That’s a hell of a booking
A PASTOR controversially appointed by Mayor Tom Tate as a “councillor adviser” was involved in booking a Satanists group at city hall’s new prayer room, it can be revealed.
Council sources plus leaders of Noosa’s Temple of Satan group have outlined the role played by Pastor Sue Baynes in the saga before Cr Tate stepped in to cancel the group’s visit. Ms Baynes, who baptised the Mayor in 2018, was recently added to the Mayor’s staff along with a prayer room, raising eyebrows within council and externally.
The Noosa satanists have been urging members to arrive at council at 10.30am on Friday.
But a council spokesperson on Thursday confirmed their booking was cancelled “for security reasons”.
The booking scandal which has shocked council staffers has forced other changes. The prayer room, on the ground floor opposite the council chambers at Evandale, can only now be used by councillors and city employees.
A council source: “The room is sitting in abeyance. No-one can book it from the outside. It’s not a public facility (like a library). It was (before this incident) Sue Baynes’ personal booking room.”
The Noosa Satanic group is furious about the snub because it says the Mayor, only three weeks ago, trumpeted the new use of the old storage room at chamber which was “open to any member of the public and any group through the normal booking protocols”. Trevor Bell, the group’s lawyer, confirmed he requested the booking via the council’s website and was told by Ms Baynes that the venue was available.
Emails obtained by the Bulletin show Mr Bell first contacted council on Wednesday, April 6 at 4.36pm to ask about booking the room. He received a phone call the next day to confirm the booking and said he was told all he had to do was nominate an organisation and supply names of attendees for security reasons.
But when his subsequent email on Tuesday, April 19 revealed the organisation requesting the booking was The Noosa Temple of Satan “all Hell broke loose in Mr Tate’s office”.
In a Wednesday afternoon email, a mayoral staffer wrote: “I regret to advise council will not be able to facilitate access to the Prayer Room on Friday.”
Cr Tate also publicly told the Satanists group to “go to hell”.
Advice was taken from council’s security services and “other unsolicited approaches have now been made for access to the room such that it will become unmanageable”.
“It has been decided that general public access will not be granted, consistent with the approach taken to all internal council rooms and facilities at our administration centres,” the mayoral staffer wrote.
“This applies to all groups and religions regardless of their particular beliefs or affiliations and should in no way be construed as any personal decision about you, your colleagues or any group you are involved with or represent.”
Council did not respond to Bulletin questions on whether Ms Baynes was involved in the booking, but a statement repeated: “Council will not be able to facilitate access to the Prayer Room on Friday.”
Ms Baynes espouses extreme Christian ideology Seven Mountain Mandate and claims she advised the Mayor there was a “demonic stronghold” at the arts centre and aimed to displace the “powers of darkness” at the Home of the Arts. The Satanists plan a ceremony at the HOTA on Saturday at 2pm.
“We’ll conduct a small ceremonial protest and welcome back demonic spirits Ms Baynes claims to have driven away,” Mr Bell said. “Spiritual Leader, Brother Samael Demo-Gorgon has been practising incantations.”