Did Lady Justice favour Lady Munro? Would she have the last laugh on her copper nemesis? Has anyone ever faced court more often in Australian history or done it with more style? All will be revealed... almost!

Support Forgotten Australia:

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or: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com

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Having come back from the grave once, Lady Munro faces another close call with death, becomes ever-more popular in colonial culture and goes toe-to-toe with one of Australia's most prominent gentlemen in a high-profile criminal court case.

Support Forgotten Australia:

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To submit questions for the Peter Doyle Book Club episode:

https://www.speakpipe.com/forgottenaustralia

or: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com

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The eccentric Lady Munro cut a swathe through late colonial and early Federation Australia with her drunken antics, defiant unconventionality and mysterious claim to be from one of England’s most famous aristocratic families. The ‘Notorious Lady Munro’, who confessed to having been been ‘drunk around the universe’, was celebrated as ‘one of the most remarkable women alive’ – and stayed alive long enough to read of her own death in the newspapers more than once. Join me for a strange, funny, sad and always surprising deep dive into the utterly forgotten life of our very own blue-blooded lady larrikin.

Parts 2 & 3 available now early and ad-free for Apple Subscribers and Patreon Supporters.

**Take advantage of the Apple three-day free trial to hear them and all bonus episodes. Cancel before it expires and you won't pay anything**

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

To submit questions for the Peter Doyle Book Club episode:

https://www.speakpipe.com/forgottenaustralia

or: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com

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While The Salvation Army is now a beloved institution, 140 years ago its men and women were regularly the victims of violent assaults by larrikin hordes who marched under the skull and bones and called themselves The Skeleton Army. These shameful attacks were staged all over Australia but were most prevalent in Melbourne and Victoria. In this episode, we explore the rise of the Salvos, the hostility they faced from the police, press and the public – and how these factors set the scene for their brutal persecution by the hateful Skeletons.

Hear the new bonus episode Gotcha! Australia’s April Fools via:

Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

Apple (you can get a three-day free trial):

http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Questions for the Book Club episode featuring Peter Doyle can be submitted:

In writing: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com

As audio: speakpipe.com/forgottenaustralia

Hanging Ned Kelly is 40% off here (at time of writing):

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922806406.html

Save Trove:

Change.org petition to fully fund Trove:

https://www.change.org/p/fully-fund-trove

Email Arts Minister Tony Burke:

https://www.tonyburke.com.au/contact

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“GIRLS ON PYLON SEX MACHINE”– it’s gotta be the weirdest newspaper headline of the 1930s. So what’s the strange story behind it? Join me for a plunge into the "Pashometer" craze that had Australians going bonkers to have a go on the machine that scientifically measured their all-important Sex Appeal!

Change.org petition to fully fund Trove - https://www.change.org/p/fully-fund-trove

Contact Tony Burke - https://www.tonyburke.com.au/contact

Support Forgotten Australia:

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

Contact email forgottenaustraliapodcast (at) gmail.com

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It’s July 1950 and Sydney detectives have Arthur Graham - aka Fred Stevens, aka Thomas Croft, aka Lionel Thomas – cornered in Perth. But can the man they suspect of multiple murders escape justice again?

Support Forgotten Australia:

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It’s winter 1950 and Sydney detectives are criss-crossing Australia as they try to piece together the whereabouts of Blacktown widow, Phyllis Mary Page, last seen in the company of Fred Stevens – aka Thomas Croft – aka Lionel Thomas.

Support Forgotten Australia:

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It’s 1945 and Lionel Thomas - aka Thomas Croft – looks set to pay for one of the most heinous murders in Melbourne’s recent history: the cold-blooded shooting of a railway stationmaster.

Support Forgotten Australia:

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Lionel Charles Thomas went by a lot of aliases. But by any name, he was one nasty character. In this instalment, we chronicle his early criminal career and piece together the evidence that made Sydney and Melbourne suspect him in a handful of murders.

Support Forgotten Australia:

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With the true horror of the pay car outrage revealed – but buried ever-deeper in the war-time newspapers – Sydney police follow promising leads, conduct sweeping interviews and utilise the skills of the scientific squad in the hope of cracking the case. Eventually they’ll come up with a prime suspect – but where is he?

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

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Just hours after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, cold-blooded bandits staged a ruthless ambush on a railway pay car crew south of Sydney. In the aftermath of this ambush, homicide detectives faced an unprecedented task. How could they get the public’s attention – get the information they needed to catch these killers – when all anyone could talk about was the new and unprecedented threat to Australia?

