The events that closed our beloved church

Even though Enmore Spiritualist Church has been gone for some time, the question is still and often put, “what happened to your lovely little church?”  Well, the answer is complex and simple all at the same time.  Let’s go for the simple version.

The players:  Patricia Cleary – ex-president

Patricia Cleary, the then president of the church, had been stealing money from the church’s coffers for a very long time.  Indeed, there had been persistent questions and rumours about such dishonesty for a number of years, but all questions were rebuffed by Ms Cleary, normally with a threat of some kind, and usually a threat of court action claiming defamation or suchlike.  As it turns out, the threats issued by Pat Cleary were far from empty, and were both malign and well intentioned.

Back in 2009 at that year’s AGM, Pat Cleary lost her role as treasurer, and the extent of the theft of church monies was exposed.  A further meeting of the members was subsequently held and the committee dissolved, with Pat Cleary then losing her long-held position as president.  She did not like this one little bit, and sought the legal assistance of Terence Goldberg of Turner Freeman Lawyers and commenced court action against five members of the church, and indeed against the church itself, in an attempt to regain her position as president and presumably also that of treasurer.

For reasons which remain difficult to understand, two other church members took Pat Cleary’s side in her court action, as well as a further church member by the name of Mandy Miami (real name Miranda McCarthy).  Mandy’s motivations though became clear after a certain length of time as her home address became the receptacle for church funds after the church was closed.

However, Pat Cleary and her three compatriots did not claim victory in their court action against the church and five of its members, as the court made no order in anyone’s favour and, in fact, the court’s only order was that each party pay their own costs.  This, in turn, caused a problem for Pat Cleary and her friends as they did not have the funds to pay their legal and court costs, which turned out to be very substantial indeed.

Terry Goldberg (solicitor) and Jon Lindsay

Terence Goldberg

As dishonesty tends to do, its tentacles spread outwards.  Terence Goldberg, the solicitor who acted for the four plaintiffs in the abovementioned court matter made an application to the court for the assessment of his costs, and in such application claimed to have acted for the church in the said proceedings (detailed here).  This was a clear and obvious lie.  Not only was the church named as a defendant in the court proceedings, it was also an unrepresented party, with no solicitor acting on its behalf.

An acquaintance of Terence Goldberg’s, a Mr Jon Lindsay, and while claiming to be a creditor in the amount of $85.00, sought the winding up of the church in order to pay Turner Freeman’s bill of costs.  The church was wound up and its building was sold in June 2011 for $965,000 to pay Turner Freeman’s improper first claim of $124,661.90 (which later inexplicably grew to $188,303.60).  Jon Lindsay’s claim to be a creditor of the church enabled him to pass a resolution for and in turn vote to wind up the association.

What happened to the residue, I hear you ask?  Well, not being content with improperly seeking his costs from the church, it transpires that the remaining monies as belonging to the church have since found their way into a trust as set up by Terence Goldberg, with the sole objective of that trust being to provide monies to a sham entity, as also set up by Terence Goldberg, with that sham entity residing at the given home address of, you guessed it, Mandy Miami and Jon Lindsay.

One would think that the Law Society and the police would be very interested in the above.  However, and sadly, all authorities have turned a distinct blind eye, claiming that all that took place was above board.

The Office of the Legal Services Commissioner, the overseer of solicitor conduct (a body answerable to the Attorney General’s Office), has done all in its power to protect Terence Goldberg and cover up his criminal activities.

Michael Jones, Jones Partners Insolvency

Michael Jones

Of course, Terence Goldberg didn’t act alone.  Michael Jones of Jones Partners has played a central role in the matter.  Despite being made totally aware of Terence Goldberg’s fraudulent activities and the improper debt claimed against the church, Michael Jones, being the liquidator, proceeded with the winding up of the association, himself claiming a multitude of costs against the church along the way, while also paying creditors as it turned out who didn’t actually exist.

Michael Jones acted in conspiracy with Terence Goldberg to strip the church of its entire assets, and place those and other funds into the abovementioned Trust, together with other funds of an unknown origin.  The term used for such behaviour is money laundering.

