Episode Overview
Podcast: I Wish You Were Here
Host: Michelle Cuervo
Episode: 28 – Children Born Into A Cult: The Family
Date: November 28, 2025
Michelle Cuervo delves into the disturbing story of "The Family," one of Australia’s most notorious cults, led by Anne Hamilton-Byrne. Focusing particularly on the harrowing experiences of children born—or stolen—into the cult, Michelle explores the psychology, crimes, and enduring mysteries behind this organization. With her signature conversational, direct style, she reconstructs how Anne built a sophisticated web of power, and the extraordinary lengths she went to maintain control.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
1. Introduction – Setting the Context
- Australia’s Contrasts: Michelle opens by juxtaposing Australia’s idyllic reputation with the dark reality of cults, highlighting that “where there is good, there’s also bad.” (01:10)
- Focus of Episode: First deep dive into a cult on the podcast; previously touched on via TikTok but promises expanded details here.
- Trigger Warning: “We are going to be talking about children. So if you think that listening to this is going to harm your mental health in any way, shape or form, I totally understand. Please skip this video.” (03:15)
2. Background: Anne Hamilton-Byrne’s Early Life
- Troubled Upbringing:
- Eldest of seven children; parents’ marriage was deeply unstable.
- Absent father, mother diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, spent much time in institutions.
- Anne and siblings were frequently in orphanages.
“There was way more instability and struggles throughout her childhood than most people face... I do think it plays a massive part in her motivation.” (06:07)
- Early Adulthood & Trauma:
- Marriage to Lionel Harris, birth of daughter Judith.
- Tragic car accident claims Lionel’s life and thwarts their adoption plans: “That was a huge turning point... it changed everything for Anne.” (08:15)
3. Ann’s Transformation and Cult Formation
- Reinvention:
- Changed name, lifestyle, dove into yoga and esotericism.
- Notable influence from Margaret, a self-proclaimed mystic.
- Anne’s yoga classes blurred into occult/spiritual instruction, including Ouija boards.
- Encouraged women to leave their husbands, moving in with her—first seeds of cult formation.
“Anne somehow has this weird thing about her that made her capable of making those around her believe what she wanted them to believe.” (11:24)
4. Targeting the Elite: The Cult Grows
- Strategic Recruitment:
- Anne realizes she needs influential men—targets Raynor Cary Johnson, a physicist turned spiritualist.
- Uses researched personal details to convince him of her alleged powers:
“He’s standing there listening to this stranger tell him all about himself... based on the information she was giving him, Raynor starts thinking very quickly that she can predict the future.” (16:30)
- Raynor and his family join fully in 1963—the official beginnings of the cult.
- Substances as Control:
- Rituals involve hallucinogens—“different substances would of course make her people easier to manipulate.” (18:40)
- Anne asserts herself as “Christ herself.”
- Early Name:
- The group is dubbed “The Great White Brotherhood”—later “The Family.”
- Medical, legal professionals are drawn in, giving Anne access to pharmaceuticals and legal maneuvers.
“Every single person that she’s recruiting, she’s recruiting them for a specific reason, to be able to use them for her advantage.” (22:26)
5. Cult Structure and Power Dynamics
- Medical Exploitation:
- Dr. Lance Whitaker (psychiatrist) incorporates LSD into Anne’s control methods.
- Anne induces sickness in followers via drugs, then “heals” them—gaining further obedience.
- Psychiatric hospital acquired via Joy, a brainwashed cultist; hospital becomes a tool for imprisoning dissenters and rivals.
“If someone talked about leaving... Ann would say that they were crazy. And she would get a couple of doctors from the cult to sign off on papers to admit the person to her psychiatric hospital against their will.” (29:10)
- Economic Power:
- Members required to give 10% of earnings; Anne amasses $50M, acquires properties worldwide.
6. The Children: Abduction & Upbringing
- Systematic Baby-Stealing:
- Asserts end of the world is coming, justifies need for “her” children to repopulate.