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

To help save Trove, please sign and share these petitions:

Government petition (sign by 22 February) - https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN4747

Change.org - https://www.change.org/p/fully-fund-trove?redirect=false

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With Australia's biggest manhunt at an end, Kevin John Simmonds faced the darkest fate imaginable.

New episodes are on the way!

To support the podcast:

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In November 1959, after eluding authorities for nearly one month, wanted killer and gaol escapee Kevin John Simmonds disappeared into harsh bush on the NSW Central Coast, with 500 heavily armed police scouring the terrain for any signs of him in what was the largest manhunt in Australian history. But the fugitive had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, leading to an outpouring of public sympathy, political showdowns and even an assassination threat against the state premier.

To support Forgotten Australia, and get early ad-free access and exclusive bonus episodes:

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

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Determined not to serve 15 years for his incredible crime spree, Kevin John Simmonds broke out of Long Bay Jail in October 1959. What followed was a tragic and senseless killing, the biggest manhunt in the nation's history and the first media circus of Australia's television era.

Parts 3 & 4 will be released next week but are available now to Apple subscribers and Patreon supporters.

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

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In November 1959, Australia was electrified by the massive manhunt for handsome young prison escapee and killer Kevin John Simmonds, who eluded hundreds of heavily armed police for weeks to become a rebel heart-throb every bit as popular as Elvis Presley and Johnny O’Keefe.

Part 2, 3 and the epilogue will be released over the coming week but they are available now ad-free for Patreon supporters and Apple Subscribers. By supporting and subscribing, you're helping me to keep making this podcast.

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

My latest book, Hanging Ned Kelly, is out now. Read an excerpt here free — and get 19% off cover price:

https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

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After Fred Jones's betrayal, with Hayati branded an 'enemy alien', the showman and the performer go head to head in a series of court cases that make headlines all around Australia.

You can see a photo gallery from this story free at Patreon - no need to sign up or pay.

If you do want to support Forgotten Australia:

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

You can read an excerpt from my book Hanging Ned Kelly at: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

You can also buy the book there at 26% off the RRP

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Who was Frederick Hooper Jones, the man who tried to ruin Hayati Hassid? In this instalment, we look at Fred's life and career as a showman and as a pioneering aviator.

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

Read a free sample of Hanging Ned Kelly here – and buy the book with a 26% discount on the recommended retail price of $35.

https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

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Having conquered Australia with Tiny Town, Hayati Hassid goes out on his own and falls into the orbit of Frederick Hooper Jones. To heat parts 3 & 4 right now ad-free, become an Apple subscriber or Patreon supporter.

For a three-day free trial, Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

For Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

You can read a free sample of Hanging Ned Kelly and get 26% off the RRP here:

https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

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From a digitised formerly secret Australian military intelligence file comes one of Forgotten Australia’s strangest stories.

In 1911-1912, from Sydney to Brisbane, Perth to Melbourne, and all points in between, Australia was enthralled by the little people entertainment troupe known as Tiny Town.

Everyone was especially fond its undisputed star, 'The Mayor of Tiny Town', aka 'The Turkish Tom Thumb', the incomparable small-man performer Hayati Hassid.

Yet how did this beloved celebrity - who also acted as editor of 'The Tiny Town Times' - become designated an enemy alien after the Great War broke out?

What did this dark twist have to do with showman and self-professed father of Australian aviation Frederick Hooper Jones?

And just where do genocidal Turkish sultan Abdul The Damned, legendary escapologist Harry Houdini and Aussie rock band The Angels fit into this picture?

Join me for a four-part deep dive that takes us from the harems of the dying Ottoman Empire to the roller-skating-mad London vaudeville scene, from a forgotten antipodean box office blockbuster to the controversial very earliest days of Australia aviation.

You won't believe your ears.

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

My new book Hanging Ned Kelly is out now and will make a cracker of a Christmas present.

You can read a free excerpt here - and get 26% off the RRP: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

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With the accused murderer of Holly Murphy and Kathleen Brown set to go to trial in April 1946, there's a series of shocking secret developments, including a bombshell letter that makes disturbing claims against Queensland's boys in blue. Via the original police murder file - and from information from a descendant of one of the men involved - we explore what might've really happened.

