The Pitch

Nobody had a Dad like mine.

Nobody.

He died in 1979.

He was 64 years old.

I was 23.

Official cause of death? War injuries!

34 years after the Second World War was over.

My Mum still gets a war widows pension.

From the time I knew what death was,I knew I could lose my Dad at any time.

I knew he was living on borrowed time.

My earliest memory of my Dad was of him throwing up.

You know, chundering.

First thing in the morning.

Every morning in those days.

Every single morning.

I must’ve been about three.

He used to stutter badly in those days, too.

This was 15 years after the Second World War.

I was only three, for Heaven’s sake.

Ladies and gentlemen My name is David Zaccheus, I am an Australian Citizen, and those were the first lines from the extraordinary true tale of Oddfellow; from Disabled War Veteran given 2 years to live, to Entrepreneur Businessman, Civic leader, Pyramidologist, Globetrotter and Self made Millionaire.

This is not a story glorifying war, but

It is a story about conflict.

It’s about a son’s perspective on conflict, and the witnessing of the conflict within.

But most of all, ladies and gentlemen, it’s about resolution.

It’s about peace, by peace.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Oddfellow is a peace movie like no other,

And it’s coming out of Australia,

And the World needs it.

I have worked as a photographer, film crew, and casting agent.

I’ve doubled for an Academy Award winning actor,

I’ve also written, directed and produced two films

And I’ve written two books.

Everything I’ve done in life has led me to this point.

But please don’t make me do this film alone,

It’s bigger than that!

So climb aboard this peace train.

Do it for the 29 other souls on Oddfellow’s truck when it drove over a mine,

And for the other son’s that never were. Thank-you.

ODDFELLOW a true story by david zaccheus

Synopsis

‘Oddfellow’ was a rare bird. He came from a country of rare birds: New Zealand. He was also the author’s late father and remains etched in the author’s memory.

Returning from World War 2 on a Hospital Ship, Oddfellow, over 50% disabled, was told he would never work again, that one of his kidneys needed removing, and that he may only live two years. He ignored the warnings, and went on to raise four children and run successful investment and manufacturing businesses for thirty years, with one of his war buddies. He seldom visited a doctor, never smoked or drank, and when he finally passed away 34 years after the second world war had finished, his wife still received a war widows pension until her own death and burial in the same plot, 26 years later. Yet for her, it wasn’t the first burden of war.

David Zaccheus takes us on a roller coaster ride of his life with his eccentric father who, in his own quest for meaning, dedicated his life to the building of the temple within. By journey’s end Oddfellow had become a pillar of society and civic leader; who lectured at the British Institute of Pyramidology in London, travelled prolificly; and who basically re-defined the term ‘work ethic’.

All this from a childhood wrought with it’s own tragedy, but always so positioned that the hand of fate would provide the link. The headmaster that paid Oddfellow’s high school graduation exam fee was one of the first, but not the least, of the silent helpers.

Oddfellow was a hard act to follow, but what are we to take on from our parents, in the name of wisdom? Does the glory of our fathers, make war okay? David Zaccheus finds resolution within this very personal conflict, by examining the effect of war and conflict, within. David reveals the emotional effects of a distant war upon a small boy otherwise considered to have been raised in a privileged and secure envionment, in one of the most peaceful nations on earth.

ODDFELLOW What’s it all about ?

An author's retrospective…

It’s about service, duty, and honour;

and the workings of lonely sons’minds;

painting Anzac Days in a pastel past,

to render their meaning sublime.

It’s about conflict about conflict,

About conflict;

and surreal images of shock.

About ships of fools,

and cosmic tools,

and destinies etched in rock.

It’s about numbering days,

in ancient ways,

and the inner theatre of war.

About wisdom and patent design,

the purpose of hate,

and its claw.

It’s about fear and confusion,

and final resolution,

and love,

peace by peace.

- david zaccheus