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The Conversation
The Conversation
Donna Mazza, Associate Professor, English and Creative Writing, Edith Cowan University

What makes a cult leader tick? The Bearcat digs into the origins of the Family, Australia’s ‘cult of cults’

Family Evelyn Australia Florence Ralph

Cults are intriguing. The word conjures images of followers with glazed eyes entranced by an extravagant narcissist. Cults also invite curious readers: truth-seekers eager to discover what magnetism draws followers into the orbit of their leader, and voyeurs keen to peer through windows in the hope of witnessing something crazy.

It is a recipe for a good story, one that is eminently marketable.

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