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Tales from the Grave
Uncovering family history from down under
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Samantha Elley
Jul 23, 20242 min read
Night of hell for one young family
It was an oppressively hot day on the 5th April, 1887 in the small Northern Queensland gulf town of Burketown situated on the banks of...
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Samantha Elley
Jul 16, 20242 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...
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Samantha Elley
Jul 9, 20243 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.
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Samantha Elley
Jun 25, 20242 min read
Gentleman bushranger became a hat-maker
You would think the words 'gentleman' and 'bushranger' were complete opposites
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Samantha Elley
Jun 11, 20242 min read
From shipping office to outback squatter
When you have been a big part of the establishment of the cattle industry in a burgeoning outback economy, it seems a cruel fate to be...
398 views
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Samantha Elley
Jun 4, 20242 min read
Messy artist had cheeky signature
"Oh Mr Hart! What a mess!" has become part of the Aussie lingo.
202 views
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Samantha Elley
May 14, 20242 min read
A hidden cemetery under a school
For years children have been playing over the remains of early settlers.
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Samantha Elley
May 7, 20242 min read
Airman with a big heart
He was known as a Lancaster man.
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Samantha Elley
Apr 30, 20242 min read
Typhoid victim was a keen roller skater
WHEN George Robinson died in 1911 the local skating rink closed its doors on the day of his funeral in sympathy for the family. The...
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Samantha Elley
Apr 16, 20242 min read
Mystery skeleton found in lonely cave
Herbert Massey had been missing for two and a half years.
397 views
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Samantha Elley
Apr 9, 20242 min read
A Child of the Golden Era
Searching for gold was a way of life for Mary Ann and her family.
515 views
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Samantha Elley
Mar 25, 20242 min read
From 7th Hussars to Vasse Hotel
Soldier, publican, husband and father.
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Samantha Elley
Mar 18, 20243 min read
He kick started the gold rush in Northern Queensland
He was credited with finding the first gold-bearing stone as a child which established the town of Charters Towers.
693 views
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Samantha Elley
Mar 5, 20242 min read
He built the first hotel on an iconic resort island
Sheep farming, gold-mining, hotel owning were just some of the jobs Robert Hayles took on.
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Samantha Elley
Feb 26, 20242 min read
Mercy dash was to no avail
He could have survived his injury of a broken neck, but that was not to be for Ralph Milgate Pepper.
1,165 views
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Samantha Elley
Feb 12, 20242 min read
The short-lived love of the Captain and his lady
The writing on the striking white gravestone is barely readable. The tree that may have been planted at the time of burial has now grown...
473 views
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Samantha Elley
Feb 5, 20242 min read
Luckiest woman and her bankrupt husband
She would win the money while he spent it.
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Samantha Elley
Jan 22, 20242 min read
Boy dies from soft drink bottle
A Christmas treat turns fatal
976 views
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Samantha Elley
Jan 15, 20243 min read
Remembering the Devastating Clermont Flood of 1916
Over 60 people lost their lives to one of Australia's most devastating floods.
610 views
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Samantha Elley
Jan 8, 20242 min read
Land forger caught out 30 years later
He sold land then forged documents to get it back.
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