After Elizabeth, Redeemer Baptist Church was banned from taking in children of the state. Instead, it opened a school

After Elizabeth Bradbury’s traumatic experience with Redeemer Baptist Church in the 1970s and 1980s, the organization faced a formal ban from caring for children in need of substitute care by the Department of Youth and Community Services. Rather than abandoning its mission, the church transformed itself into a school, initially operating as an unregistered community institution before gaining accreditation from the Department of Education in 1983. Now, nearly five decades later, the school is set to become the focus of a New South Wales Parliamentary inquiry following disturbing allegations of systemic control over students, including restrictions on personal choices such as clothing and university paths, and the failure to pay teachers. Elizabeth Bradbury, a 62-year-old woman who spent part of her childhood in the care of Redeemer Baptist Church, recounted her experiences through physical reminders, gravel from the church's property embedded in her knee. She described being dragged by her hair by male members of the church at age 15 during a visit with her mother, an incident that left lasting emotional scars. Bradbury was placed in the care of the church in 1976 at the age of 11, with the consent of her mother, who had surrendered her parental rights. By 1981, when she was 16 and in the middle of her Higher School Certificate studies, the state agency had prohibited the church from continuing to provide substitute care for children. Despite this legal restriction, Redeemer Baptist Church continued its work with children, shifting its operations to a school model. The transition was gradual, beginning as an informal educational effort before receiving official recognition in 1983. Today, the school operates in North Parramatta and is accused of exerting excessive control over its students. Allegations include the enforcement of specific dress codes, interference in academic decisions, and the non-payment of teacher salaries, with educators relying on minimal stipends and Centrelink support to survive. The school has also been linked to the housing of at least 50 children in the residences of church elders, particularly Jonathan Cannon and Russell Bailey. Cannon, the principal, is the son of Noel Cannon, a respected former science head at The King’s School and a prominent figure in the local community. Noel Cannon passed away in 2012, and his legacy was described in parliamentary records as one of “uncompromising love.” However, Bradbury paints a different picture, recalling a regime marked by strict surveillance and control. She described being confined to the home of Russell Bailey, who is now the school’s headmaster, and subjected to rules that included prohibitions against using tampons. A senior church elder’s wife reportedly searched her skirts to ensure compliance, even going so far as to discover that Bradbury was shaving her legs. This act led to reprimands, with warnings that using tampons would compromise her status as a virgin. Bradbury also spoke of witnessing troubling practices involving other children in the care of the church. One child, a girl with schizophrenia, was reportedly restrained by elders during what she described as an exorcistic ritual. The girl resisted, but the adults held her down while they prayed, a practice Bradbury found deeply unsettling. These accounts suggest that the alleged control over children predates the leadership of current figures like Jonathan Cannon and Russell Bailey. The controversy surrounding Redeemer Baptist School has intensified in recent weeks, with media outlets such as The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reporting on the allegations. The upcoming parliamentary inquiry aims to investigate these claims in detail, potentially leading to further scrutiny of the school’s operations and its historical ties to child welfare practices. As the investigation unfolds, the case continues to raise questions about the intersection of religious institutions, education, and child protection in Australia.