Don't Deal with NSW Cult Selling Cure-all Waters, Says Watkins

"Infinity is about the almighty dollar not the Almighty"

Department of Fair Trading, New South Wales, Australia/July 16, 2001

The Fair Trading Minister, John Watkins, today warned consumers not to deal with a NSW-based religious cult charging exorbitant prices for water with alleged miracle healing powers.

Infinity Forms of Yellow Remember sells more than 270 differently-marked bottles of water with names such as "Heart Spider", "Hallucinogenics Elixir", "Pharmaceutical Elixir" and "Puff the Magic Dragon."

The bottles contain water - only water - yet Infinity charges around $80 for a tiny 50ml bottle.

Infinity claims "The Waters" can cure weak hearts, migraine, anxiety, muscle fatigue and dependence on alcohol and pharmaceutical drugs.

The cult's advertisements say: "To imbibe these waters is to touch the omnipresent attribute of the Divine, which bestows the healing design upon the recipients.

They continue: "Infinity Forms of Yellow Remember appears in the form of Living waters, wands, pendants and other artefacts that transform utterly the person and the living environment from what is usually the case to, at last and over time, abiding in the bliss of total Happiness beyond all reason."

Mr Watkins said that, while a person's religious belief is not a matter for the NSW Government, the marketing of The Waters is something quite different.

"It's a mean con trick aimed at the most vulnerable people in our society," he said.

"People with severe drug addictions, mental illness, or with potentially fatal diseases such as HIV or cancer, may be vulnerable to the promise of a cure through the use of these waters.

"This is a very old-fashioned rip-off - the old sideshow spruiker selling the cure-all elixir - but it is dressed up in New Age language." "Infinity is about the almighty dollar not the Almighty."

Mr Watkins named Infinity as an unfair trader under Section 86A of the NSW Fair Trading Act. Namings alert the public to a fair trading menace, so further damage to consumers is minimised while Fair Trading continues its investigations.

The beliefs of Infinity members centre around the products the organisation sells.

Infinity openly admits The Waters contain nothing more than spring water. Healing or cures rely mainly on the faith of the person using the water.

Infinity is based in Jonson Street, Byron Bay, but it has shop front-stores in: Prince Edward Street, Gladesville: Wattlebird Drive, Twin Waters, QLD; Banksia Drive, Byron Bay; Auckland, NZ; and Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

The organisation's directors are: Gerald Attrill (aka Jesse O' My Heart), Drew Porter and Paula Mary Rutherford, of Tyalgum, NSW.

Sydney Water charges around 0.001 cents for a 250 ml glass of water. This means Infinity has a mark-up of some 400,000 per cent for the same product. However, as well as selling The Waters, Infinity sells products including wands, pendants, body products and literature.

Mr Watkins said Fair Trading complainants alleged that Infinity took large amounts of money from its followers, who are mostly but not exclusively young people.

Parents of children involved with the cult have told Fair Trading that they do not dare criticise the organisation or its leaders publicly for fear they will permanently lose contact with them.

Mr Watkins said NSW Fair Trading was continuing its investigations into Infinity Yellow Forms of Remember and further action was likely to be taken.