The Speckled Hen

YESTERDAY marked 16 years since Katherine Knight cemented herself as one of the most infamous killers in modern history.

It was a story that left the country reeling and the small township of Aberdeen was at the epi-centre, with many residents still feeling the sadness of the tragedy all these years later.

There were many news stories, documentaries and books written about Katherine Knight and her heinous act and now a Hollywood production company will make a movie based on the book “Blood Stain”, by Peter Lalor.

The film may be called the Speckled Hen, how John Price often referred to her.

Dane Millerd who owns the rights to the film and is a producer, grew up in a small country town, worked as a journalist for 15 years in small communities and said he understands the importance of telling the story in a way that is sensitive to the people involved.

“One of the first stories I covered was about a 98 year old woman from Wee-Waa who had been raped by a bloke on New Years Eve,” said Mr Millerd.

“She’d never married, never had kids, she was an aunty and a grand-aunty,” he said.

“It was an absolutely horrendous crime.

“We flew there and this women and this case was famous for a few reasons it was one of the first times that voluntary DNA testing occurred.

“That type of story being told, from a news perspective is important that people were aware of what is happening in their community, we all agree on that.

“We all agree even with court reports, some people might not like them, but they still read them, because we want to know if people who our neighbours are, whether people are getting pissed and driving around when I am taking my kids for a walk, we want to know these things.

“A movie is just an extension of those things, for example with this story there are tell-tale signs of domestic violence, so maybe next time you know how to help someone or noticing someone with mental illness, recognising certain issues that Katherine may have had and could assist earlier, if that is even possible.

“This isn’t about scandal and splash and dash.

“It is a drama and suspense, not a horror.

“Shoreline has serious runs on the board and is going to come in and help produce this film.

“We are serious about it, the people involved are serious about it and they are not going to put their name to inflammatory rubbish, they are going to put their name to something that has meaning and a context.

“Less is more with these kinds of things.

“Shoreline will have a serious director and the people they have involved are masters of their craft, with serious runs on the board,” he said.

“Everyone knows how it ends, it’s like Apollo 13 or the Titanic, it’s not about the end, it’s about the broader story,” said Dane Millerd.

Lorna Driscoll, resident of Aberdeen and local Councillor said she was worried the film would dredge up painful memories for the community.

“I don’t think they should do it, we’ve had enough in Aberdeen about it and things have just quietened down,” said Ms Driscoll.

“I’ll be getting that many people in this shop to try and find the house and where she lived and where he lived and all that sort of thing, it was all quietened down, but it would happen all over again,” she said.

“I remember exactly the time I found out about it, I don’t want to see it, I appreciate other people might want to, but we hate the thought of it.

“I think it’s too much for the family to worry about, many of them are still around and it’s hard on them.

“It was a terrible thing for her side of the family too, her poor old father wouldn’t even have a funeral because of everything that has happened,” she said.

“It was a terrible thing for Aberdeen and we hate the thought of it coming up again,” said Lorna Driscoll.

Dane said while some people have been upset at the prospect of a movie and ironically some have even threatened violence the majority of people have been supportive.

“The overwhelming majority of people have been supportive,” Mr Millerd said.

“She was a fixture in Aberdeen, Scone, Muswellbrook, Willow Tree and Gunnedah, so they are all potential locations, but that is up to the people with the multi-million dollar budget putting the money into it,” he said.

“I hope the community embraces it and we can do things there,” said Dane Millerd.