Theophila Pratt with one of her nieces, who lives in the Gloriavale commune in India.
Even though she had always had her doubts about Gloriavale, it took Theophila Pratt until she was 18 to finally leave the community behind.
But when her mum dropped her off at a bus stop in Greymouth, Pratt didn’t even know what a bus stop was.
“They gave me $200 in an envelope. I didn’t have any ID or a phone. I was just dropped at the bus stop with printed-out airfares to Auckland. So that was the five-hour drive on the bus from Greymouth over to Christchurch.”
Pratt – born Honey Faithful – has been out for about nine years now, but the fundamentalist Christian commune still holds a strong presence over her life.
She has detailed her life story in a memoir, Unveiled, a story about her survival in and out of the community.
Speaking to Paula Bennett on her NZ Herald podcast, Ask Me Anything, Pratt said her reluctance to be part of the community started as a child.
“It was, I guess, the typical sort of like farming life, being outdoors, milking, feeding lambs and, and that sort of thing, but then day-to-day and the fear of disobeying Neville Cooper always hung over your life from a very young age.
“And I think probably the moment I realised the severity of being under [founder] Neville Cooper is the day that you start wearing a head covering at the age of 5 when you go to school. And it’s almost like you’re, I guess, in a way it’s giving power to him and what he believes in.”
Her life was not easier from then, with even her original name, Honey, leading to her being abused and sexualised within the community.
But it all came to a head when she was 18, when a former member came on to the property and there was a hunt to find them.
“I was friends with this person, and I got asked where they were, and I just said, ‘Oh, I don’t know. But if I did, I wouldn’t tell you anyway'. And then that just blew up.
“And next minute, Neville was coming to me and screaming and he seemed like a whole lot of different like leaders to come and talk to me. And then I was sent to my room and within two days, they pretty much said to me, we want you to sign the commitment to prove that you’re going to submit to us, or you’ve got to leave.
“And then, I wasn’t going to sign it. So I was gone the next day.”
After an initial culture shock, Pratt has settled into life in the outside world.
And since her departure, several of her sisters and an older brother have left as well.
But one of her sisters, Precious, remains part of the Gloriavale community, but in the commune’s offshoot in India, where she lives with six children.
Pratt visited her sister and the commune as part of TVNZ’s Escaping Utopia documentary.
" It really opened up what her day-to-day life was. And I knew it was going to be bad. But it was just horrendous, where they were living, the environment, and just like the psychological damage that was happening over there.
“Turning up like she had no idea I was coming, so it was a bit of shock and it was good just to catch up, but at the same time as I saw her, she looks like a zombie. She wasn’t who I remembered at all as a person.”
Her experience visiting her sister and being part of the documentary inspired Pratt to write her book, telling her story in her own words.
" I am, um, it is hard, but I think that’s like part of who I am and I think if it helps another young woman find her voice then it’s worth it."
Listen to the full episode for more from the guest.
Ask Me Anything is an NZ Herald podcast hosted by former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett. New episodes are available every Sunday.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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