Tragic update from Melbourne ‘cult’ survivor revealed

An Australian has shared a heartbreaking plea after revealing they were “one of the last Anne Hamilton-Byrne child survivors” — a reference to the notorious doomsday cult that operated outside Melbourne between 1963 and 1989.

The survivor posted anonymously in a Facebook group from the area where The Family cult operated in the Dandenong Ranges, southeast of Melbourne, earlier this week.

They revealed that their life had been difficult and that they were sleeping rough in their car — a vehicle that people had been attempting to break into at night — and that they were “forced to work” 40 hours a week in other locations for the privilege of parking their car on somebody’s property.

“I’m now in a shaded location on friends property that gets no sun and little to no wind,” the person revealed in their online post.

“I’m freezing at night and the entire contents of my vehicle is being destroyed by condensation and resulting mould and my health affected, as I cannot air out during the day in my current location.”

The survivor said they finally felt comfortable reaching out for help in a public setting after Hamilton-Byrne died at the age of 98 in 2019 after a long battle with dementia.

The Family ran between the 1960s and 1980s, led by Hamilton-Byrne, who claimed she was the female reincarnation of Jesus Christ who was sent to collect kids and raise them as her own to protect them from the apocalypse.

Members were brainwashed into handing over their children to The Family — while some even stole babies — to be part of a “master race”.

A total of 28 children were allegedly taken and raised identically, with the now adults reporting being drugged, beaten, starved and forced to dye their hair platinum blonde.

At the time of Hamilton-Byrne’s death a class action was being held by victims of the cult who were suing the cult’s matriarch for the 19 years of abuse that they suffered at her hands. Her death resulted in that being delayed.

The anonymous poster said they had a support network on the mountain but didn’t want to exhaust this by living on their properties. They revealed they had moved from a more sunny location to one where they were now “literally swimming in condensation and mould”.

“I have exhausted all avenues of search having recently moved to this location to find out the hard way it absolutely is not suitable for vehicle living due to no sun nor wind,” the person said.

“I often park elsewhere for sunlight/breeze however, I regularly have people attempting to break into my vehicle while I’m inside it at night or get harassed by others, or very disturbed by noise and cannot leave the vehicle open during the day to air out – obviously not ideal.

“I am extremely resourceful, polite and outgoing for the brief moments I must interact with the public. Otherwise I absolutely need to be alone.”

They said they had been taken advantage of in the past due to their anxieties and upbringing.

“Please do not recommend the standard route of assistance for homeless persons. If you’re homeless you’ll understand why,” the person said.