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Tales from the Grave
Uncovering family history from down under
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45-year-old cold case still hoping to be solved
Maria James was a mum of two boys and owned a second hand book store on High Street, Thornbury in Victoria. It was also her residence...
Samantha Elley
6 days ago3 min read
461 views
0 comments


Jane Doe gains identity after 60 years
Fifty eight years ago a woman's body was found in Tiburon, California by a hunter. For the next six decades she would be known as the...
Samantha Elley
Mar 262 min read
1,432 views
0 comments


River crossing was his last action
There is nothing sadder than coming across a headstone that denotes the last burial place of a young person. This was the case for...
Samantha Elley
Mar 122 min read
189 views
0 comments


Little orphan engulfed in flames
At 11 years of age, Annie Murphy had already been dealt a cruel blow in life, finding herself living at St Aidan's Orphanage in the...
Samantha Elley
Feb 262 min read
193 views
0 comments


Baking business brings in the dough
He left tens of thousands of pounds, after years of baking.
Samantha Elley
Feb 102 min read
179 views
0 comments


Convict's wife runs inn on Bathurst road
It wasn't just convicts that were sent to the NSW penal colony.
Samantha Elley
Jan 272 min read
85 views
0 comments


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 132 min read
219 views
1 comment


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 30, 20243 min read
177 views
3 comments


POW son released a month after Denis dies
When Denis Ahern breathed his last and passed to the other side, he left not knowing where his son, William Vincent Ahern was. His last...
Samantha Elley
Dec 16, 20242 min read
202 views
0 comments


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 25, 20242 min read
399 views
0 comments


He didn't mean to kill her
Sylvia Holmes' body was found in the front bedroom of her tiny cottage, Cremorne Street, Fitzroy, a suburb of Melbourne on the evening of...
Samantha Elley
Nov 18, 20242 min read
143 views
0 comments


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
484 views
0 comments


Military cross award revealed through lonely headstone
Hugh Russel received a Military Cross for his bravery in the Great War
Samantha Elley
Nov 4, 20243 min read
177 views
0 comments


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 14, 20242 min read
96 views
0 comments


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 7, 20242 min read
378 views
0 comments


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
215 views
0 comments


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
286 views
0 comments


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
97 views
0 comments


He ran the 700km postal trip in a fortnight
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains the name and image of a person who has died.
Samantha Elley
Sep 3, 20242 min read
278 views
0 comments


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
348 views
0 comments
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