“GIRLS ON PYLON SEX MACHINE”– it’s gotta be the weirdest newspaper headline of the 1930s. So what’s the strange story behind it? Join me for a plunge into the "Pashometer" craze that had Australians going bonkers to have a go on the machine that scientifically measured their all-important Sex Appeal! Change.org petition to fully fund Trove - https://www.change.org/p/fully-fund-trove Contact Tony Burke - https://www.tonyburke.com.au/contact Support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Contact email forgottenaustraliapodcast (at) gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s July 1950 and Sydney detectives have Arthur Graham - aka Fred Stevens, aka Thomas Croft, aka Lionel Thomas – cornered in Perth. But can the man they suspect of multiple murders escape justice again? Support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s winter 1950 and Sydney detectives are criss-crossing Australia as they try to piece together the whereabouts of Blacktown widow, Phyllis Mary Page, last seen in the company of Fred Stevens – aka Thomas Croft – aka Lionel Thomas. Support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s 1945 and Lionel Thomas - aka Thomas Croft – looks set to pay for one of the most heinous murders in Melbourne’s recent history: the cold-blooded shooting of a railway stationmaster. Support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lionel Charles Thomas went by a lot of aliases. But by any name, he was one nasty character. In this instalment, we chronicle his early criminal career and piece together the evidence that made Sydney and Melbourne suspect him in a handful of murders. Support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the true horror of the pay car outrage revealed – but buried ever-deeper in the war-time newspapers – Sydney police follow promising leads, conduct sweeping interviews and utilise the skills of the scientific squad in the hope of cracking the case. Eventually they’ll come up with a prime suspect – but where is he? Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just hours after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, cold-blooded bandits staged a ruthless ambush on a railway pay car crew south of Sydney. In the aftermath of this ambush, homicide detectives faced an unprecedented task. How could they get the public’s attention – get the information they needed to catch these killers – when all anyone could talk about was the new and unprecedented threat to Australia? Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia To help save Trove, please sign and share these petitions: Government petition (sign by 22 February) - https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN4747 Change.org - https://www.change.org/p/fully-fund-trove?redirect=false Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Australia's biggest manhunt at an end, Kevin John Simmonds faced the darkest fate imaginable. New episodes are on the way! To support the podcast: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November 1959, after eluding authorities for nearly one month, wanted killer and gaol escapee Kevin John Simmonds disappeared into harsh bush on the NSW Central Coast, with 500 heavily armed police scouring the terrain for any signs of him in what was the largest manhunt in Australian history. But the fugitive had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, leading to an outpouring of public sympathy, political showdowns and even an assassination threat against the state premier. To support Forgotten Australia, and get early ad-free access and exclusive bonus episodes: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Determined not to serve 15 years for his incredible crime spree, Kevin John Simmonds broke out of Long Bay Jail in October 1959. What followed was a tragic and senseless killing, the biggest manhunt in the nation's history and the first media circus of Australia's television era. Parts 3 & 4 will be released next week but are available now to Apple subscribers and Patreon supporters. Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November 1959, Australia was electrified by the massive manhunt for handsome young prison escapee and killer Kevin John Simmonds, who eluded hundreds of heavily armed police for weeks to become a rebel heart-throb every bit as popular as Elvis Presley and Johnny O’Keefe. Part 2, 3 and the epilogue will be released over the coming week but they are available now ad-free for Patreon supporters and Apple Subscribers. By supporting and subscribing, you're helping me to keep making this podcast. Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia My latest book, Hanging Ned Kelly, is out now. Read an excerpt here free — and get 19% off cover price: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the weeks after Shirley Butler's murder, newspaper reports hinted that police weren't divulging everything they knew. Then, in June 1953, nearly six months after her death, detectives announced a stunning breakthrough. But the arrest of their suspect would pale in comparisons with the revelations to come. