Leaving your world behind
With $40 to their name, the 14-strong Harrison family fled the only world they knew in the dark. They tell their story to Marine´ Lourens.
When Hannah Harrison and her family left Gloriavale in the dead of night, the only possessions they took were a few pillows, blankets and photos too precious to leave behind.
Her parents, James and Hope Harrison, wanted a new life for their 12 children away from secluded West Coast religious community. Hannah, the eldest, was 20 at the time.
A friend from Timaru helped them make the early-morning move on March 7, 2015. They had just $40 with them.
‘‘Everything we took with us we needed to be able to fit into the boot of the cars, so you can imagine for a family of 14, it wasn’t much,’’ said Harrison, 24.
Her father is the grandson of Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian, who died in 2018, and one of many members who have left the community. James and Hope Harrison have had another three children, the youngest of which is now 9 months old.
About 80 per cent of leavers over the past few years have settled in the wider Canterbury region, with about 80 in South Canterbury.
James Harrison said life outside Gloriavale is ‘‘a completely different world’’. People sometimes underestimated how overwhelming it could be.
‘‘You had lived your whole life learning not to make decisions and then you get outside and you have to make decisions about everything – decisions for yourself, decisions regarding your finances, your family, moral issues . . . even make decisions down to things like the way you dress.
‘‘I was 40 years old when I left Gloriavale and up until then I had never had to make decisions like that. And you suddenly realise, it is now up to me to decide what is the right and wrong thing to do.’’
Hannah Harrison said the family chose to leave in secret because they feared being separated and some being convinced by community leaders to stay.
She now works as a seamstress in a curtain shop and has her own place just down the road from her family.
‘‘I learned to sew in Gloriavale and I took the seamstress job because it seemed like the easiest option at the time, but I just love it,’’ she said.
Getting a job is just one of the many challenges former members face on the outside. They are not allowed to take anything with them.
‘‘The first difficulty after fleeing was clothes,’’ Harrison said. ‘‘You wore the Gloriavale uniform all the time and on the outside you don’t want to be identified as a Gloriavale leaver everywhere you go, so you need to get normal clothes.’’
The family had to wear their uniforms for two days after they left until Liz Gregory, general manager of the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust, brought them clothes donated by good Samaritans who had read in the media about a large family that had fled the sect.
‘‘You don’t have any banking history or rental records, or an IRD number. You obviously can’t get a loan from a bank to buy a vehicle, which is usually quite necessary when searching for a job.’’
She imagines it is similar to someone settling in a new country, away from friends and family, and not having any idea of how things work.
This is why the public should support Gloriavale leavers in their communities, Gregory said.
She and husband Graham got involved with helping them about six years ago, when a family of former members joined their church. The trust, to provide leavers with financial, practical and emotional support, was formally established and registered as a charity in July.
‘‘It costs over $50,000 to resettle a family, and that’s the bare minimum. Some families leave with up to 12 children, and so you need clothing, a house, furniture, school uniforms, vehicles, job,’’ Gregory said.
The trust plans to develop a website that leavers and supporters can access.
‘‘We would also like to strengthen ties with agencies and social service organisations,’’ Gregory said.
Rosanna Overcomer, 33, who left Gloriavale with her husband and three children six years ago, said it was hard to start a new life from scratch, but it was worth it.
‘‘I think the best way I can sum up what it is like, is to say freedom. To be able to do things without having to worry what other people will think or worry all the time about getting in trouble . . . it is just a different world.’’
Launch events for the trust will be held today in Timaru and on November 30 in Christchurch.
Visit the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust website for more information on the launch events or visit their Givealittle-page to contribute.
‘‘You don’t have any banking history or rental records, or an IRD number. You obviously can’t get a loan from a bank to buy a vehicle, which is usually quite necessary when searching for a job.’’
Hannah Harrison