the Scientology Free Course under Dr Stanley Richards in 1959. He was so upset because he had to wait until he was 16 before they would let him onto the course. But he went straight onto the HPA course and was at Saint Hill in 1963. I arrived in Jan 1964 just as he graduated and I was the rookie.

He returned to Perth Australia and tried to establish a franchise. For whatever reason he couldn’t make it viable. I returned to find him mowing lawns for a living. He developed the business into a large building contracting business and was pleased to show me his 1963 Chevy to impress me.

Money was not the thing so he closed up in 1968 and went to work in a franchise in Canada until he got his Green Card to work in the USA.

He and Malcolm Chemenaise worked on a little franchise (Steven’s Creek) and he eventually took it over in his own right. He was a successful and respected franchise or Mission holder for many years.

In the early 1970s he started trying to get me to join him. In 1978 I did. I brought a wife and two small children and proceeded to work in the mission which by then had 100+ staff. He had also recently acquired a Mercedes Benz which impressed me as I am sure it was intended to. Some years later I acquired a Jaguar and the unofficial game was declared a draw.

Kingsley continued to work at the mission and we saw it grow until the 1982 Mission Holders Conference largely wiped it out.

I returned to Oz and proceeded to start a new group using the lessons learnt at Steven’s Creek. It worked so well that Kingsley flew over to see what we were doing and took it back to the USA.

We had been using the OCA as the test for our evaluation tool, but the Church kept making threats and it was decided to develop our own. As we were in the business arena Kingsley set to work to develop them.

Clients were so impressed they wanted to use them in their hiring process so Kingsley worked on developing a set of tests that would predict an applicant’s success in a particular position. By the early 1990s we were impressed with the accuracy but Kingsley saw the faults and continued to work on them.

I guess we have lost that researcher, but his legacy is a set of tests that those who use them swear by them.

They tell us the following about applicants:

- How exaggerated is the resume and how accurate the answers on the tests themselves are,

- How PTS they are and how they fit into a team.

- What their skills are and how this will impact on their performance,

- Does their personality fit the position,

- How competent they will be in the position.

There is also a Sales Skills Test which measures how good a sales person the applicant is.

Kinsley will be sorely missed by his wife Vicky, son Fletcher and all those who knew him.

Bernie Wimbush

Comments   

 

# Jim Logan 2013-03-20 05:58

Bernie,
I have compassion for the loss of a brother. Thank you for this wonderful snippet of a man's life, rich and full, his help to make this a better world very much appreciated.

 

 

# Lana M 2013-03-20 06:09

Thank you Bernie.

My condolences on the loss of Kingsley.
Though I never got to meet him in person, I have great affinity for your brother, based on your stories and descriptions - as well as on the brilliant sales recruitment tests he created, that you gave me the chance to play with.

Travel safely Kingsley! Fly high!

 

 

# steve 2013-03-20 08:40

Thanks Bernie. I wish I had known your brother. He is written large in our history and certainly made his mark. In addition to that, I'm sure he is not done yet.

 

 

# calvin b. duffieldI 2013-03-20 11:22

Bernie, your brother certainly was a high spirited guy with tons of ambition and gumption to go with it! It is clear he has left his impact on many who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.

We wish Vickie and all family members strength and comfort now that he has moved on.

ML, Calvin

 

 

# Chris Black 2013-03-20 13:30

Bernie, I can't say it any better than the others here, but I do know what it's like to lose a brother; mine was older and he was the one that set me on the road again in Scientology. So brothers are special relationships and I am sorry for your loss as well as Vicky and his son Fletcher. As Steve said, he's not done yet. Purposes transcend body death. And there's lots of game time left: I hear the new Tesla Roadster is set to impress!

 

 

# Silvia 2013-03-20 14:36

Bernie,
Thank you for sharing with us that communication that describes your brother.
We all wish him well.
Silvia

 

 

# David Cooke 2013-03-20 20:01

Thanks, Bernie, for this memoir of your brother's brave and productive life. I can understand the conflicting pressures that your generation, and also mine, sometimes faced from within Scientology and from the outside. You might not believe how ignorant many of us Scientology public have been of the trials and successes of the Independents in the 1980s. (I did hear about a Freezone conference here in Adelaide in 1997 - but only because some oaf from OSA tried to recruit me to spy on them.)

 

 

# Ralph Hilton 2013-04-07 16:21

I have put up a lot of magazine articles on my site that detail the events of the early 80s.
freescn.freevar.com/.../

 

 

# Vicki Wimbush 2013-03-29 21:32

Bernie,

Thanks for sharing your perspective of Kingsley. He talked about you as being his "father figure" growing up (even though you are only 3 years older). He always respected you and enjoyed your insights.

All,

If you met Kingsley, you would soon learn that he was always a seeker of the truth and a diligent student. Part of our mutual attraction was truth and honesty...and being willing to look in the mirror. Soon after we met, I introduced Kingsley to Christianity. Later that same year (2001), Kingsley became a Christian and started to examine old Scientology beliefs.

Because Kingsley continuously looks for improvement, his testing business has grown--especially these last couple of years. Now Fletcher will continue the legacy and as it so happens, my son Michael has had the pleasure of working for Kingsley this past year. Kingsley has been training Fletcher to take over the business since Fletcher was a wee boy. My son Michael came along side Kingsley during his recent illness and has learned Kingsley's research principles. I have total faith and confidence that Wimbush & Associates will continue to provide an accurate and viable testing service.

Words cannot express the loss that I'm experiencing but, since I believe we are spiritual beings, I picture Kingsley going around in his new environment with his pad of paper looking for areas to improve. ;-)

I appreciate your comments and am glad to see Kingsley's influence continuing.

Blessings to all.

 

 

# Ralph Hilton 2013-04-05 17:40

I visited Stephen's Creek mission back in 1978. Well over a hundred public were on course compared to 5 or so in the local org.
He was an incredible man and the planet is a far better place for many due to his work.

 

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