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Magnificent Mercs and millions
The Courier Mail (Australia), June 14, 2003
http://www.news.com.au/
David Murray and Amanda Gearing
Cult leader Debra Geileskey who claims she has visions of the Virgin Mary has amassed a property empire worth more than $3.5 million.
The former school teacher whose Magnificat Meal Movement headquarters are based at Helidon, 80km west of Brisbane, also owns four Mercedes-Benz with matching number plates.
Land title searches show she owns or part owns at least 20 properties, including homes, farms, offices, shops and units.
In the past 18 months, Ms Geileskey and companies in which she is the sole director bought $2.3 million worth of property in the Gatton, Laidley and Livingstone shires.
Among last year’s purchases was a $950,000 orchard, a $590,000 cattle property, $300,000 tropical fruit farm and a $285,000 house site.
Ms Geileskey is a director of 10 companies, and often uses the name Debra Burslem.
She owns or part owns about a dozen properties in Helidon’s Railway St, the town’s main street.
Ms Geileskey attracted world-wide attention with claims she received messages from Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
She also once claimed she ate only 33 times a year and survived on holy wafers and water.
With her now estranged husband Gordon, Ms Geileskey had more than $350,000 in debts when the couple moved to Queensland from Victoria.
Her “visions” gave her a much more comfortable existence.
The couple set up a private company, Our Lady’s Mount, which obtained stakes in hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property deeded to them by cult members.
Ms Geileskey is regularly seen travelling in a convoy of her Mercedes-Benz, which include number plates “CORMA 1, 2 and 3″, standing for the title she gives to the Virgin Mary, “Co-Redemptrix, Mediator and Advocate”.
One of the homes Ms Geileskey bought last year is in the peaceful farming district near Grantham in the Lockyer Valley.
Across the road, retired TAFE teacher Hank Deucker and his wife Judy, a nurse, built their dream home 10 years ago and run a few head of cattle.
They say they tried to “live and let live” as suggested by the local council, but after enduring more than 100 loud parties and rock band practice sessions within a year, they have had enough.
“The first party lasted three days. Neighbours two kilometres away phoned up to find out what the racket was,” Mr Deucker said.
On the afternoon of the third day of the first party, Mrs Geileskey arrived at the Deuckers’ front door with three bodyguards and invited them to join the party.
“She said the party was for a few friends. There were 70 cars there. We said ‘no thanks’,” Mrs Deucker said.
“At night the only way to escape is to close the house and turn up the television until they stop at about one minute to 10.”
The Deuckers phoned police and were told they could not do anything about noise until 10pm.
Ms Geileskey could not be contacted yesterday.
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