A former client of Six Seasons Recovery, a mental health and addiction retreat near Margaret River in Western Australia, took his own life days after leaving the facility, prompting further concern about the care provided to vulnerable residents.
Brad Dunne, a Perth businessman, spent four weeks at the retreat in August 2025 and paid $60,000 for treatment for depression and anxiety. The circumstances surrounding his death are not known.
Dunne had previously spoken publicly about his mental health. In a 2018 podcast, he said: “I suffered three very, very major breakdowns. One of them was very close to a suicide.”
Six Seasons Recovery advertises treatment for conditions including addiction, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and childhood trauma.
Dr Kyle Hoath, president of the Australian Medical Association in Western Australia, said a facility treating serious mental health conditions would normally require a psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health-trained nurses and other clinical staff.
“At the very least a facility like that would need to have a psychiatrist, most likely a psychiatrist, a psychologist, some mental health-trained nurses and other clinical support,” he said.
It is unclear whether Six Seasons had professionals with that level of clinical expertise on site. Dunne’s friends are understood to have become increasingly concerned about his welfare while he was staying there.
Former resident describes concerns about Six Seasons Recovery
Another former resident, Adair, said she was experiencing suicidal thoughts when she found Six Seasons online. She paid $48,000 to attend, but said she quickly became concerned about the level of care and lack of professional supervision.
Adair said founder Danny Coyne remained the central decision-maker at the retreat, despite leaving on holiday two days after her arrival.
“He was the only one running things. All the staff, every time any decision had to be made, it all had to go through Danny,” she said.
She said staff told residents they were not allowed to contact Coyne while he was away. Adair also alleged that Coyne later shouted at her during a phone call and ordered her to leave, threatening to involve police.
“I not only wouldn’t recommend it — I’m scared for anyone that does go there in the situation that he is advertising, anyone that is in a mental health crisis and is looking for support and guidance,” she said.
Several former residents have alleged that they were ordered to leave after falling out with Coyne. One person, who has not spoken publicly because of the trauma they say they experienced, alleged that two staff members were instructed to put them in a car and leave them at a caravan park in the South West.
There are also allegations about medication, including schedule eight drugs. Former residents claimed medication was taken from people when they arrived and later dispensed by staff without medical training.
Dr Hoath described that as “incredibly dangerous” and said changes to a person’s medication should be made with their doctor.
Coyne, a former director of New Sensation Homes, has denied many of the issues and allegations raised about Six Seasons Recovery, saying they are false and that the retreat has many satisfied clients.
His former building company left more than 50 customers with unfinished homes and debts of $6 million after it collapsed.
Anyone in Australia experiencing a mental health crisis can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, speak to their GP or contact a local health professional or someone they trust.
