Alice Higgins writes in The Hills and Valley Messenger:
Happy Valley Brethren fight steps up
The Hills and Valley Messenger
Alice Higgins
February 28th, 2011WORRIED: Locals Bill Coady, Stewart Diggens and Lyle Thomson are concerned that a new development will cause traffic congestion in their high fire-risk neighbourhood. Pic: Keryn Stevens.
Happy Valley residents living in a high bushfire-risk area are ramping up their fight against plans to convert a Romney Rd home into a place of worship.
The residents fear the Exclusive Brethren development would bring more traffic into Romney Rd and block the only exit route out of the area in the case of emergency.
Continue reading »
David Marr writes in the Sydney Morning Herald:
Fat jibe was last straw: councillor told to apologise to Exclusive Brethren
David Marr
Sydney Morning Herald
February 19, 2011Ron Arkcoll with his wife, Joanne, and children. Photo: Andrew Meares
The Exclusive Brethren have been called terrible things in their time, but “fat” was too much for Ron Arkcoll, of Goulburn. He took action. This week, after a long and expensive inquiry, the Mulwaree Shire Council censured Councillor Geoff (Peto) Peterson for intimidating, harassing and abusing the local brethren leader by calling him fat one afternoon last September in the stairwell of the council offices.
Continue reading »
Brethren church to open in Ipswich
The Queensland Times
AustraliaThe cult Meeting Room in Ipswich, Queensland
The Exclusive Brethren Christian Fellowship will open its doors in Ipswich at the weekend.
Labelled a cult by former prime minister Kevin Rudd in 2007, the Brethren will open its new church at the end of Windle Road, Brassall, on Saturday.
The move has outraged local residents, who say the church is a threat to their way of life.
“We didn’t know we’d end up with a stinking church down there,” said one long-term Windle Road resident, who wished to remain anonymous.
“We don’t need this in our street. I’m really cheesed off about it. The more you read about these people, the more you start to worry about what’s going on.
“I thought about putting my house on the market when I heard about it. You live here, you pay your bloody rates and now a church can come in and do whatever they want.
“It’s been built, it’s opening and that’s it. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”
Workmen were putting the finishing touches on the rendered brick building yesterday.
It is surrounded by a black steel picket fence and has a sprawling car park and landscaped gardens.
…
… another concerned Brassall resident who contacted The QT said the Brethren should practice what it preached.
“How can you talk about inclusion when the church hides behind fences and concrete walls? This whole process was kept very quiet,” the resident said.
“You have to wonder what they’re hiding and why more people haven’t been asking questions about the building appearing out of nowhere.
“I don’t think this will go away very quietly.”