To hear me talk about my new book Hanging Ned Kelly - and for excellent true crime and history episodes, check out these podcasts:

Australian True Crime - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/australian-true-crime/id1217681421

In Black & White - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/in-black-and-white/id1466009446

To read an excerpt of Hanging Ned Kelly - https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

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With Detective Senior-Sergeant Frank Bischof in Cairns, Bob Davis soon identifies the murderer. But how far can Bob be trusted? And what is Bischof offering?

Part 3 will be available later this week via regular podcast platforms. But as an Apple subscriber or Patreon supporter, you can hear it right now ad-free.

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

To hear me talk about my new book Hanging Ned Kelly - and for excellent true crime and history episodes, check out these podcasts:

Australian True Crime - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/australian-true-crime/id1217681421

In Black & White - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/in-black-and-white/id1466009446

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On a hot night in January 1946, two women were cold-bloodedly murdered with a grenade in the centre of Cairns. In this three-part special episode - based on the original police murder file - we take a deep dive into this callous crime, whose solution was frustrated not only by the underworld’s code of silence but also by the conduct of Queensland’s most infamously corrupt cop.

Parts Two & Three will be available next week via regular podcast platforms. But as an Apple subscriber or Patreon supporter, you can hear them right now ad-free.

Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

To hear me talk about my new book Hanging Ned Kelly - and for excellent true crime and history episodes, check out these podcasts:

Australian True Crime - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/australian-true-crime/id1217681421

In Black & White - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/in-black-and-white/id1466009446

To read an excerpt of Hanging Ned Kelly - https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Note: This episode - like all old and new regular episodes - is free for everyone to listen to.

I'm very pleased to present an exclusive audio version of the first 20 pages of my new book Hanging Ned Kelly, which is published this week by Affirm Press. Here's what it's about:

HANGING NED KELLY

When it came time to hang Ned Kelly, the deed fell to the nightman-turned-quack-doctor-turned-drunken-chicken-thief Elijah Upjohn. Such is life indeed.

Upjohn was the latest in a long line of 19th century flogging hangmen who were allowed to run amok because they did the dirty work of the establishment that allowed officials to keep their hands clean. Despite being duly appointed ‘finishers of the law’, Upjohn and his fellow boozing bunglers were so hated they were often hunted by angry mobs.

In Hanging Ned Kelly, the tale of Elijah Upjohn becomes the rusty scalpel that slices open the underbelly of colonial Victoria – an underworld seething with serial killers, clueless cops, larrikin vigilantes, renegade reporters, racist settlers, furious fallen women and cunning waxwork showmen. Looming over them all: the depraved hangmen... and Australia's most infamous outlaw.

Hanging Ned Kelly is available on 27 September at all good bookstores and online retailers.

To support Forgotten Australia and access early ad-free and bonus episodes:

Apple: http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

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While 1950s eccentrics Bea Miles and Rosaleen Norton are well remembered, Luba Shishova was twice as wild yet she's all but forgotten. Dubbed a ‘one-woman Russian Revolution’, this chaotic beauty cut a swathe through Kings Cross, earning adoring fans among the city’s reporters and outraging the cops and the judges. Now, for the first time, Luba’s story is told in detail – from her background in a war zone and her bikini court sensation to her flesh-ripping assaults and stints in jail and psych hospitals.

To support Forgotten Australia, subscribe via Forgotten Australia +Plus at Apple Podcasts or via Patreon at patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

My book, Hanging Ned Kelly, is out on 27 September. You can read an except for free at the link below. 

https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

Buy Hanging Ned Kelly via this very same link – or at any good bookstore or online retailer.

Back catalogue Forgotten Australia +Plus bonus episodes will be released in the coming weeks.

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On this day in 1922, Henry Lawson died at the age of 55. In this episode, we revisit his death and the pomp, circumstance and furore of his funeral, while also weighing the claim the Aussie bard of the bush was actually the world’s first screenwriter.

Bonus episodes available as soon as you support the show via patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

* The Mad Bomber of Boulder: in February 1942 the goldfields of WA were rocked by one of the worst mass murders in modern Australian history.

* Sydney, Spanish Flu and Covid-19: a live talk at MEDfest, held at the State Library of NSW in July 2022.

* Hanging Ned Kelly: an audio preview of my upcoming book, comprising the prologue, author’s note and first chapter. Note: this will be released on regular platforms in late September. You can pre-order Hanging Ned Kelly and read a chapter sampler for free here: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

* All Hail, Megaethon: the bizarre story of Australia’s first road trips - in the mid-1850s!

