Hello friends, it has been a while! Let me catch you up on what I have been doing and what is planned for the remainder of 2025. Late in 2024, I co authored another book with Roy Maloy and another author called Ash Tonkin. This book is called Black Widow – Women Who Kill (and…
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The story of Cecilia Curtain takes in several crimes in different areas of Victoria. Cecilia’s story has fascinated me ever since I first saw her rap sheet photo complete with an eye patch covering her right eye! Her family history also links 2 other infamous crimes – a murder and a gold robbery! Cecilia…
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I am pleased to announce that Madam Murder is doing a tour of the Geelong Gaol – National Crime and Justice Museum on April 7th at 8pm. Come along and listen to Madam Murder as she regales you with stories of the gaol, her staff and prisoners, colonial crimes, murder and executions. Plus a few…
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One of the most infamous escapes in the Geelong Gaol history! That of Frederick or Josh Clarke and Christy Farrell in October 1889. The escape led to a refinement on the celldoors still visible today https://youtu.be/tOARzm6TIkI?si=XXkusSJK_Xcj3MXH
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Angus Murray was the last man to be executed on the gallows of Old Melbourne Goal in 1924. His life began in Adelaide and would see him incarcerated in 4 states – South Australia, Western Australia NSW and Victoria. He became a master thief, a conman and a bigamist. Murray’s last job after his audacious escape from…
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The Hassett family have their origins in Birdhill, Ireland and is just one of the families with links to the Geelong Gaol. Over a period of 40 years, at least 4 members of the family have been prisoners of the Geelong Gaol. It was initially thought this story was of one prisoner who took his own…
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In 1889, two wily old convicts named Frederick Clarke and Christopher Farrell made the most infamous escape in Geelong Gaol history. Overpowering a warder in the middle of the night they used a skeleton key to make good their escape over the wall. Join Deb from the Geelong Gaol Museum and Twisted History to hear the…
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James Ross was a man with a temper and a jealous streak that would ultimately lead to his death at the end of a noose in the Geelong Gaol. What his wife Mary suffered in their two short years of marriage was horrendous. Ross’ jealousy led to the deaths of his neighbours wife and his…
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In September 1869, a prisoner boldly escaped the Geelong Gaol by changing clothes in a water closet and walking straight out past the Governor’s office. John McHenry or James Clark as he was originally known grew up in the streets of Shoreditch in London. Before coming to Australia he would see the inside of some…
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