MEET OUR COMMITTEE
PRESIDENT – FOUNDER
Shekinah Marietta Yammacoona
Shekinah Marietta was born in Germany where she had her first solo art exhibition at the age of 25. Whilst pursuing her art she also became a professional dressmaker and designer, and by 1989 had secured a Certificate in Modelling at Flag Staff College in Melbourne.
Modelling her own designs, she was awarded finalist in the Gown of the Year event with her gown shown throughout Australia. Her promising career was cut short when she was struck down with CFS/ME. Further down the track she was diagnosed with Cancer, Lyme disease and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Despite her
affliction, she began writing her autobiography and seven years later had completed a memoir that laid down the foundations for GATEWAY TO FREEDOM WITHIN INC treatment approaches. Running alongside her love of psychology, philosophy and science is her passion for transforming the lives of those who have suffered child abuse.
For more about the founder, and her inspiring life story, read below.
“I believe in moderation, balance, harmony, flexibility. There is partial truth in all perspectives.”
SECRETARY
Deborah Seymour
Deb Seymour has an empathetic and very caring nature. Her background is in teaching and community service. She is a mother to
three children and a grandmother to three grandchildren.
Deb is a sexual abuse survivor and has dedicated much of her life to
raising awareness and helping others. Deb has also spent many years working in mental health and homelessness. She has worked remotely in Indigenous communities and enjoys experiencing different cultures and travel.
TREASURER
Samira Drescher
Samira migrated from Germany to Australia with her parents when she was eight months old. As a young child, she studied ballet at a local academy, increasing her skills over the years and dancing in concerts and competitions. In her teens, she took up Taekwondo, gradually progressing up the ranks to secure a 1st Dan Black Belt. Later, she went on to study Hung Gar Kung Fu, which she recognized held a special place in her heart.
At age seventeen she was diagnosed with CFS/ME. Further down the track, she was diagnosed with late-stage Borreliosis, Babesiosis, Bartonella, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Her ability to reach her full potential with Hung Gar Kung Fu was compromised. But even as her complex medical conditions have stripped away her quality of life, she maintains a love of animals and nature and continues to broaden her knowledge of health, neuroscience, martial arts, alternative medicine, psychology, religion and spirituality through extensive reading and experience in these fields. She believes in speaking the truth and fighting for the underdog. At every corner, she champions fairness and equality and works where she can to expose lies, cruelty, and oppression.
“I was motivated to join GATEWAY TO FREEDOM WITHIN INC because I’d borne witness to the long-term effects of child abuse that my mother had suffered and the way this is impacting parenting. Over the years I have watched my mother suffer her own health challenges, and yet still take control of her own destiny as she grows through her pain and suffering. I can’t wait to see her vision to come to full fruition and want to support this vision.”
Alison Quigley
Alison brings a wealth of experience and skills to the role of committee member for GATEWAY TO FREEDOM WITHIN INC. While her background is with journalism, she has also sailed the world, taught English as a foreign language, secured degrees in arts and law, and a Masters-level qualification in Creative Writing. She set up Australia’s first gymnastics club catering solely for kids with special needs, and for several years worked as secretary of the Sunshine Coast Literary Association, a charity equipping writers with skills and resources to reach their full potential. She is currently president of Owls for Justice, a legal research team that keeps watch on the progress of
child-abuse related reforms mandated by the 2017 Royal Commission. She is also completing a doctorate in Law at QUT studying Child Safety policies in Gymnastics and is a National Survivors Day Ambassador. Alison looks forward to bringing her research, writing and legal skills to the role of committee member for GATEWAY TO FREEDOM INC, which she characterises as a unique, ambitious, and much-needed organisation.
“I’d just recovered from the process of assisting in the prosecution of a child sex offender and wanted to find my tribe. I went online and discovered, to my delight and surprise, that a support group existed on the Sunshine Coast. At that first meeting, I met Shekinah Yammacoona, and listened to her story. The challenges she has faced in life put my own in perspective. Shekinah’s story, one of reaching out to others despite the extraordinary challenges to her health, is inspiring. When she scoped the idea for this charity, I was immediately excited. I haven’t heard of any similar projects on the Sunshine Coast and feel privileged to play a role in its formation.”
Lorraine Nilon
Lorraine Nilon is an Australian author, Soul Intuitive®, life researcher, philosopher, and self-reflection expert. Lorraine has been a trusted custodian of many individuals’ history of abuse and has borne witness to the rawness of their unresolved emotions, the internal struggles they endure, and the insidious nature of abuse. She has an innate understanding of the barriers that restrict our awareness of the authenticity of who we are without our emotional baggage. She guides and walks beside those on a recovery journey with integrity and respect for the human struggle.
GATEWAY TO FREEDOM WITHIN INC has the mission to provide victims/survivors with resources that enable them to participate in the healing process. This process is never easy. Feeling respected when in a vulnerable state can be a stepping-stone to self-respect, and I look forward to witnessing the association grow into its full potential.
For more about Lorraine and her books, please go to https://lorrainenilon.com.au.
Kathy O'Connor
Kathy has over 10 years of experience working within the aged and disabilities sector. She is very passionate about allowing vulnerable people to have a voice and to be treated with respect and dignity.
“I have known Shekinah Marietta for some time and have noticed that same level of passion within Shekinah to make a difference. That led me to join GATEWAY TO FREEDOM WITHIN INC and hopefully help make a difference in many people’s lives.”
Pamela O'Brien
Born in England in 1943, Pam O’Brien was elected head girl at her secondary school before working for the British masthead, the Daily Mirror. She later became a legal secretary and, as a married mother of two, migrated to Australia with her husband, who joined the Queensland Police Force. Although personal tragedy struck when she lost her husband, she forged ahead, continuing to work and later remarrying. With the death of her second husband, she moved to Tweed Heads. Upon being widowed a second time, she remarried and moved to Queensland to be closer to her family. She now contributes her time to helping the local community and relishes her role as a volunteer.