The church at the time of its closure had one true creditor only, being CBC Partners, Sydney, in the amount of $3,514.50.  Ironically, this sum was invoiced to the church for an audit of its finances, with such audit highlighting Patricia Cleary’s theft of church moneys.

However, Michael Jones, in a declaration to ASIC on 6 December 2017 claims to have paid $242,179.10 to ‘unsecured creditors’.  As can be seen, this is quite a disparity.  Michael Jones also declared to ASIC that he paid $81,826.35 in legal fees, and we can safely presume this money as belonging to the church was in fact paid to Turner Freeman Lawyers.

Now, of course, what is most interesting in Michael Jones’s declaration to ASIC is his claim to have paid the sum of $500,000.00 into the Trust that both he and Terence Goldberg created.  That Trust, in fact, received an amount of $985,447.00 in the latter part of 2016, before an amount of $492,307.00 simply vanished from that same Trust, marked as ‘expenses’.  We wonder what these expenses can be, and where did this money go?

Michael Jones’s declaration to ASIC of 6 December 2017 can be found here.

More to follow…

Suzie Forell

Suzie Forell

As it also transpires, Terence Goldberg’s wife, Suzie Forell, a rumoured friend of Mandy Miami, was once an employee of the NSW Police Force, as well as being a former employee of the Independent Commission Against Corruption.  It seems that Terence Goldberg is very well protected indeed.  Sometimes truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

See timeline of events which appears after the following letter to Terence Goldberg of 4 November 2019 for a baseline account of the sorry tale.

A concise timeline of fraud


  • 27 November 2009

    Terence Goldberg acts for four plaintiffs in Supreme Court proceedings

    Terence Goldberg acts for Patricia Cleary, Matilda Vila, Caroline Allen and Miranda McCarthy in Supreme Court proceedings 2009/00291458-001.  One Order only is made in these proceedings, in that each party is to pay their own costs.

  • 23 June 2010

    Terence Goldberg provides false instrument to Supreme Court of NSW

    Terence Goldberg files an Application with the Court for assessment of his costs, and in such, fraudulently claims to have acted for the Enmore Spiritualist Church Incorporated, being the sixth defendant in the above Court proceedings.  The sixth defendant, in fact, was an unrepresented party.

  • 3 February 2011

    Certificate of Determination issued against the sixth defendant

    John Bartos, costs assessor, having been led to believe by Terence Goldberg that the sixth defendant was in fact a plaintiff, issues a Certificate of Determination against the Enmore Spiritualist Church Incorporated in the amount of $124,661.90.

  • 15 February 2011

    Terence Goldberg obtains judgment debt against sixth defendant

    Judgment debt is issued by the District Court, Sydney, in the amount of $124,661.90, against Enmore Spiritualist Church Incorporated.

  • 17 May 2011

    Associate of Terence Goldberg seeks winding up of sixth defendant

    Jon Lindsay, a long-time acquaintance of Terence Goldberg, in a meeting of creditors at the office of Jones Partners, liquidator, while claiming to be owed the amount of $85.00, puts forward a motion to wind up the association known as the Enmore Spiritualist Church (sixth defendant).

  • 21 June 2011

    Premises of 2 London Street, Enmore, sold for $965,000 to pay purported Turner Freeman debt

    The only asset as owned by Enmore Spiritualist Church Incorporated, ie the church building, is sold as part of the winding up of the association in order to pay Turner Freeman’s disputed debt, with the sale having been arranged by Michael Gregory Jones of Jones Partners (liquidator).

  • 20 December 2012

    Turner Freeman paid in full by the liquidator to the amount of $188,303.60

    NSW Fair Trading confirms that Turner Freeman was paid in full to the amount of $188,303.60 on 20 December 2012, some $63,641.70 in surplus to the obtained judgment debt.

  • 29 May 2014

    Terence Goldberg attends 'meeting of creditors' at offices of liquidator

    Terence Goldberg attends ‘meeting of creditors’ at the offices of Jones Partners, despite having been paid in full some 17 months previously, and is also the only attendee at this meeting (rendering the said meeting void).  In this meeting Terence Goldberg provides financial advantage to the liquidator, and discusses the creation of a Trust and also a new entity by the name of The Congregation of the Enmore Spiritualist Church Incorporated.

