26-03-2024, 10:40 AM
No doubt Popeye is moving about & progressing little by little.
Gloriavale is far worse than I'd realised; those poor people born into it would have to be immensely strong to manage to break away & even then it would probably affect them for the rest of their lives.
I had a small brush with those people many years ago, before they went south. We were looking for a house to continue the commune & were driving around small town in Nth Canterbury & managed to get lost I think there were 3 or 4 of us, women, & I think two of my kids so when we came to a building we pulled into the driveway to ask for directions.
A man with very short hair & wearing suit & tie came rushing out, very polite & not unhelpful but there was a very strong vibe of his wanting to get us gone as fast as possible, & in the window of what must have been the school room there were about a dozen kids all gawping at these weird hippie types.
Definitely not somewhere you'd want to linger.
They were known locally as the Cooperites back then & I later heard that locals were pleased to see the back of them - not because they were a problem but simply because they were so bizarre.
I'm so glad that there's now a group of those who've left who are there to help others coming out.
Gloriavale is far worse than I'd realised; those poor people born into it would have to be immensely strong to manage to break away & even then it would probably affect them for the rest of their lives.
I had a small brush with those people many years ago, before they went south. We were looking for a house to continue the commune & were driving around small town in Nth Canterbury & managed to get lost I think there were 3 or 4 of us, women, & I think two of my kids so when we came to a building we pulled into the driveway to ask for directions.
A man with very short hair & wearing suit & tie came rushing out, very polite & not unhelpful but there was a very strong vibe of his wanting to get us gone as fast as possible, & in the window of what must have been the school room there were about a dozen kids all gawping at these weird hippie types.
Definitely not somewhere you'd want to linger.
They were known locally as the Cooperites back then & I later heard that locals were pleased to see the back of them - not because they were a problem but simply because they were so bizarre.
I'm so glad that there's now a group of those who've left who are there to help others coming out.
in order to be old & wise, you must first be young & stupid. (I'm still working on that.)