The story of Les Worrell is one of those cases of human nature that defy understanding. Leslie Clive Worrell was from Baradine Creek, Coonamble, NSW. He was the eldest son of Lewis and Charlotte Worrell, highly respected graziers on a property called Melrose. His 21st birthday party
Read more →
Wealthy Queensland grazier Alfred Hill and his beautiful wife Edith were among the first to purchase a flat in The Astor, Sydney’s first ‘skyscraper’ residential block at 123 Macquarie Street. Built in the 1920s, it offered expansive harbour views, a maid service, staffed lifts and an internal
Read more →
In the late 19th century Albert Higgs established a profitable boot and shoe store in William Street, Darlinghurst. The location became known as Higgs’ Corner. Custom-made footwear drew wealthy city customers, while country folk could order from illustrated catalogues. The following advertisement appeared in The Catholic Press
Read more →
York Street runs parallel to George Street in the centre of Sydney. Just after World War II it was the scene of a brutal murder. The victim, Jeanette Wicks. In 1935, Jeanette Wicks divorced her husband of seven years on the grounds of desertion. She subsequently supported
Read more →
On February 16 1901, the S.S. Talune was moored at the wharf in the New Zealand city of Wellington. It was ready to leave for Sydney. A young woman who had crossed with the vessel from Lyttleton, in the South Island, approached chief steward James Fletcher with
Read more →
Susan Glaspell wrote A Jury of Her Peers in 1917. It is one of the most powerful short stories I have ever read. The three female characters have remained in my heart and mind since I first came across this early piece of feminist literature over twenty
Read more →
I was fortunate to visit Eskbank House Museum in Lithgow before the pandemic put a stop to my adventures.. The oldest part of the colonial Georgian house was built circa 1842, from local sandstone. Its original owner was Mr Thomas Brown, who established the Eskbank Colliery. There
Read more →
It is likely that the person who shot two people at Barton Park, Wallerawang, (New South Wales) in 1948 is still alive. I have referred to him here as Bennie Harvey. It’s not his real name, but one his friends used at the time of the murders.
Read more →
In September 1948, within the space of a few days, two seventeen year old youths committed murder in New South Wales. Stranger still, they had been good friends before their otherwise unrelated crimes. They had played ice hockey together, and were both snappy dressers who enjoyed the
Read more →
THE CONCLUSION OF THE VERA WATT POISONING CASE. FOR THE FIRST PART, CLICK HERE. When the Coronial Inquest into the death by poisoning of Mrs Vera Watt ended in January 1942. her ex-lover Conald Pagett was committed for trial and remanded in Long Bay Gaol. However, on
Read more →