Tales from the Grave

Elizabeth Robinson's headstone in the Brooklyn cemetery, in the very most northern bounds of Sydney, is a small affair and she shares it with her husband, John, who died in 1946. Headstone for Elizabeth Robinson in Brooklyn cemetery. Photo Samantha Elley What stands out for Elizabeth, however, is it states she was "killed railway smash 20th January, 1944". Digging deeper into Trove ( trove.nla.gov.au ), a search for "Brooklyn railway disaster" or "Brooklyn rail smash" brings

At four feet and five inches, grandmother Caroline Grills would be one of the last people to be suspected of serial murder but, sadly, she became known for her notorious cups of tea, cakes and biscuits. Born Caroline Mickelson around 1888 to parents George and Mary (nee Preiers), Caroline grew up in the Balmain area of Sydney. She went on to marry Richard William Grills and they had five sons and a daughter. Unfortunately, two of their boys would die young. Caroline 'Aunty Ca

What Makes a Person Commit Such a Tragic Act? This is the question that may have been asked by May Kathleen Lees when she came home from work on the evening of 6th December 1944. As May stepped into the Enfield home she shared with her mother and elderly aunt, she had no idea of the scene that would greet her. After 6 PM on that fateful day, she entered the laundry or washroom and discovered her mother, Clara Evelyn Lees (nee Shepherd), aged 63, hanging from a rafter. This wa

Every family experiences its fair share of tragedy and death. For the Seccombe family, however, a triple portion was heaped on their plate when three children left this life before their time. John and Rebecca Seccombe were early pioneers in the Wollongbar district on the Northern Rivers and had established themselves with their nine children. They had taken up the third selection in the area and were very involved in the dairy industry. It was first in 1903 that tragedy stru

It was on the second day in the first event of the annual Richmond River races at Casino.

No one has ever been charged with the murder of Gwen Beeson.

When Daniel Barker McMeechan was born in Blantyre, Scotland, in 1898, he was the fifth child of William Andrew and his third wife, Christina Donaldson Barker. Daniel's childhood was filled with the births of three more brothers and two sisters. Tragically, one brother and one sister died in infancy. Daniel's father worked as a baker, while his mother managed the home. With a large family of ten children, money was tight. As a young boy, Daniel often played marbles with friend

Saintly or evil, everyone has a story to tell and this is a sad one. When George Henry Biggs lost his wife, Ethel Martha (nee Mills) in...

A Glimpse into Fanny's Early Life There is not much information on Fanny Hopkins. However, at a very young age, she was given the...

There are three graves in Rookwood Cemetery and two in Melbourne that all have something in common. The bodies that rest in them are...

Shipwrecked in India to photography in Australia

It wasn't just convicts that were sent to the NSW penal colony.

If you wanted to find one of the oldest European graves in Australia, it would surely belong to Henry Edward Dodd.

Many of us have issues we have to deal with in life, but next time you are struggling, spare a thought for George Henry Tunsted and his fami

To lose one member of the family in an horrific accident is more than most people can bear.

When Graham Smith started writing ‘Red Earth Red Blood’, he was only a youngster in his 70s. Now at 95 years young, the Tuckurimba...

Living past 100 years was a rare feat in days gone by and even rarer for men.

She was blonde and beautiful and at 19 years old, Cathy Wayne had the entertainment world at her feet. Her life, however, would be cut...

Imagine you are at the peak of your career as one of Australia's elite cricketers. So much so, you have been chosen as part of the...

It was the kindness of butcher, Daniel Walsh that stopped some from starving through the Depression.