My Articles

DOCTOR STEWART PART II- LOVE AND WAR

DOCTOR STEWART PART II- LOVE AND WAR

A BRIEF RECAP.  In 1912, highly respected Dr John Stewart  shocked everyone by deserting his wife and family in Perth, W.A.  He bought a practice in  Bangalow, N.S.W.  and for two and a half years lived there  quietly  with his mistress, Muriel Meallin.  Muriel was known to

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Dr and ‘Mrs’ Stewart of Bangalow; Love Changes Everything!

Dr and 'Mrs' Stewart of Bangalow; Love Changes Everything!

On May 30 1912, The Northern Star newspaper announced that Dr Bracken of Bangalow had sold his practice to Scottish born Dr J.M.Y Stewart, late of Sydney and Melbourne.  Dr and Mrs Stewart moved into the departing Dr Bracken’s old home. The couple settled in and were

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SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE – A RIVETING STORY!

SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE - A RIVETING STORY!

How many nuts and  bolts are there in the Sydney Harbour Bridge?  Well, oddly enough, only a handful. Rivets were used instead, some 6,000,000 of them. The majority of the steel  for the bridge’s girders came from  Britain, but the government contract stated that all rivets were

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LATE SUMMER WALK IN BLACKHEATH

LATE SUMMER WALK  IN BLACKHEATH

Mid February, and in my  Blackheath garden the banksia serratas are in bloom. They are loved by all the honeyeaters, but especially Wattlebirds and Eastern Spinebills. Bees are visiting the native lilly-pilly flowers on the bush outside Slurps café, in Wentworth Street. I know there must be

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GOODBYE TO A GUM TREE

GOODBYE TO A GUM TREE

Sometimes a much loved tree just has to go. Our old  double trunk gum was much too close to the house. It was a definite fire-hazard, and also there were signs of white-ant activity. The tragedy was that many of our birds were fond of it too.

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THE FLEMING CASE; THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION

THE FLEMING CASE; THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION

FOLLOWING ON FROM THE TRIAL OF TOM FLEMING Following the acquittal of Tom Fleming over the death by poisoning of his wife Betty, his mistress Norma Lokkerbol became the target of  public outrage.  On September 9, 1951 The Sunday Mail (Brisbane) published the following piece after speaking

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MRS FLEMING; A DEADLY DRIVE HOME

MRS FLEMING; A DEADLY DRIVE HOME

FOR THE FIRST EPISODE OF THIS STORY CLICK HERE. On June 28 1951 Tom and Betty Fleming made a car trip from their NSW cattle stud, Mt. Parry station, to Quirindi, for business and shopping. It was a busy day for Mrs Fleming. She called at the

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THE SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF BETTY FLEMING

THE SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF BETTY FLEMING

The background to the fate of Mrs Betty Fleming …… MAN SHOT IN HEAD Daily Telegraph – July 24, 1948.  A Dutch engineer who has been two months in Australia was found critically wounded with a bullet hole in his head at Livingstone Park, Marrickville, last night.

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THE TRIAL OF TOM FLEMING

THE TRIAL OF TOM FLEMING

AN INQUEST AND A TRIAL On August 1 1951, a coronial inquiry began into the mysterious  death of 39 year old Betty Fleming, wife of well known NSW grazier, Tom Fleming. On June 28 1951, Mrs Fleming died in the car  while her husband  Tom was driving

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CANBERRA: CENTRE OF AUSTRALIA’S COLLECTIVE MEMORY

CANBERRA: CENTRE OF AUSTRALIA'S COLLECTIVE MEMORY

This piece was originally published in  The Australian newspaper it has been substantially  updated since then.  CANBERRA – THE PLANNED CAPITAL Many Australians  are   ambivalent  about  the planned city of Canberra. Its monolithic buildings stand a little too far apart in their park like surroundings, and can

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