Ray Author aka Millennium Ray is alleged to have been the founder and leader of Australian desert cult, The Dreamtime 79. It is also alleged that he was the writer and director of the infamous collection of movies that were produced by the cult, which are thought to have been made in order to brainwash viewers into joining the cult. Very little is known about the content and nature of the films, and if any copies still exist.
A source was able to supply us with 2 photos that are thought to be of Ray Author – one as a child in Ozone, the second as a young man, most likely prior to the formation of the Dreamtime 79.
We have attempted to create a timeline of significant events in Author’s life, leading up to the foundation of the The Dreamtime 79.
This timeline will be modified and updated as research allows.
1939 – Birth
Author was born on December 1st 1939, at his family home in the Ozone Shire, located in far north Queensland, Australia . It is understood that he was the youngest of 6 siblings, and that his parents Beth and Lee were both farmers.
1940 – 1952 – Childhood
Author spent the majority of his life in Ozone, attending Sundowner Primary and Ozone Public High School, where he demonstrated a love of the arts, particularly photography and literature. Report cards suggest that he lacked interest in other academic areas, and this was reflected in average grades. Despite being an average student, Author was extremely popular with his peers and showed strong leadership qualities. The principal of Sundowner Primary had remarked of Author’s “formidable personality”.
1953 – 1961 – Teenage Years & Leaving Home
Upon starting High School, Author was given a used SLR camera which his father had bought on one of his annual trips to Sydney. In the years following, Author became a prolific photographer, going so far as to build a small darkroom on the family property. In 1962 he exhibited a series of photos entitled Ozone Dreaming at the local church. Capturing the everyday life of the residents of Ozone, the exhibition was featured in an article in the Brisbane Telegraph, and he was subsequently offered a job as a photographer at the paper.
1963 – The Discovery of Film
Due to growing up in a remote area, Author had very limited exposure to film and television, but living in a capital city soon changed that. While working at the paper he developed a strong love and fascination of film, visiting cinemas almost every night after work. He was said to have often spoken to colleagues about the “power and magic” of motion pictures. Despite making a good living at his newspaper job, Author once again packed up his belongings and moved further south to Sydney, where he quickly found a job as an assistant at Gold Emu productions – one of the largest film studios in the country at that time.
1966 – 1970 – Prelude To A Cult
Author quickly learnt the ins and outs of both film production and the movie business. As an assistant to celebrated director Conrad Cavendish, Author undertook a wide range of roles and is rumoured to have directed many scenes from the Gold Emu production of If Blood Should Stain The Wattle. In 1968, Author assembled a small crew and financed the short film Crystal, which impressed the executives at Gold Emu. The following year, Gold Emu greenlit his script for a new feature film about the expedition of Burke & Wills, entitled Outback Valhalla. He was provided with a massive budget as well as a crew of his choice. Production began almost immediately, and unbeknownst to the executives at Gold Emu, and indeed the world at large, the birth of the Dreamtime 79 had begun.
Continue reading at The Dreamtime 79 Story.
