About They Called Me A Hitman by Mark Edmonds
Born into a communist family which he describes as a cult, Mark Edmonds went on to study at the International Communist School in Moscow. His father, Lloyd, had fought against the army of the Spanish fascist, Gen. Francisco Franco, who launched a civil war in Spain against the popularly elected Republican government. But Mark chose to not live as a red rebel on the fringes of society. Instead, he went out into the real world while keeping some of his inherited rebelliousness. He worked as a taxi driver in Melbourne and as a rookie journalist on a Communist party newspaper. He was a photographer, bookshop owner, and community radio program presenter. He ultimately achieved his dream career as a mechanical design engineer, becoming a high-flying engineering project manager and family man. Eventually, he earned the nickname “hit man” for protecting his employer’s financial interests against the manipulations of a bullying construction site manager. Join the author as he looks back at how he escaped a political cult, the people he’s met and loved, and those he’s crossed swords with along the way.
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Author Bio:
Mark Edmonds was born during tough times in Melbourne Australia during the second world war. His father Lloyd, was a veteran of the International Brigade who against fascism in the Spanish civil war. in Spain Lloyd became a communist. He continued as a communist back in Australia .Mark thought that living in a communist family was like living in a cult. He yearned to live a normal boys’ life. He spent his youth doing ordinary things, but rebelliousness was his mantra.
Mark became a member of the Eureka Youth League for several years. He started moving in communist circles. He wanted to get to the theoretical basis of the communist movement he had been born into. The Australian security service, ASIO, opened a file on him.
He attended political lectures, discussions and classes on political theory. He took part in numerous political demonstrations and marches. He accepted an offer to study at the International Communist Party School in Moscow. He then worked as junior journalist on the communist newspaper in Melbourne, the Guardian.
But he desperately wanted amore normal life. His ASIO file was often an obstacle to him living a regular citizen’s life.
He dreamed of becoming a mechanical engineer. He ultimately achieved his dream.
The engineering projects he worked on and sometimes managed often ran into billions of dollars in value. He travelled widely to design offices and construction sites in most Australian states and overseas.
He loved the challenges and responsibilities of the mining boom which ran for fifteen years from the mid 1990’s.
Although Mark had some enticing job offers from companies he was contracted to, he was never interested in climbing the corporate ladder. He said those management jobs were cut throat and highly stressful. He knew that the best role for him was to continue with his specialization in the design and construction management of heavy mining and materials handling equipment.