Quote
Kevin
Since Dave insists on rehashing his tales against those he expelled, I thought I would take this opportunity to restate the facts.
Dave was the one who said he was leaving to start a new community, that it would be based upon his executive rule, and would not be accountable to the continuing community, whom Dave said would be afforded "sister" status. The entire Australian base (about half the community) accepted these terms, said they would give all the funds accumulated up to that point (over $30,000) to Dave's new community and would continue funding the work in India. (The entire Indian team had decided to join Dave's new community).
Dave returned to Australia with Cherry a few weeks later, and when Rols and Sue arrived held a meeting where he said he'd changed his mind on the "sister" relationship between his new community and the rest of us. He explained that we would be treated as "pigs, wolves, vipers and dogs" unless we united under the leadership of one apostle. There were reservations regarding this top-down attitude, so Dave suggested wiping the slate and returning to the values of consensus and mutual accountability of the old community. We welcomed Dave back, but he immediately made arrangements for Boyd and Sheri to take people on an extended outreach so he could then expel Craig and me, and seized everyone's personal papers.
When the community asked Dave about this skulduggery he said "I will never be accountable to you again. If you don't like it you can leave."
No one "liked it".
Dave said he had possession of our passports and personal papers and how we conducted ourselves would determine whether or not they would be returned after we left. He asked us to submit a list of everything we wanted to take, but was incensed when we did and refused much that had been requested. In the end Dave asked: "What would it take to get rid of you all?" We replied "nothing". He said "In that case... " (pointing to the door ) "Get out!"
I asked to take Liz' personal things as she had been staying as a rent paying lodger, and Dave roared: "Take what you want. Let your greed take full reign!" and stormed out.
Boyd and Sheri had returned with their van and Liz' sister and brother-in-law came to help collect her things, but otherwise we were huddled in the car park as it rained, with the few things we had grabbed as we headed out the door, trying to work out where we would all sleep for the night and what would come next.
We were subsequently given one van (that was registered in my name), but not on the day of our expulsion. And, we bought back some of the personal things that Dave had denied us, which he put in a garage sale a week or so later.
Dave's egocentrism seems apparent in the assumption that everyone just has to wear him calling all the shots and be condemned as "bitter" if they say anything about it. I believe he is proving himself to be the one bitter against people who don't continue to do as he demands.
We were very generous to give so much to Dave when he left the community, and to let him walk in and take everything else as well when he decided he wanted to be nasty. I even signed over the bond as he threatened to call the police to have me evicted from my own house!
It would be nice if Dave could be more respectful of the very small number of people who have committed themselves to work with him, even if for whatever reason that association ends. It serves no purpose to vilify those he discards, and it's time he forsook the rage.