“I met Marietta when we were living at Sippy Downs. I joined the committee because I admire what Marietta is hoping to achieve and hope that I can be of assistance in helping her to achieve her dream. I thought it would be nice to be involved and to help in any way. I can see GATEWAY TO FREEDOM WITHIN INC succeed and help those who have – to some degree – been forgotten.”
MORE ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Shekinah Marietta Yammacoona
Photo by Lauren Biggs
My close friends call me Marietta, and I welcome you to do the same. I migrated to Australia at the age of twenty-seven from Germany. At fifty-two, I was suicidal as every relationship except one ended in physical or mental abuse. I was constantly being manipulated, undermined, gaslighted, and made to feel stupid. I have also endured the shame and pain of being accused of making up my debilitating illness, for which I struggled to find answers and sound medical and emotional support. I, like many victims of abuse, including child sex abuse, know the pain of struggling with the hardships of life.
Many of my relationships have been with those who are emotionally unavailable, some completely lacking any emotional intelligence and abusive in nature. None could see the real me, and I felt alone and confused, but I was determined to heal my wounds and uncover and embrace the truth of myself. I wanted to evolve out of the pain I had experienced. I was fortunate to be surrounded by a group of people who cared for me in this perceived hopeless situation. They gave me hope and a different perspective about myself. This assisted me in recognizing what was really going on. I wasn’t going to allow giving up to be an option and decided to embrace solitude, write my autobiography, and study and research the reality of abuse. I needed to find out what was internally going on. I wanted to heal the pain that had plagued me all my life; I wanted freedom within.
During this process, I put all the puzzle pieces together and consciously embarked on a transformational journey. I used different tools and models. In this five-year process, I learned to deeply trust my intuition and accept all my emotions and feelings. I went through a paradigm shift I called “surrender.” While it was obvious that I was depressed at the time of contemplating suicide, I had made the decision to unravel the myths that concealed the events that occurred in my earlier life and to do so without medication. I wanted to stay fully conscious and present in my healing process.
After enduring long-term and deep-rooted programmed deprivation, I experienced the most challenging and also the most rewarding self-investigation. I discovered the true meaning of my depression, as it was the result of the emotional drain of trying to secure my suppression of hurt, pain, and confusion. My views on my own depression are contradictory to what many consider depression to be. With intense self-reflection and honest examination, I explored “depression versus suppression.” For me, this resulted in clarity, truth, and an awareness of the path to wholeness. My honesty with myself enabled me to align with an inner power.
As past experiences of my relationships and childhood became clearer, I began to understand the beliefs instilled within me that made me feel unworthy. I understood the impact of the residing trauma of sexual abuse, control, and punishment. I could recognize how my personal growth was hindered and why I felt pain within my soul. I realized this contributed to habitually creating and attracting relationships that led to violence, gaslighting, control, and abuse. I firmly believe that health issues and inner emotional distress are interconnected. There is a link between child abuse, many mental disorders, anxiety, and body illness. Trauma impacts us in many ways.
I have wanted to build this association for a very long time. My mission is to assist others to experience their transformational journey, while being respected and knowing they are supported by those who care. We all know healing is complicated, but we all deserve freedom within.
My transformation journey is ongoing, and I have had many obstacles that have helped me learn and grow my awareness. Here is a brief outline of what I have experienced during my transformation:
On a mental plane: Belief systems that originated from the subconscious mind and were based on assumption, manipulation, and the fear of punishment were banished. Reprogramming of the subconscious mind and replacing old habits with the creation of new pleasant experiences accessed through the conscious mind. Fulfillment and contentment came through the fruits of self-reliance, inner peace, balance, clarity, and harmony within.
On an emotional plane: I experienced the following: Reprogramming of traumatic experiences as well as the cell memory within the body. This resulted in accessing an inner power that broke through emotional walls created by trauma, enabling the growth of my self-worth and self-expression.
“Heart and Mind Merging”
I healed myself from depression by recognizing that depression is caused by suppression and oppression. I became aware that external forces like belief systems and ideas of oppressors did not allow me to feel or speak of my pain. These external forces expected me not to speak of my emotional pain, exhaustion, and abuse. I was expected to be quiet and to fear punishment and abandonment if I disobeyed. By removing these external causes, external ideas, concepts, and belief systems that were not my true feelings, I became free.
I had to give myself the gift of freedom to acknowledge and heal the emotional, physiological, and physical damage I had endured. My transformation relied on me freeing myself from all types of oppression, my triggered reaction to my abusers, and no longer living with the heaviness I felt pressing down on me. Once I decided to confront what was suppressed without medication, I realized what needed healing. I realized that medication was impeding my growth and was just a sedative, not an answer. Anti-depression medication does not remove the cause and effect of what is suppressed and was not going to give me a permanent cure.
I knew one of the greatest gifts I could give myself was to seek and find INNER HARMONY and FREEDOM. Nothing is more rewarding in anyone’s life than having achieved peace within and freedom from the emotional pain carried hidden within. When we are empowered with knowledge and the grip of emotional suffering and struggle is resolved, one can live effortlessly in the joy of living from the heart. I have found this even though I still suffer from physical illness.
The journey of rebuilding physical strength and health has been a difficult path. While emotionally and mentally I experienced quick results, the physical body was not responding. I assumed this process would just take more patience and believed I would also manage this part successfully.
“Teaching our Children how to Think Instead of what to Think and Believe Is the greatest Gift one can give to Them To Yourself and Humanity”