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christmas Day 1952 saw three tragedies result in eight sudden deaths in Sydney. But the most haunting of these was the vicious murder of Shirley Butler, a 21-year-old woman whose body was found just a stone’s throw from her home in Waverton on the lower North Shore. Who had killed her and why? An army of detectives would scour the city for clues – and even authorise a world-first radio re-enactment of Shirley’s last tram journey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Fred Jones's betrayal, with Hayati branded an 'enemy alien', the showman and the performer go head to head in a series of court cases that make headlines all around Australia. You can see a photo gallery from this story free at Patreon - no need to sign up or pay. If you do want to support Forgotten Australia: Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia You can read an excerpt from my book Hanging Ned Kelly at: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/ You can also buy the book there at 26% off the RRP Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who was Frederick Hooper Jones, the man who tried to ruin Hayati Hassid? In this instalment, we look at Fred's life and career as a showman and as a pioneering aviator. Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia Read a free sample of Hanging Ned Kelly here – and buy the book with a 26% discount on the recommended retail price of $35. https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having conquered Australia with Tiny Town, Hayati Hassid goes out on his own and falls into the orbit of Frederick Hooper Jones. To heat parts 3 & 4 right now ad-free, become an Apple subscriber or Patreon supporter. For a three-day free trial, Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia For Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia You can read a free sample of Hanging Ned Kelly and get 26% off the RRP here: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a digitised formerly secret Australian military intelligence file comes one of Forgotten Australia’s strangest stories. In 1911-1912, from Sydney to Brisbane, Perth to Melbourne, and all points in between, Australia was enthralled by the little people entertainment troupe known as Tiny Town. Everyone was especially fond its undisputed star, 'The Mayor of Tiny Town', aka 'The Turkish Tom Thumb', the incomparable small-man performer Hayati Hassid. Yet how did this beloved celebrity - who also acted as editor of 'The Tiny Town Times' - become designated an enemy alien after the Great War broke out? What did this dark twist have to do with showman and self-professed father of Australian aviation Frederick Hooper Jones? And just where do genocidal Turkish sultan Abdul The Damned, legendary escapologist Harry Houdini and Aussie rock band The Angels fit into this picture? Join me for a four-part deep dive that takes us from the harems of the dying Ottoman Empire to the roller-skating-mad London vaudeville scene, from a forgotten antipodean box office blockbuster to the controversial very earliest days of Australia aviation. You won't believe your ears. Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia My new book Hanging Ned Kelly is out now and will make a cracker of a Christmas present. You can read a free excerpt here - and get 26% off the RRP: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the accused murderer of Holly Murphy and Kathleen Brown set to go to trial in April 1946, there's a series of shocking secret developments, including a bombshell letter that makes disturbing claims against Queensland's boys in blue. Via the original police murder file - and from information from a descendant of one of the men involved - we explore what might've really happened. To hear me talk about my new book Hanging Ned Kelly - and for excellent true crime and history episodes, check out these podcasts: Australian True Crime - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/australian-true-crime/id1217681421 In Black & White - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/in-black-and-white/id1466009446 To read an excerpt of Hanging Ned Kelly - https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Detective Senior-Sergeant Frank Bischof in Cairns, Bob Davis soon identifies the murderer. But how far can Bob be trusted? And what is Bischof offering? Part 3 will be available later this week via regular podcast platforms. But as an Apple subscriber or Patreon supporter, you can hear it right now ad-free. Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia To hear me talk about my new book Hanging Ned Kelly - and for excellent true crime and history episodes, check out these podcasts: Australian True Crime - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/australian-true-crime/id1217681421 In Black & White - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/in-black-and-white/id1466009446 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a hot night in January 1946, two women were cold-bloodedly murdered with a grenade in the centre of Cairns. In this three-part special episode - based on the original police murder file - we take a deep dive into this callous crime, whose solution was frustrated not only by the underworld’s code of silence but also by the conduct of Queensland’s most infamously corrupt cop. Parts Two & Three will be available next week via regular podcast platforms. But as an Apple subscriber or Patreon supporter, you can hear them right now ad-free. Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia To hear me talk about my new book Hanging Ned Kelly - and for excellent true crime and history episodes, check out these podcasts: Australian True Crime - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/australian-true-crime/id1217681421 In Black & White - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/in-black-and-white/id1466009446 To read an excerpt of Hanging Ned Kelly - https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/hanging-ned-kelly/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.