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Forgotten Australia — History
Forgotten Australia

Bloody crimes, unsolved mysteries, eccentric celebrities, dark events and bizarre happenings: it’s all here – the stuff you wish they’d taught you in school!

Dive into our strange-but-true history via never-before-told stories, author interviews, weekly flashbacks and the weekly trivia quiz.

Forgotten Australia is created and hosted by Michael Adams, author of the acclaimed true crime books The Murder Squad, Hanging Ned Kelly and They’ll Never Hold Me.

He’s also a regular history and true crime commentator on ABC Nightlife and the podcast Australian True Crime.

Support Forgotten Australia for a few bucks per month to get ad-free early episodes, exclusive bonus episodes, a show shout-out and the chance to win prizes in the special edition trivia quiz episodes.

Get a week’s free trial here:

Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Apple: apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Email: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com

Check out my books!

They’ll Never Hold Me:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html

The Murder Squad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html

Hanging Ned Kelly:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html

Australia’s Sweetheart:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Latest Episodes:

The Vampire Murder — Part Two: Manhunt for a Maniac Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

In the days following the discovery of Dot Everett's body, Newcastle police are joined by a star Sydney CIB detective. They have to catch the killer before he strikes again. Part 3 of The Vampire Murder will be released next Monday but all five instalments of this episode are available now for supporters (from as little as $3 per month): www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

My book, Hanging Ned Kelly, comes out on 27 September. You can see the cover and read an extract: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/

Like the show? I'd love you to leave a rating and/or review. Thanks!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Vampire Murder – Part One: The Death of Dot Everett Jul 31, 2022

Show notes

In November 1937, Dorothy May Everett was murdered in the grounds of the elite Newcastle school where she worked as a live-in kitchen maid. The case was a front-page sensation – as was what came afterwards. The five-part mini-series The Vampire Murder is one of the most haunting stories I've researched. I'll be releasing instalments this week and next. But the entire mini-series is available now ad-free to supporters.

For more info: www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hanging Ned Kelly will be released on 27 September.

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922806406.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Aussie Who Saved John F. Kennedy – Part Two Jul 22, 2022

Show notes

Here is the conclusion to Reg Evans's astounding story – including his belated rediscovery.

I'll be making another episode about another incredible coastwatcher soon.

Stay tuned. To support the show: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Aussie Who Saved John F. Kennedy – Part One Jul 22, 2022

Show notes

Recently I was very pleased to be able to help the United States embassy with information, contacts and material relating to the activities of our coastwatchers, who played such a vital role in the South Pacific during World War II.

This assistance was to help incoming American ambassador Caroline Kennedy pay her respects to these brave men.

Ambassador Kennedy, of course, has a deep personal connection to their heroism because her father, President John F. Kennedy, was saved by Australian coastwatcher Reg Evans in 1943.

A couple of years back I produced a two-part episode about Reg’s life, that incident, how Reg’s role went unknown for so many years and how he was rediscovered after JFK won the 1960 election.

It’s one of my favourite episodes and I’m glad to present it again if you missed it - or if you want to hear it again.

I’ll be back next week to start a new round of brand-new Forgotten Australia episodes.

I’ve been hard at work these past weeks on a handful of amazing stories that I’m really looking forward to sharing.

There’s also a new bonus episode coming down the pipeline for supporters.

But in the meantime, here’s Reg Evans’s story. Lest we forget.

To support Forgottten Australia: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More Than Australia's Most Beautiful Girl – Part Two Jun 23, 2022

Show notes

In this concluding instalment, Eve Gray tries to come to grips with being mostly for her beauty before making the move to London that will change her life.

Like the podcast? I'd love it if you'd leave a rating, review or maybe consider becoming a supporter: www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More Than Australia's Most Beautiful Girl – Part One Jun 19, 2022

Show notes

A century ago, Sydney chorus girl Eve Gray won a beauty competition and shot to national fame. 'Australia's Most Beautiful Girl' was soon a theatrical leading lady. But Eve discovered that being a celebrity came with a dark side. Nevertheless, she was to persist with her performance career, winning critical respect on stage and screen, working with the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Errol Flynn. Part 2 and an extensive image gallery are available now for Patreon supporters. To support: www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The First Dismissal – Part Two: The Public Servant Who Brought Down The Premier May 25, 2022

Show notes

In this final instalment of The First Dismissal, we look at Robert Beardsmore's horrific experiences at Fromelles in 1916, his role in a 1922 soldier-settler controversy and at the 1929 Battle For Rothbury. Then came the 1932 Dismissal of Jack Lang. Afterwards, feted as a hero, Beardsmore was to play a part in the downfall of another NSW Premier – and his and Jack Lang's sons would have one final battle. To support the show: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

**PLEASE NOTE** I'll be archiving the below episodes soon. Please download now if you've not listened to them already.

The Battle for Rothbury, The Bombing of Rothbury, In The Execution of their Duty, The Fugitive, Sydney’s Red Year, Australia’s First Serial Killer Manhunt and The Human Glove Mystery

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The First Dismissal – Part One and a Half: The Public Servant Who Brought Down The Premier May 20, 2022

Show notes

When – if – Robert Henry Beardsmore is mentioned in connection with the May 1932 dismissal of Jack Lang, he's depicted as merely an old public servant who reluctantly did his job. But in reality he was the Forrest Gump of Australian history in the first half of the 20th Century. In part A, we look at his role on the Aborigines Protection Board and how he was enmeshed in a scandal that tainted Australia's first military victory. Part B is on the way!

Want to support the show? patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Or leave a rating & review

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The First Dismissal – Part One: The Last Days of Jack Lang May 12, 2022

Show notes

On this day 90 years ago, firebrand NSW Premier Jack Lang was sacked by Governor Sir Phillip Game.

In this first of two instalments, we look at Lang's early life and business career, the scandalous aspect of his personal life and his embrace of the White Australia policy, his political rise and the massive opposition he faced from his own party, from big business, from the newspapers and from the fascist New Guard. Then, in early May 1932, during the worst of the Great Depression, Lang's collision with the Commonwealth government threatened chaos and civil violence.

But it would be one forgotten man who actually brought about Lang's downfall.

In part two, The First Dismissal: The Public Servant Who Toppled the Premier, we'll explore the role played in Lang's dismissal by Robert Beardsmore. Usually he's written in and out of the story in a sentence or two, and if there's any elaboration it's to characterise him as a faceless public servant who merely did his duty. But we're taking a deep dive into the background and potential motivations of a man who – between 1900 and 1932 – was like the Forrest Gump of Australian history.

Part 2 will be available early next week for Patreon supporters and be on general release on 20 May. To support the show: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'Young Ned Kelly' – The Boy Bushranger of 1922 – Part Two Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

With the newspapers depicting Henry Maple as determined to commit crimes as terrible as Ned Kelly's atrocities, and the police handing out high-powered military rifles to civilian vigilantes, the stage was set for a bloody showdown in the thick forest of Glen Nayook. To support the show: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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