- Babies taken from cult members, psychiatric patients; mothers drugged, eyes covered during birth; forged birth certificates list Anne as biological mother.
- “Anne Hamilton-Byrne stole 14 babies from her psychiatric hospital, 14 from her cult members, adding up to a total of 28 stolen babies.” (39:19)
- Dehumanizing Regimen:
- Strict, abusive routines:
- Children weighed daily, restricted food, forced to exercise and meditate, forbidden to speak.
- “They would be given ice cold baths, their heads would be placed underwater, their hands would be placed on open flames...” (43:30)
- Use of drugs to induce compliance and confusion.
- Children distinguished by hair dye for family resemblance; real mothers often present but unable to intervene.
“One of the kids had a nickname, and his nickname was Zebra Stripes because he had so many scars and markings from the punishments.” (45:48)
- Strict, abusive routines:
7. Exposing The Family: Escape and Justice
- Collapse Begins Within:
- As children age, eldest girls Sarah and Leann manage to alert police—compound is raided in 1987.
- Children rescued, receive medical and psychological help; “The psychiatric hospital was shut down. The doctors who played a part... forced to surrender their licenses.” (50:41)
- Lack of Legal Consequences:
- Anne escapes to New York, hides until 1993.
- Despite public outrage, loopholes in law and destroyed evidence mean she faces only fraud charges:
“In 1994, Ann pled guilty to making a false declaration and was fined about $5,000. ...That was it. A fine of $5,000 and she was free to walk.” (52:35)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On the Cult’s Uniqueness:
“In a very unusual twist, today’s cult leader is a woman, not a man. And a lot of the beliefs taught from her were very much based on what you can consider to be feminine, let’s say. So think maternity, motherhood, creating a family.” (02:28)
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Describing Control:
“Her followers weren’t even their own people anymore. It was just like they were extensions of Anne.” (29:27)
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Former Member’s Testimony:
“One former member by the name of Andrew said that there was a time that he would have died for Anne. That is how deep her control ran.” (30:00)
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On Justice Denied:
“What do you mean $5,000 and she got free. She was so rich. 500 plus people. It’s insanity for well over 20 years as well.” (54:15)
Key Timestamps
- 01:10 – Intro to Australia’s dual reality; episode theme declared
- 03:15 – Content warning & purpose of episode
- 06:07 – Anne’s upbringing and childhood trauma
- 08:15 – Marriage, loss, and new identity
- 11:24 – Early yoga classes, beginning of cult formation
- 16:30 – Recruitment of Raynor Johnson
- 18:40 – Use of hallucinogens and mystical claims
- 22:26 – Strategic recruitment of professionals
- 29:10 – Exploitation of psychiatric hospital for imprisoning dissenters
- 39:19 – Methods for stealing, rearing, and disguising children
- 43:30 – Details of daily routines and punishments for the children
- 45:48 – “Zebra Stripes” and effects of abuse
- 50:41 – Police raid, children rescued, hospital closed
- 52:35 – Anne’s legal consequences and the shocking outcome
- 54:15 – Host’s incredulity at lack of justice
Tone & Style
Michelle maintains a conversational and incredulous tone throughout. She balances empathy for the victims with open outrage at the injustices, making the episode both informative and emotionally impactful. She underscores the story’s boggling reality with recurring exclamations like “I just. I can't believe that this is. This. This is real life.”
Summary
This episode exposes a chilling chapter in Australia’s history, revealing how Anne Hamilton-Byrne manipulated, abused, and traumatized hundreds in her quest for power, focusing especially on the fate of the children conscripted into her cult “family.” Despite years of torment, justice for the victims was limited, and Anne escaped with little more than a fine. Michelle Cuervo’s detailed narration brings out the tragic, bizarre, and ultimately unresolved questions about power, cults, and legal systems.
For anyone interested in true crime that blurs the line between the psychological, criminal, and social, this episode delivers a thorough, sensitive exploration.