From alleyway gangsters to cold war spies to eccentric entrepreneurs, Australian history is full of colourful but forgotten characters. Host Jen Kelly talks with experts, historians and yarn spinners to uncover the untold stories of some of our most interesting and offbeat ancestors.
Even before journalist Colin Bednall helped introduce TV to Australia and discovered “The King” Graham Kennedy, it was apparent he was a kid destined for great things. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
His party boy lifestyle and taste for gambling, grog and brothels didn’t stop Charles Standish becoming one of the most powerful men in Victoria as chief of police and head of the Freemasons. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From its beginnings in the gold rush, Calisthenics grew to be a uniquely Australian pastime. Joining Jen this week is the State Library of Victoria's Carolyn Fraser to talk about the sport's earliest trailblazer, Vera Hopton. Subscribe to the Herald Sun. Go to www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw and click on any article to begin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
With its talking birds, live monkeys, hall of mirrors and live bands, the famous Cole’s Book Arcade in Bourke St was more than a bookshop – it was an event. And EW Cole was the eccentric man behind it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Long Harry Slater was a gang leader, standover man, cop-shooter, house bomber, suspected murderer and gang war adversary to Squizzy Taylor, making him Australia’s most feared criminal until the early 1920s. Subscribe to the Herald Sun. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Claude Taylor lived in the shadow of his famous little brother Leslie. But between stalking the streets of Little Lon, and being at the edge of the Sydney razor wars, he led a colourful life of his own. See photos of Big Squizzy, his friends and foes at heraldsun.com.au/ibaw, where you can also become a Herald Sun subscriber. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Malvern ‘Gunner’ Cameron was a standover man with one eye, one arm, and one hell of a temper. He was a cocaine dealer, a drug addict, a hard drinker, a heavy hitter. and one of the most feared gangsters in Melbourne. Read his story, along with the tales of other notorious Melbourne gangsters at: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Lofty Prentice was a veteran of two wars. He was also a thief, a pimp, a street fighter and an international conman. Jen is once again joined by historian Michael Shelford to talk about the soldier-turned-criminal. Subscribe to the Herald Sun. Go to: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw and cliarticle to begin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
While William Buck may have been the most violent man on Melbourne's streets, Percy Ramage terrorised its prisons. Jen Kelly is joined again by Historian Michael Shelford for another episode on one of Old Melbourne's forgotten gangsters. Become a Herald Sun subscriber. Go to heraldsun.com.au/IBAW, and click on any article to begin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
William Buck was perhaps the most violent criminal to ever roam the streets of Melbourne. Jen Kelly talks with historian Michael Shelford about the mad bad man of old Melbourne. Become a Herald Sun subscriber. Go to heraldsun.com.au/IBAW, and click on any article to begin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Brownout Strangler killed three Melbourne women in 16 days. If not for a split-second quirk of fate, chances are he would have evaded detection and escaped the noose. Read more here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It was an unconventional love story – the local farmer’s daughter and the Italian prisoner of war detained in an internment camp. But it was one that would end in tragedy. Get the podcast companion and more at:https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/in-black-and-white See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nina Paranyuk came to Australia working as a stewardess on the Soviet Olympic team’s ship and escaped during a sightseeing trip to Melbourne Zoo. Jen Kelly talks to Nick Richardson, author of 1956 The Year Australia Welcomed The World. Read more here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Janet Clarke was a Melbourne socialite who played an integral role in the creation of cricket's most prestigious trophy, The Ashes. But over her colourful life, she was involved in causes as diverse as women's health and the location of Ned Kelly's armour. Read more In Black and White at: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/IBAW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We uncover the little known story of the man who fired the first shot of World War I, not on the battlefields of Europe but in Victoria. Read more here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From injecting crushed animal testicles to electro-shock therapy, quack doctor and master criminal Carl von Ledebur had a long record of dodgy dealings and horrific crimes. So how did he end up as an early football trainer for Essendon? Read more here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From a rescue that co-opted part of the town of Albury to pilots being taken prisoner by Mussolini's forces, the 1934 London to Melbourne air race was far from a walk in the park. And the entire adventure was sponsored by Melbourne's chocolate king, Sir Macpherson Robertson. Join host Jen Kelly, Melbourne journalist and history buff Jamie Duncan, and lead curator at the State Library of Victoria, Carolyn Fraser, for the final instalment in our miniseries on Sir Macpherson Robertson. Read more he...
