You could say I am drawn to factual stories about human courage in the face of adversity and the need to tell stories that should be told. The documentaries that I have produced have always been about subjects that I am passionate about. 'Known Unto God' is no exception.

I produced a documentary on the Z Special Unit missions 'Rimaut' and 'Jaywick' in 1989 called 'Tigers and Snakes'. The missions that these men carried out were extremely dangerous and casualties were high. There was another mission, named Operation Raven. After discovering that one of the men of Operation Raven , John 'Spike' Whitworth was a Surf Lifesaver at Coogee Surf Club (the club where I had also volunteered as a Surf Lifesaver) . I felt compelled to find out more about his story and the mystery surrounding his disappearance. His story is incredible.

Initial filming (interviews with family and veterans) has already been completed. 'Known Unto God' has been entirely self-funded up to this time. We are now asking for your help to ensure that the completed documentary is of a standard that gives the story, and the veterans that are alive today the respect they deserve. Filming reenactments is really the only to realistically depict exactly what happened. When filmed properly, these can be very costly, and we need $60 000 at the bare minimum to really make it happen, so that is what we have set our target at, although further funds would be gratefully accepted of course :). Please help us to tell this amazing story, how it happened. Please read more about the project below.....



Just off the road heading from Port Moresby to the southern end of the Kokoda track is the Bomana War Cemetery. It is the largest in the Pacific. In this peaceful place lies 3,779 Australians and their allies. Here, many of the headstones state “Known unto God” ,the resting place of an ‘Unknown Soldier’.

We initially started filming the story of John Whitworth, known as “Spike” to his Surf Club mates. “Spike” was a handsome Aussie rascal and a perfect gentleman, a superb swimmer and highly regarded and respected by his Surf Club mates.

John was also a member of the elite Z Special Unit. Members of the Z Special Unit carried out highly secretive and dangerous missions, missions that they were ordered not to reveal to anyone, not even to their wives and parents.

One mission, named Operation Raven, was a search and recovery mission for missing U.S airmen. It was a disaster, with only 5 survivors.. Incredibly we have found one survivor in Australia who told us in detail the events of that fateful day in 1942 when Operation Raven went terribly wrong.

Until now the circumstances of their deaths had been shrouded in secrecy. In ‘Known Unto God’ we can now reveal the manner in which these incredibly brave men lost their lives.

During the initial filming of ‘Known unto God’, the tireless efforts of the Unrecovered War Casualties Unit led to the identification of 3 men buried at the Bomana War Cemetary. Two Australian men and a loyal Indonesian ally, named Roestan. One of these Australian men was John ‘Spike’ Whitworth. As late as this year no one, not even John’s family knew where their much loved “Spike” was buried. These recent events have changed this and recognition will at last be extended to John and his 2 brave comrades.

For so long, his whereabouts known only unto god, can finally be known to his family, and to us all.

'KNOWN UNTO GOD'

DIRECTOR: David Napier

David Napier’s career spans 30 years in front of and behind the camera.
In television he has Directed episodes of international Sci Fi series ‘K9’, Network TEN’s NEIGHBOURS, SBS’s ‘mockumentary’ series sTRUTH kids shows for the Nine, TEN, and Seven Networks as well as a myriad of factual and entertainment based corporate videos.
David’s award‐winning short films have been in many Festivals such as Tropfest, St Kilda, Hollywood, Italy and Los Angeles and have been shown on cable networks internationally.
Roles include Producer to Director to puppeteer and technical advisor . David has worked for all national TV Networks and on several feature films and is also an accomplished editor.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: John Schindler

Producer John Schindler has worked in the film and television industry for over 40 years. In the 1980’s, John was Executive Producer with Channel 7 owned “Jumbuck Productions”, subsequently Executive Producer / Producer on numerous International award winning documentaries: The Story of the Krait - Penguin Award Winner. 7 Network . Rainforest – The Amazing World Within - sold to 35 countries. The Moth Loves Doodie 9 Network & winner of numerous International awards By the Seats of their Pants 10 Network Australia. The Tragedy of the Montevideo Maru. HISTORY Channel Australia.

MUSIC COMPOSERS: GARRY MCDONALD & LAURIE STONE

Garry McDonald and Laurie Stone have worked with international studios such as Warner Bros., Paramount, MGM and Disney, as well as with major local production companies. McDonald and Stone have composed scores for Feature Movies, TV Series, Documentaries and Animated productions, winning a number of industry awards including the prestigious APRA – AGSC “International Achievement Award” in 2008.

We are a dedicated team, determined to make this happen. All we need to make is your assistance and involvement. Our track record should reassure you that we finish projects that we start!