Our First Cop Killer, the Luckiest Man Unhung and the Birth of Australian True Crime Reporting - Part One
In 1803 in Sydney, Constable Joseph Luker became the first Australian policeman murdered in the line of the duty. Who was responsible for this crime that shocked the colony? How did his death trigger ...
14 Sep 202341min
Bolts From The Blue
In October 1919, South Grafton, on the NSW North Coast, was the site of the one of the strangest and deadliest coincidences in Australian history. Later, the town's mayor, Dr Earle Page, would have hi...
31 Aug 202351min
The Garden Palace Fire Mystery
Raised in mere months for the 1879 International Exhibition, the Garden Palace was colonial Sydney's most spectacular building. But its fiery demise was even more spectacular, the grand complex razed ...
17 Aug 20231h 5min
The Birdman of Adelaide Gaol – Part Three: Not Dead But Gone
The jury hands down its verdict in the William Burns murder trial, newspapers discover the existence of his sparrow, a poet is stirred to write verses about what follows... and two more Douglas crew m...
3 Aug 202352min
The Birdman of Adelaide Gaol – Part Two: Dark Threats & Darker Secrets
At his December 1882 murder trial William Burns pleads self-defence, even as fellow shipmates testify he’d committed cold-blooded murder. But what can his past reveal about his actions?Support Forgott...
31 Jul 202356min
The Birdman of Adelaide Gaol – Part One: Murder on the High Seas
In September 1882, on a British ship on the high seas bound for Australia, English sailor William Burns stabs and kills a superior officer. For this capital crime, he’ll face justice in Adelaide – and...
27 Jul 202349min
Your Stories: ‘I Found Australia’s Lost Rock ’n’ Roll Concert Film’
In 1959, entrepreneur Lee Gordon staged an all-star rock ’n’ roll show at the Sydney Stadium and filmed it for cinematic release. But this pioneering movie – the only one of its kind – was soon lost. ...
13 Jul 202351min
Book Preview – The Murder Squad
Exclusive to Forgotten Australia listeners, this episode comprises the first 20 pages of The Murder Squad, my new book about homicide investigation in Sydney and NSW during the worst years of the Grea...
3 Jul 202337min