If a Melbourne teenager hadn’t stood up to his boss, the man known as Australia’s Willy Wonka, the Freddo Frog never would have existed. It’s one of many stories about the eccentric chocolate king brought to life in a new exhibition - and this week host Jen Kelly is joined by Carolyn Fraser, lead curator at the State Library of Victoria, to talk more about it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Freddo Frog, Cherry Ripe, even Old Gold chocolate, fairy floss and chewing gum - if you love these sweet treats, you can thank Melbourne's eccentric chocolate entrepreneur, Sir Macpherson Robertson. This week host Jen Kelly is joined by Ben Oliver, from Melbourne's Drinking History Tours, to discuss Robertson's incredible life. To see pictures and read more, click here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This dramatic defection of two Soviet spies in Australia made worldwide headlines in 1954. The husband and wife duo exposed roughly 600 Soviet agents around the world, and ended up hiding out in Melbourne’s suburbs – but they were Bentleigh East’s worst-kept secret This week, host Jen Kelly is joined again by Melbourne journalist and history buff Jamie Duncan, who recently went back to the house to see how the story ended. To read Jamie's story and see the pictures, head here. See omnystudio.com...
From Collingwood to Carlton, Melbourne’s ritzy inner suburbs was once home to incredible poverty and crime. But one fearless crusader exposed the depression-era squalor and helped transform people’s lives. Join host Jen Kelly and Melbourne journalist and history buff Jamie Duncan as they delve into the story of Frederick Oswald Barnett. And to see Barnett's incredible slum pictures, head here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Charles Brownlow is known throughout Victoria thanks to the medal that bears his name. But there once was a time that the young footballer had to hide his identity every time he stepped onto the ground. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
By day he policed the depression-era streets of Collingwood, but on the weekends he was a powerful player who led the Pies to VFL premierships. So why did he have to play under an assumed name? See pictures and read more See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The uniforms looked like Where’s Wally and the matches lasted for days — welcome to Aussie rules, circa 1850. So why did one of footy’s founding fathers almost start a rifle club instead? Jen Kelly is joined by Col Hutchinson, historian for both the AFL and the Geelong football club. To read more about this and see some great pictures, including original footy uniforms, head to heraldsun.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Frances Knorr, like many other women in depression-hit 1800s Melbourne, ran an early form of childcare. But instead of visiting a loving home, the infants she was trusted with met a much darker fate. Read more about the life and death of the baby farmer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thousands of child convicts, some as young as eight, were sent to a children’s version of the notorious Port Arthur for minor offences. But were two boys really guilty of a more shocking crime? Read an extract from The Lost Boys of Mr Dickens here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
She married a police officer and her son was a career criminal, who did time for bank robbery and safe cracking. But Melbourne’s Mary Fortune turned from sly grog-slinger into one of the first women to write detective stories. Read more about Mary Fortune at heraldsun.com.au today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
He was the scourge of Melbourne’s villains and scoundrels, but unlike the fictional London sleuth, this Victorian detective's crazy undercover exploits and bizarre disguises were real. Join host Jen Kelly and guest Ben Oliver, founder of Melbourne’s Drinking History Tours, as they dive into this fascinating character. And you can read more about it today at heraldsun.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
He was a cold-blooded murderer who turned on his mates - and was hanged in Victoria for his crimes. But how many lives did Robert Francis Burns really take?Read an extract from Grave Tales: True Crime Vol. 1or get more information about the book., See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
They were feared on the streets of North Melbourne, turning to violence in pubs and outside footy matches. But they weren’t any ordinary gang — here’s how they turned their missing limbs into an advantage. Read Jamie Duncan's full story here: www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/ourcriminalhistory/when-a-gang-of-amputee-thugs-terrorised-melbourne/news-story/cc6d224d64dbf4deb9b60a751439f668 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
