EDITH HILL….DEATH AT THE ASTOR

EDITH HILL....DEATH AT THE ASTOR

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

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MR HIGGS, A SYDNEY BOOT SELLER

MR HIGGS, A SYDNEY BOOT SELLER

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

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A CRIME AT THE YORK STREET CIGARETTE KIOSK

A CRIME AT THE YORK STREET CIGARETTE KIOSK

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

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DEATH AT SEA; ‘I ONLY GAVE HIM PLUMS AND BISCUITS!’

DEATH AT SEA; 'I ONLY GAVE HIM PLUMS AND BISCUITS!'

This case was so bizarre that it was recalled thirty five years later. IN THE BEGINNING… 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

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A REVIEW OF SUSAN GLASPELL’S A JURY OF HER PEERS

A REVIEW OF SUSAN GLASPELL'S A JURY OF HER PEERS

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

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ESKBANK HOUSE – THE BARTON PARK EXHIBITS

ESKBANK HOUSE - THE BARTON PARK EXHIBITS

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

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BARTON PARK AMBUSH – WHAT MOTIVATED A MURDERER?

BARTON PARK AMBUSH - WHAT MOTIVATED  A MURDERER?

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.

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JUST A FEW BARS – THE GOULBURN GAOL ORCHESTRA

JUST A FEW BARS - THE  GOULBURN GAOL ORCHESTRA

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

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CONALD PAGETT AND THE BEX POWDER CASE

CONALD PAGETT AND THE BEX POWDER  CASE

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 

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