Anne Hamilton-Byrne (1921-2019) was one of the most infamous cult leaders in history. She started out as a charismatic yoga teacher and ended up convincing nearly 500 people that she was the female incarnation of Jesus Christ. For those of you tuning in for the first time, welcome! Here’s the deal: Every weekday, we highlight the stories of iconic women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. We’re talking about women from around the world and throughout history. Each month is themed. This month we’re talking about troublemakers–from women who made “good trouble” to women who thrived in illicit industries to villains in the truest sense of the word.
This month, we're talking about troublemakers–from women who made “good trouble” to women who thrived in illicit industries to villains in the truest sense of the word.
History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Encyclopedia Womannica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Womanica.
If you’re tuning in for the first time, here’s the deal. Every weekday, we’re telling the stories of women from around the world and throughout history who you may not know about, but should. Each month is themed.
This month, we’re talking about Troublemakers. We’re covering stories from across the spectrum, from women who made “good trouble” to women who thrived in illicit industries to villains in the truest sense of the word. All of the women we’re covering had a major impact on the societies in which they lived.
Women, just like men, have played good and bad roles in human history. To gloss over women who we may find less than inspiring is to accept a diminished and inaccurate place in the historical record.
This episode is about a villain. If you’re listening with young children you may want to sit this one out.
Today, we’ll be talking about one of the most infamous cult leaders in history. She started out as a charismatic yoga teacher. But she ended up convincing nearly 500 people that she was the female incarnation of Jesus Christ.
Let’s talk about Anne Hamilton-Byrne, the founder and leader of the Australian doomsday cult, The Family.
Anne Hamiltion-Byrne was born as Evelyn Edwards in 1921. She grew up in a small farming community two hours away from Melbourne. Not much is known about Anne’s childhood except that her mother, Florence, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia after setting her own hair on fire in public. She then spent most of her life in an asylum. Anne’s father was an itinerant worker who moved around a lot for work. This left young Anne to grow up in several orphanages.
At the age of 20, Anne married her first husband. It’s rumored that throughout their marriage, Anne suffered from multiple miscarriages. But eventually, they had one daughter together. Soon after that, Anne’s husband died in a car crash.
The couple was preparing to adopt a baby right before he died.
Newly widowed, Anne took to yoga as refuge. In the early 1960s, she started teaching yoga to suburban moms and queer men from Melbourne. Her students considered her a wonderful teacher. She often gave them a safe space away from society’s scrutiny on women and homosexuality.
You see, during this time, eastern spiritualism and feminism was on the rise in western countries. And Anne took advantage of emerging culture by convincing the housewives she taught to leave their husbands and “join her” community.
Anne’s cult began to take shape after she recruited prominent physicist, Dr. Raynor Johnson. He was completely captivated by Anne. She could sing. Play the harp. Was often decked out in pearls and Chanel.
And she had blonde wavy hair and blue eyes that added to the allure of being an enchantress. On top of all that, Anne claimed to have extra sensory perception.
But Dr. Johnson went further and claimed she was the new Messiah. He once wrote, “her face became divinely beautiful with sublime authority” after experimenting with LSD.
After meeting Anne, Dr. Johnson uprooted his family and moved to Ferny Creek, the same neighborhood Anne lived in.
From that moment on, The Family was born.
The Family was composed of wealthy doctors, lawyers, and social workers seeking new age wisdom. They held weekly meditation sessions and Anne would give sermons on top of a purple throne.
In the early 1970s, children began to be “gifted” to Anne and The Family. At the time, adoptions weren’t very well-regulated in Australia. And so, through her network of professionals, it was fairly easy for Anne to adopt children. A senior detective once said, “you had babies born in cult hospitals, delivered by cult midwives, [and] handed over to cult social workers.”
Anne told all the children she falsely adopted that she was their birth mother. She faked her pregnancies with homemade smocks and would make every child have white-blond hair with blunt bobs.
At its peak, The Family raised 28 children. Whenever the children forgot to switch the lights off or got their clothes dirty, Anne would beat them. She also let the “Aunties” -- a group of middle aged femme followers -- abuse the children. Anne and the Aunties often starved the children and gave them daily doses of sedatives like Mogadon and Valium.
When a child turned 14, The Family would initiate them into the cult by giving them “huge, relentless doses of LSD.” Their LSD trips often lasted several days and caused irreversible effects on the childrens’ brains.
In 1987, two children escaped from The Family and alerted authorities. The police raided Anne’s compound but they couldn’t find Anne or her second husband, Bill Byrne.
In 1993, the couple was caught in the U.S. and was immediately extradited back to Australia.
Anne was only charged with conspiracy to defraud over fake birth certificates, and received no jail time. Just a $5,000 fine, roughly $3,600 USD.
In 2019, Anne died from advanced dementia in a palliative care facility. She was 98 years old.
Anne Hamilton-Byrne never had to face adequate justice for her crimes. But, many of the people who lived in the cult as children take her death as a form of peace.
All month, we’re talking about troublemakers and villainesses.
For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter, Womannica Weekly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, @encyclopediawomannica and follow me directly on twitter @jennymkaplan.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!