The Picnic – tragedy in the great drought

Last week I mentioned that I had been asked what were my favorite stories, one happy and one sad. This one is the ‘sad’ one. I have read it many times and it still has the power to make me feel the desperation of this woman. The day dawned still and sure, as the first […]

Siberia Cemetery –

SIBERIA CEMETERY /WAVERLEY Cemetery 30°14’19.0S – 120°57’01.5”E       ANDERSON  James,  known as ‘New Zealand Jimmy’, d 25 April 1895, age 40, was a condenser owner who was speared by an aboriginal. He was from Aberdeen Scotland (Book Jacky, Polly, and Jimmy) James’ death was never registered and the native who supposedly speared him was found […]

Macquarie’s Dog –

Geraldton Advertiser 13 November 1896, page 3 That There Dog o’ Mine From Henry Lawson’s ” While the Billy Boils.” Macquarie the shearer had met with an accident. To tell the truth, he had been in a drunken row at a wayside shanty, from which he had escaped with three fractured ribs, a cracked head, […]

The Hahnel Family – by Davina Dodds

Charles Bernhardt Hahnel was born in Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany in 1866 to Parents Charles August Hahnel and Theresa Schmidt.  Charles came to Australia in 1886, boarding the ship Salier in Antwerp, Belgium. Charles was 20 at this time. On the sixth of December 1890, Charles married Hannah Gribble (born Maryborough 1871) in Timor Victoria. His […]

Ripping Yarns and Tragic Tales – News 30th January 2022

Its been a while since I have been in touch with you all apart from our weekly emails You may have noticed last week we had a bit of a glitch and the newsletter didn’t appear till later in the week and when it did, it repeated some previous stories. I won’t go into what […]