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.
A young man with a self-confessed lazy streak found himself on the end of the hangman’s noose in 1857 for his cruel act while bailing up a family man on Flemington Rd. Like In Black and White? Get backgrounders and more at: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/in-black-and-white See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A new book reveals the central role 14-year-old Kate Kelly played in the story of the notorious Kelly Gang’s misdeeds. Lke In Black and White? Go to https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw for features, photos and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When a wave of young girls were abducted and murdered in broad daylight in the 1930s, no-one suspected doting family man Arnold Sodeman was to blame. Like the show? Get stories, backgrounders, images and more, go to: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ASIO spies Dudley and Joan Doherty enlisted their three young kids in Australia’s battle against Soviet infiltration during the Cold War. Like the show? Get background articles, photos and more at heraldsun.com.au/ibaw. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A pocketbook of mugshots was Detective “Eagle Eye” Reginald Henderson’s secret to nabbing hundreds of wanted criminals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In one of the most brutal murders in Melbourne’s history, a brazen killer strolled into a busy CBD office building in broad daylight and fled with a £3000 haul of diamonds. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When a boy started a rumour about a hoard of cash in an elderly farming couple’s bush shack, it set the wheels in motion for a horrific murder.. Read the background, see photos and more at heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
William 'Gunny' Hughes ran one one of the worst larrikin gangs in old Melbourne. But an encounter with the law saw him run a double life in service to the public. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
History writer Michael Shelford joins the show again to talk about Thomas Treloar, who embarked on a murderous rampage on the streets of Albert Park. See photos and read the full story at https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When a chocolate salesman was gunned down in 1913, forensic police used the newfangled technology of fingerprinting to crack the case. But the scallywag they had in their sights wouldn't go down without a fight. Go to https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw for more on this story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Antonio Soro first gained fame for claiming to invent a perpetual motion machine. But it was for the killing of a Melbourne schoolteacher that he became truly infamous. Get photos of Soro, his invention and more at https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We normally talk about the hidden characters in Australian history. Dame Nellie Melba was far from that. But while the opera singer's achievements are recognised in our cuisine and our currency, what's less known is her secret life as a prankster. Ben Oliver from Drinking History Tours tells the story. Like the show? Go to heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Moments before 23-year-old Elizabeth Scott was hanged for murdering her abusive husband, she turned to her lover and asked, “Will you not clear me now?”. Get more stories of Australian history at heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ghost sightings and strange occurrences at the Queen Vic Market have been reported for many years. So could it be Melbourne’s founding father? Get more tales of Australia's history at heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation, you swear you never could have predicted? A situation so far from the ordinary that even remembering it feels surreal? Season 2 of I Swear I Never is publishing now, you'll hear from Peter, an ex homicide detective haunted by his past, Tina, a mum who hit rock bottom after a prescription drug addiction and Amber, a pregnant woman who went out to dinner during a pandemic and got more than what she ordered. Search I Swear I Never wherever you get your p...
Scorned mistress Connie Waugh is said to have hanged herself at an historic inner city pub, where her ghost remains to this day. But how much of the story is true? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Legend has it the famed opera singer was seen giving his final bows on stage minutes after he died, giving rise to Melbourne’s most famous ghost story. Get stories on this and more tales of haunted Melbourne at https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
He killed his family in England, then did the same to his new wife in Australia. Many people believe Frederick Deeming could have been Jack the Ripper - and may still haunt Melbourne to this day. Like the show? Get background articles, photos and more at https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sidney Myer arrived in Melbourne as a 21-year-old with no money and little English. Soon he was selling towels and sheets door to door, the first step in his rise to greatness. Read more stories stories of Australia's forgotten characters at heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Normally on this podcast we talk about history's forgotten characters. And although Ned Kelly is far from that, what's lesser known is what happened in the hours before he met the hangman.The Herald Sun's sister publication The Weekly Times was there to document the execution, 140 years ago today. Now their country living editor Hannah Driscoll has uncovered their archives to piece together the notorious outlaw's last moments. Read the full story on The Weekly Times. Read more extraordinary stor...
On his Melbourne tour, Prince Alfred was bored by pomp and ceremony, preferring gambling, partying and brothels. Yet he was so wildly popular many wanted him to become King of Australia. Get more of this story, plus backgrounders and other tales of Australian history at: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
His story has been largely lost to history, but the youngest jockey ever to win the Melbourne Cup was a “little freckled lad” from a township near Geelong who was only 11 years old. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Before Marine Stupid made headlines for escaping Melbourne Zoo and hurling roof tiles at her pursuers, she made her name by serving with distinction on three British naval ships in WWII. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Horrie the Wog Dog saved countless Aussie lives in World War II, acting as an early-warning system when enemy aircraft approached. So when Australian authorities ordered the dog’s surrender in 1945, Private Jim Moody knew he had only one option. Read more at https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It is 50 years since one of Australia's biggest bridges crashed down during construction. Herald Sun reporter Alex White speaks to survivors and family who lost their lives in one of Australia's worst industrial disasters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
He was notoriously cantankerous, virtually unrideable and often violent, but Bill the Bastard became Australia’s greatest war horse after carrying five troopers to safety in the middle of a fierce gun battle during WWI. Get more on this story and other tales of Australia's hidden characters at https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When HMAS Perth was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1942, fewer than half of the 681 men – and one cat – made it to shore. Her extraordinary survival with the help of a group of Aussie POWs is detailed in a new book. Read more fascinating stories of Australia's hidden characters at: heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From our TV screens to the hit parade, singer Yvonne Barrett was a popular personality in Melbourne’s entertainment scene in the 1960s, but she died tragically and violently. Get more great history stories at heraldsun.com.au/ibaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
While other spy rings worldwide are far better known, a trio of respected businessmen dubbed the “Melbourne cell” mounted one of the most successful Soviet espionage operations in history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Frances Bernie was a Catholic schoolgirl raised in Sydney by a couple from Oxford, England. So how did she end up a Soviet spy inside the office of foreign minister HV “Doc” Evatt leaking Australia’s and Britain’s secrets to the Russians? Author John Fahey joins the show with more. Go to https://www.heraldsun.com.au/ibaw for more great Australian history stories More information on John Fahey's book at: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/general-books/history/Traitors-and-Spies-John-Fahe...
