The Real-Life Cult Behind Cate's Starring Role

The actress’ turn in a controversial new miniseries has everyone talking and placed the spotlight on a secretive Australian sect and its founders

While Cate Blanchett’s star power brings a giant helping of Hollywood glamour to Netflix’s new drama Stateless, a chillingly dark true story lies beneath the show’s glittery facade.

Cate, who co-created the series, and British actor Dominic West play Pat and Gordon Masters, who run a “spiritual healing group” called GOPA. The characters are based on Jan Hamilton and her partner Ken Dyers, who founded Kenja Communication in Melbourne in 1982.An

Through counselling sessions, Ken and Jan, who was 27 years his junior, promised their members a heightened relationship with “the spiritual nature of man”.

However, it has been alleged that Ken was abusing members, some as young as 12, under the guise he was “cleansing” them.

Jan claims Kenja has faced decades of persecution by those who want to bring them down.

Since the show’s release, many former members have bravely come forward to open up about what they allegedly endured during their time at Kenja.

Alison Pels, who was born into the sect, says she was abused every week from the age of 12. “I was born and grew up in Kenja. I always knew something wasn’t right,” she says. “Ken was an elderly man with bad breath and broken capillaries all over his face.”

Alison claims that a lot of people knew Ken was abusing her, with some of them “literally in the room” at the time.