* Last of the Bushrangers: an addition to the regular episode Young Ned Kelly, this tells the story of another young outlaw in country Victoria in 1922.

* The Rats Must Die: a live talk about Bubonic Plague, delivered at the Sydney Festival in January 2022.

* Black Thursday: the tale of the 1851 bushfires that burned out one-quarter of Victoria.

* To Sir, With Hate: who murdered a teacher in 1928 in the tiny town of Wolumla on the NSW south coast?

* The Body in the Barwon: in 1953, Australia was shocked by the discovery of a headless body, with the crime committed by a truly bizarre crook.

* Revolvers & Razors: a three-part episode about a grisly 1927 murder in the Blue Mountains that had links to the infamous razor gangs.

* The Wreck of the Errol: an addition to the Mysteries of Mystery Island episode, this is the tale of a 1909 shipwreck and the horrors that followed.

* Detective McRae vs the Lady in Grey: a two-part real-life noir that pits Sydney’s top homicide cop against a drop-dead gorgeous femme fatale.

* Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Spiritualist Tour Down Under: the creator of Sherlock Holmes came to Australia in 1920-21 to chase ghosts. Best heard in tandem with The Guyra Ghost.

* The Bones & The Beast: the case that made Det-Sgt McRae a homicide investigation hero… and the ghastly case that confronted his sometime partner in crime-solving, Det-Sgt Joe Ramus, who were met in The Human Glove Mystery.

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After the discovery of new evidence, the police and the crown prosecutor are determined to see Dot's killer swing from the gallows at Long Bay Gaol.

To support Forgotten Australia: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

To read an extract of Hanging Ned Kelly for free: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

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With the coronial inquest used to build a case against the chief suspect in the murder of Dot Everett, witness 'Miss X' tells the court sordid stories about the man she's sure is a brutal sex maniac.

You can hear the finale now as a supporter - www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Check out my new book, Hanging Ned Kelly, including a free extract - https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

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While the newspapers reported detectives investigating Dot's murder had reached a dead end, the opening of the coronial inquest revealed the cops believed they had the maniac responsible dead to rights. With so much evidence, he'd surely be committed to trial – where a guilty verdict would see him swing.

Parts 4 & 5 will be released soon.

But they're available ad-free now to supporters: www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

If you'd like to read the first chapter of my new book, it's here: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

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In the days following the discovery of Dot Everett's body, Newcastle police are joined by a star Sydney CIB detective. They have to catch the killer before he strikes again. Part 3 of The Vampire Murder will be released next Monday but all five instalments of this episode are available now for supporters (from as little as $3 per month): www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

My book, Hanging Ned Kelly, comes out on 27 September. You can see the cover and read an extract: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

Like the show? I'd love you to leave a rating and/or review. Thanks!

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In November 1937, Dorothy May Everett was murdered in the grounds of the elite Newcastle school where she worked as a live-in kitchen maid. The case was a front-page sensation – as was what came afterwards. The five-part mini-series The Vampire Murder is one of the most haunting stories I've researched. I'll be releasing instalments this week and next. But the entire mini-series is available now ad-free to supporters.

For more info: www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hanging Ned Kelly will be released on 27 September.

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922806406.html

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Here is the conclusion to Reg Evans's astounding story – including his belated rediscovery.

I'll be making another episode about another incredible coastwatcher soon.

Stay tuned. To support the show: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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Recently I was very pleased to be able to help the United States embassy with information, contacts and material relating to the activities of our coastwatchers, who played such a vital role in the South Pacific during World War II.

This assistance was to help incoming American ambassador Caroline Kennedy pay her respects to these brave men.

Ambassador Kennedy, of course, has a deep personal connection to their heroism because her father, President John F. Kennedy, was saved by Australian coastwatcher Reg Evans in 1943.

A couple of years back I produced a two-part episode about Reg’s life, that incident, how Reg’s role went unknown for so many years and how he was rediscovered after JFK won the 1960 election.

It’s one of my favourite episodes and I’m glad to present it again if you missed it - or if you want to hear it again.

I’ll be back next week to start a new round of brand-new Forgotten Australia episodes.

I’ve been hard at work these past weeks on a handful of amazing stories that I’m really looking forward to sharing.

There’s also a new bonus episode coming down the pipeline for supporters.

