top of page
Tales from the Grave
Uncovering family history from down under
Search
No justice in Gwen's cold case murder
No one has ever been charged with the murder of Gwen Beeson.
Samantha Elley
Oct 294 min read
Youngest soldier in the trenches
When Daniel Barker McMeechan came into the world in Blantyre, Scotland, 1898, he was the fifth child for William Andrew and first for...
Samantha Elley
Oct 73 min read
'You (are) unfit to mix with ordinary people'
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...
Samantha Elley
Sep 162 min read
The Life of Fanny Hopkins: Nanny to Banjo Paterson
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...
Samantha Elley
Jul 223 min read
Factory of horrors a death trap
There are three graves in Rookwood Cemetery and two in Melbourne that all have something in common. The bodies that rest in them are...
Samantha Elley
Jun 33 min read
Developing career after shipwreck
Shipwrecked in India to photography in Australia
Samantha Elley
May 62 min read
Convict's wife runs inn on Bathurst road
It wasn't just convicts that were sent to the NSW penal colony.
Samantha Elley
Jan 282 min read
First gardener buried in oldest grave
If you wanted to find one of the oldest European graves in Australia, it would surely belong to Henry Edward Dodd.
Samantha Elley
Jan 142 min read
What ladder did they walk under?
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
Samantha Elley
Dec 31, 20243 min read
Too much tragedy for one family
To lose one member of the family in an horrific accident is more than most people can bear.
Samantha Elley
Nov 26, 20242 min read
95-year-old author publishes first historical fiction novel
When Graham Smith started writing ‘Red Earth Red Blood’, he was only a youngster in his 70s. Now at 95 years young, the Tuckurimba...
Samantha Elley
Nov 9, 20242 min read
Celebrating 100th birthday with a smoke and a drink
Living past 100 years was a rare feat in days gone by and even rarer for men.
Samantha Elley
Oct 15, 20242 min read
First Australian woman killed in Vietnam
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...
Samantha Elley
Oct 8, 20242 min read
Parents die while Bill is on the world stage
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...
Samantha Elley
Oct 1, 20242 min read
He fed the starving while his son butchered the car
It was the kindness of butcher, Daniel Walsh that stopped some from starving through the Depression.
Samantha Elley
Sep 17, 20242 min read
Female law student undeterred by prejudiced professor
In the era that Ada Emily Evans was born, it was rare for women to be in the legal profession.
Samantha Elley
Sep 10, 20242 min read
Plain headstone for complex man
For the amount of acclaim and controversy that Norman Lindsay's life created, his headstone is very simple by comparison. All it says is:...
Samantha Elley
Aug 27, 20243 min read
A hardy pioneer life for one woman
When Jane Power West died at the age of 90 years old in 1913, she took with her a lifetime of experiences only a pioneer woman in early...
Samantha Elley
Jul 16, 20242 min read
'A cup of tea for the priest?'
He was a familiar face in pioneering Australia as he set about to spread God's word.
Samantha Elley
Jul 9, 20243 min read
Gentleman bushranger became a hat-maker
You would think the words 'gentleman' and 'bushranger' were complete opposites
Samantha Elley
Jun 25, 20242 min read
bottom of page