Dr Charles Ronald David Brothers was born in the small farming community of North Motton, North-West Tasmania. At left is his mother, born Jessie Violet Saltmarsh. On the right is his father, Charles Brothers Snr, in uniform as a private in the Boer war.
Read more →
On May 8 1895, Mrs Fanny Bushell, a bank manager’s wife from Young, boarded the mail train to Sydney at nearby Harden. The train reached Goulburn late that night. Mrs Bushell had been the only passenger in a first class, ladies compartment. However, at Goulburn, two nuns
Read more →
Intriguing convict relics found at Blackheath. in the NSW Blue Mountains, appear to have vanished over the years. This seems such a shame. They were associated with the 1840s convict stockade, located on the site of what is now the local primary school. The first school building,
Read more →
In 1921, the Whittle family of Hobart received quite a shock when the following letter appeared in their local newspaper; To the Editor of The Mercury Sir, I ask you to publish the death of Thomas Clyde Whittle. who lost his life in a gambling hall at
Read more →
The forerunner of Hobart’s Wrest Point Casino was a luxury, 1930s hotel called Wrest Point Riviera. However, there was an inn on the Sandy Bay site as early as 1839, when William Chaffey built the Traveller’s Rest The following photo was taken looking over Sandy Bay to
Read more →
The first part of this story involved the strange case of Ronald Charles Powles, who kidnapped his own toddler, Philip, in 1938. His plan was to extort money from his wife Joyce’s family. He was never charged owing to lack of proof and no doubt concern for
Read more →
The arrival of Jackson Pollock’s 1952 painting Blue Poles represented a significant shift in Australian society. The Whitlam Government had come to power in 1972 with a big agenda for change after 23 years in opposition. Its bold decision to buy a giant, abstract artwork for an
Read more →
Sir Henry Parkes’ political opponents often found him a pain in the neck, but as you will discover, this article refers to something quite different. Sir Henry had a most difficult childhood. He was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, in 1815, the youngest of seven children. His father
Read more →
Regular visitors to this website will know that I have a fascination for imposters. 😎 I’m not sure why this is, except that they have a sense of daring and self confidence that I certainly don’t have myself. I’m not condoning the behaviour, especially when it causes
Read more →
NOTE – THIS IS NOT A RE-EXAMINATION OF THE TRAGIC CHRISSIE VENN MURDER. IT IS ABOUT THE STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH DRS. RATTEN AND FERRIS FOUND THEMSELVES GIVING EVIDENCE AT THE TRIAL. In August 1914, the rural Tasmanian community of Sheffield lost both its young doctors; one
Read more →