But in the meantime, here’s Reg Evans’s story. Lest we forget.

To support Forgottten Australia: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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In this concluding instalment, Eve Gray tries to come to grips with being mostly for her beauty before making the move to London that will change her life.

Like the podcast? I'd love it if you'd leave a rating, review or maybe consider becoming a supporter: www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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In this final instalment of The First Dismissal, we look at Robert Beardsmore's horrific experiences at Fromelles in 1916, his role in a 1922 soldier-settler controversy and at the 1929 Battle For Rothbury. Then came the 1932 Dismissal of Jack Lang. Afterwards, feted as a hero, Beardsmore was to play a part in the downfall of another NSW Premier – and his and Jack Lang's sons would have one final battle. To support the show: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

**PLEASE NOTE** I'll be archiving the below episodes soon. Please download now if you've not listened to them already.

The Battle for Rothbury, The Bombing of Rothbury, In The Execution of their Duty, The Fugitive, Sydney’s Red Year, Australia’s First Serial Killer Manhunt and The Human Glove Mystery

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When – if – Robert Henry Beardsmore is mentioned in connection with the May 1932 dismissal of Jack Lang, he's depicted as merely an old public servant who reluctantly did his job. But in reality he was the Forrest Gump of Australian history in the first half of the 20th Century. In part A, we look at his role on the Aborigines Protection Board and how he was enmeshed in a scandal that tainted Australia's first military victory. Part B is on the way!

Want to support the show? patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Or leave a rating & review

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On this day 90 years ago, firebrand NSW Premier Jack Lang was sacked by Governor Sir Phillip Game. 

In this first of two instalments, we look at Lang's early life and business career, the scandalous aspect of his personal life and his embrace of the White Australia policy, his political rise and the massive opposition he faced from his own party, from big business, from the newspapers and from the fascist New Guard. Then, in early May 1932, during the worst of the Great Depression, Lang's collision with the Commonwealth government threatened chaos and civil violence. 

But it would be one forgotten man who actually brought about Lang's downfall. 

In part two, The First Dismissal: The Public Servant Who Toppled the Premier, we'll explore the role played in Lang's dismissal by Robert Beardsmore. Usually he's written in and out of the story in a sentence or two, and if there's any elaboration it's to characterise him as a faceless public servant who merely did his duty. But we're taking a deep dive into the background and potential motivations of a man who – between 1900 and 1932 – was like the Forrest Gump of Australian history.

Part 2 will be available early next week for Patreon supporters and be on general release on 20 May. To support the show: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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Trapped in Melbourne in bizarre circumstances, Herbert Kopit's last chance is to talk his way out of an arrest and flee the country.

Like the podcast? Let me know with a rating and/or review. Thanks!

To support the show and get early ad-free access, bonus episodes and more: www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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How did Herbert Kopit become the most wanted man in Australia, trying to escape a massive tri-state murder manhunt while dressed as a woman?

To support the show: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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From humble beginnings in the Blue Mountains, Kathleen Butler's smarts and skills saw her play a huge but largely forgotten role in making the Sydney Harbour Bridge a reality.

But this female pioneer in engineering lived in a time when women "couldn't have it all". Part two released tomorrow, the 90th anniversary of the opening of the bridge.

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Just when they thought it was safe to go back into the water, another young man was mauled by a shark at Coogee and rescued by another brave lifesaver. Now war was declared on the monsters of the deep. It was a conflict that'd attract charlatans, hoaxers and Pacific Islanders armed with knives — all of them watched by huge crowds because people trying to kill sharks had became a good afternoon's entertainment. Meanwhile, whipped into a mania by newspaper moguls, Australia had heroes to celebrate, to fete as celebrities and to shower with cash. But not all bravery would be rewarded equally...

By supporting Forgotten Australia, you're helping me to to dig through (and digitise) ancient files to bring you history as it's never been heard before. As a Patreon, you get a) ad-free early access to shows b) a show shout-out c) exclusive supporter-only bonus episodes d) Australia's Sweetheart — my audiobook about our forgotten film star Mary Maguire.

patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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100 years ago today — 4 February 1922 — Australia's attitude to sharks changed when the first known fatal shark attack on a Sydney ocean beach happened in front of thousands of people as a surf carnival was about to start at Coogee. It was a day of horror and heroism that would very quickly have a bloody sequel.

Part 2 coming soon. Support: www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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120 years ago today, Sydney faced an epidemic. And it also had a rat problem — but in this case it was there was too many of them.