  • 21 October 2015

    Creation of sham entity called The Congregation of the Enmore Spiritualist Church Incorporated

    Turner Freeman Lawyers sets up entity to act as a receptacle to receive fraudulently obtained funds, with such entity headed by Jon Lindsay, long-time acquaintance of Terence Goldberg, with such entity also being registered to the given home address of Jon Lindsay, at 3/349 Bourke Street, Darlinghurst.  This entity has no actual purpose or function and exists in name only.

    The said sham entity was also set up with 19 supposed financial members, however, only one of those membership details actually tallies with the electoral roll, giving the appearance of the fabrication of names and addresses.

  • 16 December 2016

    Creation of The Congregation of the Enmore Spiritualist Church Foundation Trust

    Trust set up by Terence Goldberg with the assistance of Perpetual Trustee Company Limited, with its sole objective being to provide funds to the abovementioned sham entity.  The surplus funds as owned by the original entity were received by this Trust after being held for some years by Mr Michael Jones, the liquidator.

  • Between 30 June 2016 and 1 July 2017

    Moneys passed to sham entity from Trust

    As per the website of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and the financial statement of the abovementioned Trust, such Trust received an amount in the region of $985,447.00, with an amount of $492,307.00 simultaneously exiting same.

    The sum of $985,447.00 exceeds by far the assets left over from the winding up of the original association.  Where did it come from, and more importantly, where did the $492,307.00 go?

    The Financial Information Statement for 2017 for The Congregation of the Enmore Spiritualist Church Foundation Trust can be found here on the website of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.

  • 12 December 2017

    False declaration made to ASIC

    Michael Jones, liquidator, declares to ASIC that he transferred $500,000.00 into the Trust that he and Terence Goldberg created.  That Trust, in fact, received in the region of $985,447.00 (as above), therefore creating a rather large disparity, with an excess of funds of unknown origin having entered the said Trust.

    A copy of that declaration can be downloaded here.

  • 2017/2018

    Where has the money gone?

    As at June 2019, both entities have provided financial statements to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.  The Congregation of the Enmore Spiritualist Church Foundation Trust holds $517,980.00 in its account (as here), however, the sham and non-operating entity known as The Congregation of the Enmore Spiritualist Church Incorporated holds the paltry sum of $4,700.00 in its account (as here).

    Where has the almost half million gone?  Quite simply, a tale of fraud and money laundering.

    Turner Freeman Lawyers.  A criminal enterprise.

  • 11 February 2020

    ACNC Financial Report for 2018/2019

    This morning the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission published its financial report for The Congregation of the Enmore Spiritualist Church Congregation Foundation Trust for the financial period of 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019, and states that the sum of $522,215.00 now resides in the trust, having had $19,571.00 in ‘expenses’ over the previous 12 months.

    Details of the above can be found here.

  • 15 February 2021

    ACNC Financial Report for 2019/2020

    Today, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission published the financial report for The Congregation of the Enmore Spiritualist Church Congregation Foundation Trust for the financial period of 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020, with such statement advising that the Trust now holds $488,033.00 in assets.

    However, last year’s financial statement advised the Trust had $522,215.00 in assets.  The Trust had a trade deficit of $78.00 in the last financial year, so the Trust should therefore have the amount of $522,137.00 in its account.  Given these assets are liquid, there is no depreciation.

    An amount of $34,104.00 has obviously gone astray.  Where has it gone?  Maybe the Australian Federal Police will find out.

    The Annual Information Statement on the website of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission for the 2019/2020 financial year can be found here.

  • 19 January 2022

    ACNC Financial Report for 2020/2021

    And this year more astonishing events take place.  As per the website of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, the Trust of Terence Goldberg and Michael Jones’s making now has the sum of $563,646.00 in its account.

    This is bizarre on a number of fronts.  In last year’s financial report, the Trust is stated as having $488,033.00 in its account, and despite reporting a net deficit of -$1,218.00 for the last financial year, the Trust has managed to increase the amount held in its coffers by $75,613.00.

