Anne Hamilton-Byrne

Anne Hamilton-Byrne (30 December 1921 – 13 June 2019) was an Australian cult leader and yoga teacher.^[1][2]

Biography

Born Evelyn Grace Victoria Edwards on 30 December 1921 in the Victorian town of Sale, she was the eldest of seven children in a working-class family.^[3] Her father, Ralph, a World War I veteran, was often absent, and her mother, Florence (née Hoile), a British-born woman who claimed to communicate with the dead, was intermittently hospitalized for mental health issues.^[3] Evelyn spent part of her childhood in an orphanage.^[3]

In 1941, she married Lionel Harris and had one biological child, Judith, who later sued her mother and settled in Britain before passing away.^[3] Following Lionel Harris's death in a car accident in 1955, Evelyn experienced grief, to which she attributed her spiritual awakening.^[3] She changed her name to Anne Hamilton in 1959.^[3]

Hamilton-Byrne married Michael Riley, a South African naval officer, in 1965, but the marriage ended.^[3] She later partnered with Bill Byrne, a British-born businessman, and they married in 1978.^[3] Bill Byrne died in 2001.^[3]

Hamilton-Byrne began adopting children in the late 1960s, some of whom were improperly registered as her own.^[3] These children were subjected to strict control, including uniform haircuts and disciplinary measures such as physical punishment and restricted diets.^[3] During adolescence, some children underwent initiation involving LSD.^[3]

Under her leadership, "The Family" developed a belief system that combined elements of Christianity and Eastern religions, anticipating an imminent apocalypse.^[3][4] Hamilton-Byrne claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, attracting followers including physicist Raynor Johnson, who identified as the reincarnation of John the Baptist.^[3] By the 1970s, the cult had over 500 members and accumulated significant financial resources, which Hamilton-Byrne used for personal expenses, including plastic surgery.^[3]

In 1987, a member of the cult, Sarah, aged 17, left and reported the group to authorities, resulting in a police raid and the removal of six children.^[3] In 1993, Hamilton-Byrne was convicted of fraud for falsifying birth registrations and fined A$5,000.^[3][5] She was not prosecuted for child abuse due to concerns about the children's capacity to testify.^[3] Diagnosed with dementia, Hamilton-Byrne remained committed to her role within the cult until her death in 2019.^[3]