January 1902 saw the second wave of the Bubonic Plague and — despite the lessons learned during the horrific outbreak of 1900 — politicians, bureaucrats and citizens made all the same mistakes. Meanwhile, as rats multiplied and the body count rose, Sydney prepared for the most spectacular stage show ever seen in Australia. Ben Hur — nothing could be bigger! Except, maybe, microscopic bacteria carried by rat fleas...

Parts 2 & 3 will be released very soon. To support Forgotten Australia and get access to early ad-free eps, bonus shows and more:

www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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Season Five is just around the corner. We're kicking off with an episode called Blue Murder On The Golden Mile. It’s a killer tale set in 1926 and it takes us inside what was then the most intensive manhunt and homicide trial in Western Australian history. One of the main characters in Blue Murder On The Golden Mile is a brilliant barrister named Arthur Haynes. I featured Haynes two years ago in the episode Murder On The Dance Floor, which was set in 1925 in Perth.

So, ahead of Season Five, I've dusted off this two-parter in case you haven’t heard the story — and want a bit of an idea of just how formidable Arthur Haynes was a defence lawyer. Here's the gist of Part Two:

There was no doubt Audrey Jacob had shot Cyril Gidley dead in front of hundreds of people during a charity dance at Perth’s Government House. But why had she killed him and was she guilty of murder? The final instalment of this episode takes us inside one of Australia’s most extraordinary trials—and beyond to a second murder, the tragic downfall of a business titan and across the world to the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War and Carter White House.

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Season Five is just around the corner. We're kicking off with an episode called Blue Murder On The Golden Mile. It’s a killer tale set in 1926 and it takes us inside what was then the most intensive manhunt and homicide trial in Western Australian history. One of the main characters Blue Murder On The Golden Mile is a brilliant barrister named Arthur Haynes. I featured Haynes two years ago in the episode Murder On The Dance Floor, which was set in 1925 in Perth. So, ahead of Season Five, I've dusted off this two-parter in case you haven’t heard the story — and want a bit of an idea of just how formidable Arthur Haynes was a defence lawyer. Certainly, if you were charged with murder back in the day in WA, he was the man you wanted on your side.

Here's the gist of Part One:

In 1925 beautiful young Audrey Campbell Jacob shot a young man dead in front of hundreds of revellers during a charity dance in the ballroom of Government House in Perth — and the court case that followed the crime was every bit as shocking.

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In the wake of the massacre, Dr James Patrick Murray makes a series of surprising moves that further his infamy in Australia and across the British Empire.

Listener Desiree Pettit-Keating, of Bendigo Regional Archives Centre, was kind enough to send through an article they did about the Bendigo smallpox outbreak that features in this instalment — and in which Dr Murray played a central role. To read their piece — which has plenty of parallels with Covid-19 — go to:

https://www.brac.vic.gov.au/disease-deja-vu

Season 5 of Forgotten Australia will start in mid-November.

In the meantime, I'll be releasing a new bonus episode for supporters. Supporters also have access to half a dozen bonus episodes I've already produced.

For info: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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Months before Australia's first heavier-than-air flights, people from Sydney to Hobart, Goulburn to Kalgoorlie, Melbourne to Perth reported seeing strange lights in the night skies. These mystery airships — dubbed "Scareships" — were said to travel at astounding speeds and perform complex aerobatics that suggested they were under intelligent control. What were they? The truth is out there. To become a Forgotten Australia supporter and get exclusive full-length bonus episodes: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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In 2018 I found and reunited with my biological family, discovering that my people go back to 1842 on Lord Howe Island. On my first visit that Christmas, I became fascinated by the mystery surrounding the early talkie Mystery Island, which was shot on Lord Howe in 1936. Why did its leading man Brian Abbot — who had everything to live for — try to sail to Sydney across the treacherous Tasman Sea in a tiny motor launch? Was he mad, like they said, or was there something else at play?

In the past few months, my investigations have unearthed dozens of startling stranger-than-fiction stories that each shine a different light on this question. So, strap in for an eight-part epic series. You're going to meet Hollywood hopefuls, surf rescuers, plucky canoeists, turf tricksters, war heroes, daredevil aviators, shipwreck survivors and a handful of accused killers. Then there’s one chap who wrestled an octopus, rode sharks, hunted a humpback whale in Sydney Harbour, tried to reel in an Olympic swimming champion and led an expedition to catch a mysterious sea serpent — twice. Underlying all of these dramatic, tragic and comic tales is a haunting question: what role does “the element of luck” play in who lives and who dies?

