The Family

The apocalyptic group The Family and their guru, Anne Hamilton-Byrne - one of very few female cult leaders in history - captured international headlines throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Hamilton-Byrne, who some followers believed was Jesus Christ, was glamorous and charismatic - and, many allege, very dangerous. From her base in a quiet suburb, she recruited wealthy professionals to join her cult, including doctors, lawyers, nurses, architects, and scientists. She acquired children and raised them as her own, bleaching their hair blonde to make them look like siblings, and her group became surrounded by rumours of LSD use, child abuse, and strange spiritual rituals.

In 1987, police swooped on The Family's lakeside compound and rescued children who claimed they were part of Anne's future master race. The children recounted terrible stories of near starvation, emotional manipulation, and physical abuse. But Anne could not be found, sparking an international police hunt. Could they bring Anne to justice?

How did such a notorious group come to flourish? How did Anne maintain a hold over her followers? Drawing on revelatory new research, including police files, diary entries, and interviews with survivors, The Family tells the strange and shocking story of one of the most bizarre cults in modern history.

'The Family is remarkably clear-sighted. The writers have a gift for temperate yet compelling prose that unflinchingly reveals the delusions and unreflective righteousness of much of what emerged from the counterculture. In this book, the best of what journalism should be - honest, unsentimental, incisive - is combined with the craft and storytelling skills of born writers.'
-Christos Tsiolkas

'Harrowing but humane. An extraordinary story, impeccably researched.'
-Martin McKenzie-Murray

' A compelling account of one of Australia's most notorious cults ... The authors trace the extraordinary life of a woman who operated ''at the edges of human belief''.'
-The Saturday Age