    It must be a magic trick.  The accounts for the financial year of 2020/2021 can be found here.

  • 1 February 2023

    ACNC Financial Report for 2021/2022

    The website of the ACNC now reports that the entity as created by Terence Goldberg of Turner Freeman Lawyers and Michael Jones of Jones Partners, known as The Congregation of the Enmore Spiritualist Church Foundation Trust, now has net assets in the amount of $5,619,541.00.  This is a net value increase of $5,055,895.00 in the intervening 12 month period, yet the said trust has a reported revenue of $37,415.00.  The ACNC financial report for 2021/2022 can be found here.

    Turner Freeman Lawyers.  A criminal enterprise.

    Documentation corroborating all the above is contained within this website and other public resources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 Comments

  1. Diane Hollebone

    February 7, 2021 at 2:42 pm

    I am a spiritualist and descendent of Emily Cross-Turner who was an active spiritualist medium and healer with the Enmore Spiritualist Church in the early years. I had the pleasure of visiting your beautiful church some years ago. I am deeply saddened to read of these challenges and wish you well in your fight to bring truth to light.
    Love, Light and Peace to all xx

  2. Reading this breaks my heart.  My great granny was Alice Scott, who I have only just learned was president for 35 years!  She died while living at the church, however, we (the family) thought she was a caretaker.  I am now a professional medium and can’t begin to imagine how proud she would be if I could continue her work there, particularly as I am born and bred inner west (Balmain) girl!  I wish it could be restored.

    • I remenber Alice and her cat Whisky.  Lovely old lady.  I remember Pat Cleary found her a bit overbearing.  Was a great Church in its, day so sorry they brought the place down.

  3. I went to development classes at Enmore Church in the late 1980’s, Reverend Pat was often there and helped one of my recently passed over friends to go into the light as she was a bit lost. For all her earthly faults due to temptation, Pat definitely helped many people with their personal and spiritual lives. Too bad it all stopped because of this. The latest increase of $5million in the trust demonstrates how easy the crazy fraud by the legal, corporate and banking entities can be done by a few computer clicks! Hi to Lionel White, if you ever read this.

    • Admin

      May 30, 2023 at 6:39 am

      Dear Kath

      Many thanks for your comment.  The $5m increase (after a complaint was made to the ACNC) was later revised down to $561,954.00.  Apparently, someone’s fingers slipped while entering the figure and it was a ‘mistake’.  Personally, I believe it was a practice run to see if anybody would notice.  The level of misconduct and bad behaviour surrounding the closure of our little church is mindblowing, with court action presently taking place.  It will be interesting to see that outcome.

      Kind regards

      Admin

  4. I went to the church in 88 after my partner died. I was in a downward spiral in grief and kept hearing his words about spiritualism which I wasn’t familiar with. Reverend Pat and others were kind and looked after me and I spent a year doing development classes till the end of 89 when I moved to Queensland. I know Pat paid for the funerals of many poor and homeless. Has that been considered?

    • Admin

      December 27, 2023 at 6:56 pm

      Dear Bob

      We appreciate your comment, and as you can see, we have chosen to publish it.

      We are not aware of Pat paying for funerals for the poor and homeless, and if she did, then she is to be (posthumously) congratulated. However, Pat had been stealing money from our church for a very, very long time, and it ultimately led to the church closing its doors, and being taken from us by an unscrupulous and dishonest solicitor.

      Oddly enough, we were only talking about the church today, and its loss to the community.

      Kind regards

      Admin

      • My memories are of eighteen months of support and encouragement at 2 London Street. Pat (Grey Cloud) Marcia (Red Feather) and the pianist and her disabled son Matthew are all part of my memories that allowed me to survive almost 35 years with aids and reach my eightieth year.

        • Admin

          December 27, 2023 at 8:38 pm

          Bob

          We are indeed very glad and happy to hear that your time at Enmore Spiritualist Church was positive for you, and it’s wonderful that you have happy memories of your time there.

          That is indeed what our church was for.

          Kindest regards

          ESC

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