In Part One, we meet young George Rikard-Bell, who rejected his privileged upbringing to become an adventurer and a conman in the Great Depression — before reinventing himself as the actor Brian Abbot. Part Two will be released on Thursday. Instalments will be out on Mondays after that. But you can binge all eight parts now by becoming a Forgotten Australia supporter for just a few bucks per month — go to: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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Having escaped prison, fled interstate and joined the army under yet another new name, George Blunderfield seeks reinvention and redemption on the Western Front — but his true nature compels him to commit his most atrocious crimes yet. To become a Forgotten Australia supporter, go to patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

**This podcast episode contains references to suicide, violence and sexual violence against children. Listener discretion is advised**

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After committing a sickening outrage in the first weeks of 1900, George Blunderfield serves a relatively short jail sentence. When he's set free he sheds his identity but can’t help but follow the nature that causes him to hurt those who only want to help him. **This podcast episode contains references to suicide, violence and sexual violence against children.**

To become a Forgotten Australia supporter, go to patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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Over two decades George Farrow Blunderfield left a trail of pain and death in his wake from one side of the country to the other. I’ve made a three-part podcast exploring the life and crimes of this forgotten monster of early 20th Century Australia. To hear the whole story right now ad-free, become a Forgotten Australia supporter: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

**This podcast episode contains references to suicide, violence and sexual violence against children. Listener discretion is advised**

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Having already been convicted by the newspapers, Ronald Griggs stands trial for the murder of his wife. If he’s found guilty, he’ll be sentenced to death. The final part of this mini-series is coming soon.

Can't wait? Forgotten Australia supporters can download the finale right now. Supporters also get a shout-out in an upcoming episode, early ad-free access to every episode, exclusive bonus episodes and the full audiobook of Australia’s Sweetheart, my biography of our forgotten film star Mary Maguire.

Hear the whole story first at: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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Following the mysterious death of his wife in the mountain town of Omeo, rumours about Methodist minister Ronald Griggs reach a fever pitch — and a veteran detective is sent from Melbourne CIB to investigate.

The next three parts of this mini-series will be released here in the next two weeks. Can't wait? Forgotten Australia supporters can download all of them now. Supporters also get a shout-out in an upcoming episode, early ad-free access to every episode, exclusive bonus episodes and the full audiobook of Australia’s Sweetheart, my biography of our forgotten film star Mary Maguire.

Hear the whole story now at: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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A village scandal leads to a sudden death in the parsonage that’s investigated by a big detective who waxes his little moustache. This really was a murder mystery that could’ve been written by Agatha Christie.

Join me for a deep dive into the story of Ronald Griggs, Methodist minister in Omeo, who shocked Australia in 1928 by shattering the commandments he supposedly held so sacred.

The next four parts of this mini-series will be released here in the next two weeks. Can't wait? Forgotten Australia supporters can download all of them now. Supporters also get a shout-out in an upcoming episode, early ad-free access to every episode, exclusive bonus episodes and the full audiobook of Australia’s Sweetheart, my biography of our forgotten film star Mary Maguire.

Hear the whole story now at: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Credits: Wagner Bridal Chorus Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Sister Ellen Savage was the hero of Centaur and over the next four decades she'd keep alive the memory of her fallen sisters and brothers.

She was an Anzac hero who was to pass away on an Anzac Day.

To support Forgotten Australia: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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** This episode will be archived and no longer available from 31 May. Please download now if you want to listen to it later. **

In Part Two of The Human Glove Mystery, the accused’s murder trial is just about over when a gunshot rings out in Wagga Wagga and another person falls dead. This victim? A witness.

To support Forgotten Australia and get all sorts of bonus goods, to patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

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** This episode will be archived and no longer available from 31 May. Please download now if you want to listen to it later. **

Here is the bumper Season 4 premiere. While a lot of Australians have heard of the Pyjama Girl and Shark Arm Cases, this one somehow slipped out of popular memory. Yet it has it all: a grim Depression-era murder, a body part in the water that led to the victim's identification via incredible forensics, a grisly public exhibition of said evidence and even another killing tied up with the accused murderer. Part Two is out next week – or you can hear it now by becoming a Patreon supporter – www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia

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